a week in Kumamoto

click on images for lager versions…

Exodus of obasan from the jinja:

obasan exodus

A stroll around the park:

suizenji kooen

The biggest koi carp you have ever seen:

koi

A 400 year old castle complete with concrete stairs and air conditioning throughout:

kumamoto castle

Collecting fresh spring water:

spring

…and fresh fruit:

orchard

Weather forecasting courtesy of 4-stick mountain:

4 stick mountain

Relaxing walks around the village (mosquitoes not withstanding):

sampo

Random foodstuffs:

daikon

An early morning drive to see Aso-san:

mountain mist

sunrise

And the volcano up close:

aso san

A Noh performance in front of the floodlit castle:

noh

Former residence of Hosokawa Gyobu (and when the current owners are finished with it, I’ll have it!)

residence

Many thanks to everyone in the zoo for their hospitality:

welcome to the mad house