On next morning we checked out after having sumptuous buffet breakfast. Drizzles started to turn into heavy rain. Drove inland and arrived at Ogi Park – a top 100 sakura spot in less than 1 hour. Though there were plenty of temporary food stalls (during sakura season) along both sides of the entrance, only a few were open.
Ogi Park
Strolled around the huge park with a jinja on top of a low mount where more sakura trees were in bloom (about 30%). Not many visitors were around on that rainy weekday. We did not stay for long and headed to Saga city for lunch.
Arrived at the famous Saga-gyu place but it was full with a long list of names in line. With about 1 hour of waiting time we decided to lunch in a nearby local restaurant (modern shokudo) with set lunches at unbelievably low prices (less than JPY1k each).
Yanagawa
Then we dropped by Yanagawa where we had visited before. Bumped into the Yanagawa Hina Festival 2024 (towards the end) where unique hanging decorations known as “Sagemon” were featured though ringfenced. Strolled for an hour and had a coffee in a quaint shop along the canal.
Yamaga
Next I drove to Yamaga onsen-go for the first time in northern Kumamoto Prefecture. Stopped at the visitor center with public bathhouse next door. Thanks to a brief explanation by the friendly local staff then we realized there are 5 onsen villages around Yamaga onsen-go, where we would stay in one of those. Yamaga in Kanji literally means “mountain deer”.
It’d be interesting to watch ladies with a “Toro” (lantern) tied onto their heads during the Yamaga Toro Matsuri (Lantern Festival) in mid-August.
Kikuka onsen ryokan
In fairly heavy rain we arrived at our onsen ryokan in Kikuka onsen (“chrysanthemum deer”). After quickly unpacking we dashed for onsen, where the furos were surrounded by wooden beams in traditional style. Onsen was slightly alkaline while minerals were apparently deposited around wooden beams and stone paved floors, thus making the latter slippery. The serene rotenburo has a nice view on a small mount.
Dinner was sumptuous and delicious. It paired well with a local sake. After dinner, drinks in the lounge were free for consumption, including alcoholic. The whiskey was ok.
==========> Kikuchi ===========>