Kumamoto Wasuki Tsukasa

Kumamoto Wasuki Shikan is a Japanese-creative (washoku/wa-inspired) hotel in Kumamoto City. Its spacious, calm rooms feature a Japanese-modern, antique style; even Western-style rooms include tatami, helping you relax and recover from travel fatigue. The hotel has an artificial hot spring with a large public bath called “Tenku no Yu,” where you can also soothe tiredness. A popular feature is that the washing area outside the bath is tatami-floored, giving a special “only-on-travel” feeling. There are vending machines, a souvenir shop, and a restaurant where you can also have lunch. Meals are served as kaiseki featuring Kumamoto specialties such as basashi (horse sashimi) and karashi renkon. Breakfast is a buffet of about 30 items, satisfying both appetite and mood. Because it’s a hotel centered on Japanese aesthetics, it’s popular with international visitors as well. It’s close to Kumamoto Castle and downtown; you can enjoy local food and drinks in the nightlife area at night. Reviews often praise the staff’s thoughtful hospitality. Access: about 10 minutes by car from JR Kumamoto Station, and about a 5-minute walk from Kumamoto Castle.