A Taste of Old Japan: We had five hours to kill in Kumamoto, so Ritsuko and I decided that we should go for a sight see. Although Kumamoto (pop 600,000)1 is a city with many modern conveniences it has a much more traditional feel to it than Fukuoka-Hatakata. I am not sure if it the trams, the castle, the garden, the people or a combination of all which gives it that feel.
The photo above shows part of the castle wall and moat surrounding Kumamoto-jo (castle) as well as traditional houses. From this photo you can't see any of the modern Japan it is almost like you have stepped back in time. However although it can't be seen in the photo the modern world is only a sight turn to the left or the right away.
People had told me about how expensive things were in Japan, like $10(AUD) for a coke. Kumamoto was the first place I saw Coke cans for sale in Japan and it was only 98yen($1.22AUD) at a convenience store and 110yen($1.37AUD) from the vending machines.
