If you have a free day and want to see Kumamoto Castle and the places around it, this guide shows what each place is, which ones are open after the July 2026 earthquake, and how to get there. All seven places are in Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City.
In short
- Kumamoto Castle is open as usual, according to the castle’s notice of 18 September 2026.
- At Sakuranobaba Josaien, the shops, restaurants and Tourist Information Center are open. The Wakuwakuza museum is closed; reopening is planned for December 2026.
- The Former Residence of Hosokawa Gyobu is closed, with no reopening date.
- The Prefectural Museum of Art, the Traditional Crafts Center and Kumamoto City Museum are open.
- Come by tram or the Shiromegurin loop bus if you can. The two museums have no parking of their own.
Checked with official pages on 26 September 2026.
1. Which places are open now?
Depends on the place
| Place | What it is | Open now? (26 Sep 2026) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kumamoto Castle | Castle under repair; you can go up the main tower | Open | Paid |
| Sakuranobaba Josaien | Food and souvenir shops, tourist information, a history museum | Shops and information center open; Wakuwakuza museum closed | Free to walk in; Wakuwakuza paid |
| Kato Shrine | Shinto shrine to the castle’s builder, Kato Kiyomasa | Open; car access is restricted | The website mentions no charge to visit the grounds |
| Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art | Art from ancient times to today | Open; annex gallery closed for renovation | Collection exhibition paid; two rooms free |
| Traditional Crafts Center | Kumamoto crafts: exhibitions, shop, café | Open | Free; special exhibitions paid |
| Kumamoto City Museum | Nature and history of the region, planetarium | Open | Paid |
| Former Residence of Hosokawa Gyobu | Samurai-family residence | Closed, no reopening date | Not open |
Prices, opening hours and closing days are in the Key facts for each place at the end of this page. Closing days are not the same everywhere: the Museum of Art, the Crafts Center and the City Museum usually close on Mondays, and the Museum of Art changes its closing days around exhibitions.
2. The places, one by one
2.1 Kumamoto Castle (熊本城)
Kato Kiyomasa (加藤清正) completed Kumamoto Castle in 1607. The 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake badly damaged it, and repairs are still going on. During the Special Public Opening (熊本城特別公開), you can see the damage and the repair work and go up the main tower (天守閣).
The official Kumamoto Castle app gives recorded guidance to the tower’s exhibitions, and English is one of its languages. You can buy tickets online in advance or at a ticket office. Last entry is one hour before closing time. On weekdays you can enter and leave only through the South Gate (南口).
Children at elementary and junior high schools in Kumamoto City, and Kumamoto City residents aged 65 or over, can enter free. Bring proof, such as an ID card, and get a free ticket at a ticket office.
Address: 1-1 Honmaru, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City · Open in Google Maps
Phone: 096-223-5011 (Kumamoto Castle Administration Management Center, 9:00–17:00)
Official website (English section available)
A video from Kumamoto Castle’s official YouTube channel marking ten years since the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake (in Japanese).
2.2 Sakuranobaba Josaien (桜の馬場 城彩苑)
Josaien is a tourist complex at the foot of the castle. Sakuranokoji (桜の小路) has 23 shops and restaurants with Kumamoto food and souvenirs. The Tourist Information Center helps with sights, events, places to stay and transport. It has pamphlets and maps in four languages, and coin lockers.
Important
The Kumamoto Castle Museum Wakuwakuza (熊本城ミュージアムわくわく座) closed after the earthquake of 28 July 2026. Josaien plans to reopen it in December 2026. The English pages do not mention the closure, so check the Japanese news page or call before you plan a visit to the museum.
The Josaien car park is only partly open after the earthquake. A free shuttle bus runs from Josaien to the castle’s Ninomaru Parking (二の丸駐車場).
Address: 1-1 Ninomaru, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City · Open in Google Maps
Phone: 096-288-5600 (Wakuwakuza). Shops and restaurants: 096-288-5577. Tourist Information Center: 096-322-5060
Official website
2.3 Kato Shrine (加藤神社)
Kato Shrine is a Shinto shrine inside the castle grounds. It enshrines Kato Kiyomasa, whom people in Kumamoto call Seishoko-san (せいしょこさん). The shrine says its grounds give a clear view of the castle keep and the Uto Turret (宇土櫓).
The shrine holds prayer services in the worship hall, for example for a safe birth, a baby’s first shrine visit or Shichi-go-san (七五三). Individuals do not book; come to reception during the prayer hours in Key facts. Groups should contact the shrine office first.
Note
After the July 2026 earthquake, the road toward the shrine has traffic restrictions. Kumamoto Castle said on 17 September 2026 that the restrictions toward Kato Shrine continue. The shrine asks visitors who can to park at the paid Ninomaru Parking and walk.
Address: 2-1 Honmaru, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City · Open in Google Maps
Phone: 096-352-7316 (shrine office, 8:00–17:00)
Official website (Japanese only)
2.4 Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art (熊本県立美術館)
This is Kumamoto Prefecture’s art museum, in the Ninomaru area of the castle. It opened in 1976 and shows art from ancient times to the present. The collection exhibition in Gallery 2 shows works from the Hosokawa collection with the museum’s own works. The decorated tomb room (装飾古墳室) and the Hamada Chimei print room (浜田知明版画室) are free.
The museum reopened on 5 August 2026 after safety checks. Its separate annex gallery, the Hosokawa Collection Eisei Bunko room (細川コレクション永青文庫展示室), is closed for renovation until around December 2026. From 9 October to 29 November 2026, a special exhibition for its 50th anniversary shows Buddhist statues from Kumamoto. The exhibition page has flyers in English, Chinese and Korean.
Tip
Keep your Kumamoto Castle ticket. If you show it within three days, you pay the group price for the collection exhibition.
The museum has no parking of its own, and car navigation may give a wrong route. The museum asks drivers to set Kumamoto Castle Ninomaru Parking as the destination and walk from there.
Address: 2 Ninomaru, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City · Open in Google Maps
Phone: 096-352-2111 (main building)
Official website
2.5 Kumamoto Prefectural Traditional Crafts Center (熊本県伝統工芸館)
The center shows and sells traditional crafts from across Kumamoto Prefecture. Entry is free; only the special exhibitions need a ticket. Its office and museum shop reopened on 20 March 2026 after a large renovation, and the center says it is open as usual after the July 2026 earthquake.
On the first floor there is a museum shop, Kogei Shop Takumi (工芸ショップ匠), and a café, COFFEE KADO. The next special exhibition, on Yoshio Akioka and crafts for daily life, runs from 20 October to 27 December 2026.
The center is across from the Akazu-no-mon Gate (不開門) of the castle, beside KKR Hotel Kumamoto. Its English guide page still says it is closed for renovation; the Japanese pages say it is open.
Address: 3-35 Chibajomachi, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City · Open in Google Maps
Phone: 096-324-4930. Museum shop: 096-324-5133
Official website
2.6 Kumamoto City Museum (熊本博物館)
Kumamoto City Museum opened in 1952 and shows the Kumamoto region through its nature and its culture. It has a planetarium, which needs a separate ticket as well as museum admission. For an audio guide, install the Pocket Curator (ポケット学芸員) app before you go and enter the number shown next to an exhibit; the museum’s English page shows how to set it to English.
There is no museum parking. The entrance is on the north side of the building, the side facing the Former Residence of Hosokawa Gyobu.
Address: 3-2 Furukyomachi, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City · Open in Google Maps
Phone: 096-324-3500
Official website (mainly Japanese)
2.7 Former Residence of Hosokawa Gyobu (旧細川刑部邸)
The residence is closed, and Kumamoto City gives no reopening date. Its English tourism page still shows opening hours and prices from before the closure, so do not plan a visit from them. It was the residence of the Hosokawa Gyobu family and is an Important Cultural Property designated by Kumamoto Prefecture.
Address: 3-1 Furukyomachi, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City · Open in Google Maps
Phone: 096-352-5900 (Kumamoto City’s Kumamoto Castle General Office, weekdays 8:30–17:15)
Kumamoto City tourism page
3. How do I get there and get around?
- Take the Kumamoto City Tram to Kumamoto Castle/City Hall (熊本城・市役所前). Josaien and the Crafts Center are about 7 minutes on foot, Kato Shrine about 9 minutes and the Museum of Art about 15 minutes.
- Or take the Shiromegurin loop bus (しろめぐりん) from Kumamoto Station. Kumamoto City says it restarted on 7 August 2026. A ride costs ¥200 for adults and ¥100 for children; a one-day pass is ¥500 for adults and ¥250 for children.
- Use the free shuttle bus inside the area. Kumamoto Castle says the shuttle between Josaien and Ninomaru Parking runs every day, 9:00–17:00.
- If you drive, park at Ninomaru Parking. It charges a fee. The Museum of Art and the City Museum have no parking of their own.
From Aso Kumamoto Airport, the airport limousine bus goes to Sakuramachi Bus Terminal (桜町バスターミナル). From there it is about 10 minutes on foot to Josaien. Some roads near the castle changed after the earthquake: Kumamoto Castle lifted the restrictions around the Hyakken stone wall (百間石垣) on 17 September 2026, but not those toward Kato Shrine.
4. Can I get help in English?
The Tourist Information Center at Josaien says it helps visitors in English and other languages. Kumamoto Castle has an English website, an English pamphlet and an app with English guidance. The other places do not say whether staff speak English. For help in your language anywhere in Kumamoto City, see Where to get help in your language.
Sources (checked 26 September 2026)
- Kumamoto Castle: opening status of facilities around the castle (as of 18 September 2026)
- Kumamoto Castle: traffic restrictions lifted around the Hyakken stone wall (17 September 2026)
- Kumamoto Castle: free shuttle bus restarts (August 2026)
- Kumamoto Castle official website
- Sakuranobaba Josaien official website
- Kato Shrine official website
- Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art
- Kumamoto Prefectural Traditional Crafts Center
- Kumamoto City Museum
- Kumamoto City tourism site: Former Residence of Hosokawa Gyobu
- Kumamoto City: Shiromegurin loop bus (updated 6 August 2026)
