Kumamoto Prefecture

Rise early and look down on a sea of clouds

On clear, windless mornings, cold air settles in a mountain basin and fills it with a white sea of clouds. Arrive at a lookout before dawn, wait, and watch mountains and even a castle rise out of the white. It does not form every day, so check the forecast the night before; most of these lookouts need a car or a taxi from the station.

Trace three classic views from a train window

Obasute, Yatake and Karikachi have long been called Japan's three great views from a train window. Today only Obasute can still be seen from a moving train; at the other two, you trace the railway's past at old stations and the remains of old lines. Obasute is the easiest to reach, about half an hour by local train from Nagano, which is under two hours from Tokyo by shinkansen.

Walk behind a curtain of falling water

At a few waterfalls in Japan, a path runs behind the falling water, so you can stand in a hollow of the rock and look out through it like a curtain. In Japanese these are called urami no taki, or falls seen from behind. The rock behind the water is wet and slippery, so wear shoes with good grip, and expect to need a car for most of them.

See three castles built to show off power

Nagoya, Osaka and Kumamoto castles were built around 1600 by the warlords who unified Japan and their generals, with all the wealth and skill they could command. Compare Nagoya's golden shachihoko, fish-shaped ornaments on the roof, the giant stones of Osaka's walls and Kumamoto's steeply curving walls.

Soak in a hot spring inside a rock cave

A few onsen sit inside caves, some worn into the rock by the sea or a river and some dug out by hand, so you soak in a dim stone pool that feels like a small expedition. All of them are far from Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, so build one into a longer trip rather than a day trip.

Feel the wind on a train with no windows

Torokko are open-air train cars with no glass in the windows, so the breeze off the gorge, the sound of the river and the cool air of the tunnels reach you directly. Many run only from spring to autumn, so check the operating days and book ahead.

Steam your own lunch over hot spring vents

In some of Kyushu's hot spring areas, such as Beppu, steam at about 100°C rises from the ground, and people cook with it in a style called jigoku-mushi, or "hell steaming." Set vegetables, eggs and seafood in a steam oven yourself, and eat them hot beside the clouds of steam.

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