I spent a lot of time in the months before this trip, trying to figure out what we’d do for a day in Yatsushiro.  The biggest place nearby is Kumamoto, which has a rebuilt castle, but it was a half hour train trip away, and we’d be seeing much better examples of castles on our own.  The port at Yatsushiro is about 10 kms from the small town.  It is very new, and thanks to covid, has had very few ships arrive during its short existence.  The town had a few minor attractions, but I couldn’t glean any information about how to get there from the port.  Mentally, I wrote it off as a forgettable stop with not much to do.  How wrong I was.

Our stop was the first official port call at Yatsushiro, and the locals had planned a red carpet welcome, a day long festival of traditional activities, and a celebratory send-off, to mark the occasion.  Shuttle buses were there to take us into the centre of town, and that’s what I decided to do; Ian decided to go for his own exploration from the port, after taking care of some work.   It’s always fun to have a day where you do different things, then compare notes afterwards.

By 6.30am I was up on the open deck, watching some small fishing boats that were following the ship.  I realised I could hear the sound of drumming, coming from the shore.  To my surprise, there was a group of young people dressed in traditional outfits, drumming, piping, and dancing, to greet us.  They were students from the local high school, and they put in an energetic performance, whilst the captain brought us alongside the pier. Later, as we disembarked, we were given small paper cranes, and there were colourful stalls selling food and local products

The bus took me exactly where I wanted to be, and happily I set off to visit the local sights of Yatsushiro.  Everywhere there were people to assist us with crossing the roads and finding our way, determined to give us a great experience. 

My first stop was the Shohinken Tea House and Garden.  Dating from 1688, these delightful buildings and gardens were built by a Lord of the adjacent Castle, for his mother.  Back then it had a “splendid view of the Yatushiro Sea”.  Although you can’t enter the Tea House itself, you can wander around the gardens at will, and enjoy the beauty of the ornamental ponds, stone bridges, shrines, and pathways leading through pine trees and a bamboo grove.  It wasn’t crowded or touristy, and I loved every minute of my hour spent there. 

Yatsushiro Castle is even older, dating from the 1620s.  All that remains are the walls of the keep, the moat, and the temple at its centre.  There are more beautiful gardens and buildings to enjoy as you wander the paths.  I realised that the traditional Japanese shapes, colours and textures really appeal to my aesthetic tastes and if you spend the time to look closely, they reveal some unexpected surprises.  I couldn’t believe how this small, under-rated town could contain such interesting places to visit, but hardly rate a mention on any tourism website.

The castle grounds were the scene of the festival activities, and small marquees were dotted throughout the gardens.  You could try your hand at ninja star throwing, blowpipe shooting, swordplay, games of skill, stilt walking, dressing up in a kimono, or boating on the moat.  It was a happy, lively atmosphere that everyone was thoroughly enjoying. 

Eventually I dragged myself away, in search of a loo. The best bet seemed to be the nearby Honmachi shopping arcade, where yet more stalls had been set up.  It was an odd collection of little shops, interspersed with a few cafes, and only a handful of customers.  I soon found the sign I was looking for, and followed it.  As I started on my way back, I noticed a distinctive tiled roof just ahead.  I peeked in through a gate, and found myself at a small Buddhist temple, complete with cemetery.  The tombstones were grey marble, but much smaller than Western ones, and packed into a very compact space.  They were decorated with colourful, elaborate silk flowers.  Another unheralded treasure unearthed. 

All too soon it was time to take the bus back to the ship, locate Ian, and hear about his day.  He’d gone for a walk from the port, where industry soon gave way to agriculture in the form of small market gardens.  He saw a variety of houses, some very dilapidated, others in good repair and with money spent on them.  He wandered along small, quiet streets, until he reached a small park with a hill, the only contour in sight.  He said it looked like the sort of place you could hold a park orienteering event.

Later in the afternoon we both had a look at the port.  The Japanese are very big on mascots, and it seems none bigger than Kumamon, the mascot for Yatsushiro. Kumanon is a black and white bear, with round rosy cheeks, and you see him everywhere around the town.  There are 84 of them at the port, including a choir; to find all of them you have to explore the little Japanese garden where you will find Kumamons hiding in the bamboo, or sitting partly submerged in the pond.  These were a huge hit with pretty much everyone, young and old.

One of my favourite things about cruises are the sail-ins and sailaways; there is nothing to match being on the open deck on a cold, clear morning in Iceland, or a balmy evening in the Mediterranean, watching a gorgeous sunrise, or seeing the lights of a town or city wink into view.  We’ve had some memorable sailaways – but none will ever match the one that the people of Yatsushiro produced. It was absolutely incredible, and made us feel so welcome, as we lined the decks to watch, clap, cheer and wave.

It began with another drum ceremony; those kids had been putting their energy into entertaining us all day.  Then just before we pushed away from the pier, the light show began.  First we were treated to a colourful laser show; then hundreds and hundreds of coloured drones rose into the air, seemingly from nowhere.  For the next 20 minutes, they formed beautiful illuminated shapes and patterns in the air, above the ship.  There were planets, dolphins and whales, our ship, Kumamon bears, and messages of goodwill – all set to music, and stunningly choreographed.  Photos don’t do it any justice at all; it was one of the most amazing sights I’ve seen, and it left the professional light shows of Singapore and Kong for dead. It was as good as, if not better than the one done for the Queen’s platinum jubilee.  Everyone gasped audibly with genuine awe and delight, with each new formation.  It was pure wonder.

But Yatsushiro wasn’t done with us just yet.  As we gathered speed, the fireworks show began; it was one of the best, if not the best, I’ve ever seen.  The sound reverberated across the water, creating a wall of thunder all around the ship, as we watched explosion after explosion.  I will never forget this evening, or the warmest of welcomes we received in Yatsushiro.