Winter vacation: Kumamoto dan Saga-ken

Ishikawa-ken, penghujung tahun 2019

Senin adalah awal pekan, awal memulai pekerjaan. Namun tidak dengan senin itu. Senin itu adalah awal liburan. Bergegas dia meninggalkan apatonya, mengejar bis untuk ke stasiun. Bus shuttle berangkat jam 8:55, dan lima menit sebelum bis itu berangkat, dia sudah berada di dalamnya. Dari Nomi, kota tempat kampusnya berada, menuju Komatsu, stasiun dimana dia memulai perjalanan, ditempuh selama 30 menit dengan shuttle kampus tersebut. Hari ini adalah hari terakhir shutle beroperasi sebelum liburan tahun baru. Shuttle akan beroperasi lagi tanggal tiga Januari, tepat dimana dia pulang dari liburan. Untuk sekedar liburanpun dia mengatur jadwalnya sedemikan rupa sehingga transportasi dapat diperolehnya senyaman mungkin.

Jadwal shuttle selama winter 2019/2020

Di Komatsu, dia sampai jam 9:30. Masih ada waktu 45 menit sebelum kereta pertama tujuan Fukui berangkat. Dia pun membeli tiket juhacchi kippu (18kippu), tiket free-pass khusus kereta api JR yang berlaku selama lima hari, se-jepang, asalkan masih kereta JR, maksimal tipe kereta api ekspress, bukan tipe atasnya (limited express, shinkansen). Setelah mengantongi tiket, dia pun berkeliling, memperhatikan lalu lalang orang-orang di stasiun Komatsu. Banyak orang menjemput saudaranya, atau temannya. Tahun baru serasa lebaran di Indonesia.


Dari Komatsu dia mengambil kereta tujuan Fukui. Dari Fukui berpindah ke Tsuruga. Masing-masing sekitar satu jam. Dari Tsuruga dia bisa lebih lama di kereta, sekitar 2.5 jam, ganti kereta di Himeji menuju Aioi, ganti kereta di sana menuju Okayama, tujuan terakhirnya hari itu. Nahas, dia ketinggalan melewatkan kereta di Aioi. Akhirnya dia memutuskan untuk tetap di kereta sampai tujuan akhir, Banshu-Ako. Dari sana dia berpindah ke kereta menuju Okayama. Jadwal kedatangannya di Okayama mundur sejam dari yang diperkirakan. Seharusnya jam 17.02, kenyataanya dia sampai di Okayama jam 18.30

Rute dari Himeji ke Okayama via Banshu-Ako. Harusnya perjalanan bisa lebih singkat jika berhendi di Aioi, kemudian oper kereta tujuan Okayama.

Sites in Kumamoto Castle

Before read this story, it's better to read my visit to Kumamoto Castle. Then, continue read the story below about some interesting sites in Kumamoto Castle.

The Main Towers

The area around the main towers and the Hon-maru Goten was destroyed by fire three days before the Seinan Rebellion began. The cause of the fire remains unknown. The present main tower were rebuilt in 1960 to restore the castle's exterior. The larger main tower has 6 stories with a basement and about 30 meters above the stone fence, and the smaller main tower has 4 stories with a basement and about 19 meters in height.

Exhibition and historical relics of the two ruling feudal clans, Kato's and Hosokawa's as well as the Seinan Rebellion are housed in the tower buildings.

Kumamoto Castle Main Tower

Uto-Yagura

The Walking Tour of Suizenji Park

This is is my third trip in Kumamoto City, Japan. After visiting the Castle and Zoological and botanical garden, the story is continuing..

This is Suizenji Park.

The Suizenji Park View

Suizenji is famous park in Kumamoto city Japan. Besides the Kumamoto castle, zoo, botanical garden and other, Suizenji Park is another interesting tour destination in Kumamoto. The park was built to dedicate to the Hosokawa heritage. The duke Hosokawa is author in Kumamoto after the Kato's clan. He lived in Kumamoto castle and continued by his family to maintain feudal domain system in Kumamoto at the era.

The Suizenji Park, Kumamoto, Japan

The walking tour of Suizenji jojuen takes about 20 minutes.

Visit Kumamoto Castle

This is my story about my visiting to Kumamoto Castle a few days ago. Kumamoto is a city in Kyushu island, the southern part of Japan. There is a castle in Kumamoto city, namely Kumamoto castle. Located in downtown of Kumamoto city, it was very easy to find Kumamoto castle. If you go to the Kumamoto city hall, just look in front of you. You will see a wall of Kumamoto castle. The wall was named after Naga-Bei. At the first time, I enjoy travelling to Kumamoto castle by my lovely bicycle.

A Brief History of Kumamoto Castle

The history of Kumamoto castle can be divided into three parts. The first one is the rule of Kato's with two generation in 44 years. The second is the rule of Hosokawa and the last is in the modern era. Below is the Kato's generation from year to year.

• 1588 : Lord Kato Kiyomasa, the daimyo ruler of northern Higo Province with annual rice yield of 195,000 koku moves into the old Kumamoto castle.
• 1600 : Battle of Sekigahara was happened. Southern Higo Province was added to the Kiyomasa domain, yielding a total of 540,000 koku of rice.
• 1601 : Kiyomasa began to build the present Kumamoto castle
• 1607 : The new Kumamoto castle was completely built. A kanji character in Kumamoto's name was changed.
• 1611 : Kiyomasa died from illness. His third son, namely Tadahiro, inherited the feudal lordship.
• 1632 : The Karo clan was divested of its lordship and exiled to Shonai in Dewa province.

Kumamoto Castle Main Tower

The Hosokawa clan authorized Kumamoto castle in 11 generations or about 229 years. In that era some  events are occurred. Those can be listed below.

From Surabaya to Kumamoto

Alhamdulillahirobbil alamin, segala puji bagi Allah, Tuhan semesta Alam, yang mengatur siang dan malam, mengatur perputaran bumi, matahari dan benda-benda langit lainnya, mengatur segala yang ada di alam semesta dan memperjalankan hambaNya, termasuk hambaNya yang dhoif wa jahuul ini.

Dengan mengucap doa safar (doa naik kendaraan) aku memulai perjalanan ini,

Subhaanal Ladzi sakhkhara lanaa haadzaa wamaa kunnaa lahu muqriniin qa innaa ilaa rabbinaa lamunqolibuun.

Artinya:

Maha Suci Allah Dzat yang menjinakkan kendaraan ini kepada kami, sedangkan kami tidak bisa menjinakkannya, dan kepada Allah kami kembali. (Q.S. Az-Zukhruf:13-14)

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