Local News

Kumamoto City revealed that a total of 2.21 million people visited Kumamoto Castle in 2008, making it the most popular of all castles in Japan for visitors. The city confirmed the figures through talks with 48 local governments who are members of a national association for managing castles. The city attributes the interest in the castle to the opening of the keep to visits last spring, special events related to the castle’s 400th anniversary, and other programs to attract visitors. It is the first time the castle led the nation in total number of tourists in a year.