Kumamoto
熊本32°48′ N 130°42′ ECityPop. 738,385Kyushu
Kumamoto suits riders heading for Aso or Amakusa who want a castle city with good ramen for a night, and it is still repairing homes and roads after the July 2026 earthquake.
Road closure
Kumamoto is rebuilding after the 28 July 2026 earthquake, and most roads and lines are open
An M7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto region on 28 July 2026, and Uki and Yatsushiro took the worst of it. The Kyushu Shinkansen fully reopened on 18 September and JR's Kagoshima line between Uto and Yatsushiro on 10 October. The Minami-Kyushu Expressway stays closed between Yatsushiro JCT and Yatsushiro-minami IC while its bridges are repaired, and aftershocks continue. Aso and Amakusa are open to visitors, and their towns ask travellers to come.
Checked 2026-10-11 · bousai.go.jp
Photo 663highland · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay a night between the Shinkansen and the ride out to Aso or to Misumi for Amakusa, with the castle lit up after dinner this autumn.
Eat in Kumamoto
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto region at 16:27 on 28 July 2026, with the strongest shaking in Uki and Hikawa and severe damage in Yatsushiro. Kumamoto Prefecture's count on 9 October stood at 38 deaths and more than 76,000 damaged homes, about 18,900 of them in Kumamoto City, and some 1,300 people were still in shelters. Most hotels, shops and sights are open again, and in early October the Cabinet Office counted 12 lodgings still closed for building damage.
Kumamoto Castle reopened on 13 August. Its stone walls are still being rebuilt after the 2016 earthquakes, and this autumn the city lights the grounds at night for Shiro Akari. For lunch, Kumamoto ramen comes with roasted garlic oil over a pork-bone soup, and Kokutei has served it at Nihongi since 1957.
Rail lines south have reopened in stages. The Kyushu Shinkansen runs its full length again from 18 September 2026, and JR's Kagoshima line between Uto and Yatsushiro reopened on 10 October.
Quick answers about Kumamotoよくある質問
Is Kumamoto a good place to stay?
Stay a night between the Shinkansen and the ride out to Aso or to Misumi for Amakusa, with the castle lit up after dinner this autumn.
Within 12 km
Places to eat and drink nearby食
Within 12 km