Local News

The festival commemorating the 400th anniversary of the construction of the Kumamoto Castle, held from December 31, 2006, to May this year generated an economic benefit estimated at more than 14.5 billion yen. It also attracted more than 1.7 million visitors, of whom an estimated one-third came from outside the prefecture. On April 20 this year, the restored castle keep was opened to the public. Kumamoto City spend roughly 5.4 billion yen on the restoration work.