Sakura no Baba Jōsaien (桜の馬場 城彩苑) 桜の馬場 城彩苑
The earthquake of 28/07 closed everything: shops reopened on 5/8, the museum was still shut on 18/8.
Jōsaien was built to give Kumamoto Castle an entrance with shops and restaurants, on the model of other Japanese castle towns. Sakura no Kōji street brings together 23 businesses devoted to Kumamoto's cuisine and local products; the Wakuwaku-za museum, inside the same complex, tells the history of the Higo domain (54 man-koku) with exhibits and screenings. There is also a general tourist information office. After the earthquake of 28 July 2026 (M7.1), the complex closed the same day; an official update of 5 August reported the shops and the information office back to normal, with the museum still shut and the multi-purpose hall on the first floor of the information office not accessible. A second update of 18 August confirmed the same picture for the museum, although the volunteer guides and the samurai shows (without combat) had resumed.
Kumamoto
Sakura Machi Bus Station, Kumamoto Castle / City Hall, Kami-Kumamoto
