JAPAN | Star Navigator Cruise Shore Excursion Kumamoto Tour
Thursday, December 04, 2025
Kuma-where? I had never heard of Kumamoto prior to our Star Cruises Japan trip. We were now on the fourth day of our cruise, visiting Nagasaki the day before. It turns out, the Kumamoto Prefecture is just a sleep away via a cruise ship. I woke up with our ship docking at Kumamoto’s cruise port, a red lighthouse punctuating a very still and calm Japanese morning.
| STAR NAVIGATOR KUMAMOTO SHORE EXCURSION TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ WHAT’S INSIDE? |
BOOKING A STAR DREAM CRUISES TOUR
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| THE TOP DECK OF STAR CRUISES’ STAR NAVIGATOR SHIP |
StarDream Cruises is the new branding for Resorts World Cruises. It has since reverted to its classic names, Star Cruises and Dream Cruises.
Star Cruises offers one of the most affordable cruises in Southeast Asia. It has two ships, the Star Voyager and the Star Navigator—which we are currently on.
Booking a cruise is easy. Check out the steps below:
1. Head over to the Star Dream Cruises website.
2. Click on “Deals”, then choose “Current Deals”.
3. Choose a ship you want to cruise on.
4. Click “Any Destination” or any specific destination you want to go to.
5. Choose your preferred departure port.
6. Choose the month you want to cruise.
Note that they also have numerous promos that you can avail right before checking out—like a free or discounted booking for the second person joining the cruise. Rates start at USD 379.00.
You can also get an additional discount by using my discount code: lakadpilipinas (small caps, case-sensitive).
One of the things I really like about their cruises is that there is absolutely no need to get a Japanese or Korean VISA (except for their Busan cruise) to join their Japan and South Korea cruise.
➤ CHECK OUT: STAR NAVIGATOR CRUISE REVIEW
KUMAMOTO CRUISE TOURS
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| ON A TOUR BUS AROUND KUMAMOTO |
Located on the island of Kyushu, Kumamoto sits east of Nagasaki. It is the second destination for our 6D5N cruise via StarDream Cruises’ Star Navigator. And for this leg, they offer four package tours—which in cruise terminology are called shore excursions. I love how different each shorex is, catering to different types of tourists and travelers.
Again, these tours require a separate fee from the one you paid for the cruise itself. DIY tours are allowed—just be sure to be back on time, lest the ship depart without you.
Below are the tours currently offered by the Star Navigator:
The Essence of Kumamoto: Adult NTD1,500 / Child NTD1,500
Immersive Mt. Aso Volcano Tour: Adult NTD2,600 / Child NTD2,300
Kuma River Rafting Experience: Adult NTD2,500 / Child NTD2,200
Kumamoto Family Adventure Tour: Adult NTD1,800 / Child NTD1,600
➤ BOOK KUMAMOTO DAY TOURS HERE!
OUR TOUR: THE ESSENCE OF KUMAMOTO
One of the most popular shore excursions for Kumamoto is The Essence of Kumamoto tour. It basically touches base on the best of what Kumamoto has to offer for a single day-tour. And this is what we picked for this stop.
SHORE EXCURSION PREPARATION
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| WAKING UP TO THIS VIEW OF KUMAMOTO |
The Kumamoto tour required us to wake especially early since the Yatsushiro Cruise Port is located quite a ways away from the city. Call time was at six, so we were required to set our alarm at around 4:30AM to at least perform our morning routine before having breakfast by five at any of the three free inclusive restaurants.
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| SUNRISE AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STAR NAVIGATOR |
Well, that was too early for me, so I did my morning routines the night before, so I just need to wake up by five, eat, freshen up for a few minutes, and be at the Zodiac Theater by six.
For today’s breakfast, I decided to have it at the Pavilion Restaurant for a Western buffet. Ditching my usual morning fare at The Lido restaurant. So, crispy bacon, eggs, sausages, and croissants it was.
EN ROUTE
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| PASSING BY JAPANESE RICEFIELDS EN ROUTE TO KUMAMOTO CITY |
Boarding a bus, we proceeded to our first stop. The ride took about 45 minutes, and I was trying hard to keep awake, not wanting to miss out on seeing the Kumamoto countryside zoom past us.
SUIZENJI GARDEN
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| A TORII PATH LEADING TO A SHRINE INSIDE THE SUIZENJI GARDEN |
A prominent and historic park in Kumamoto, the Suizen-ji Jōju-en, more popularly called Suizenji Garden, was the first stop of the tour. Built in 1636—during Japan’s Edo Period—it’s a sprawling 7.3-hectare park with Zen gardens, ponds, and traditional Japanese structures like tea houses, torii paths, and shrines.
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| SUIZENJI GARDEN’S ICONIC CONICAL HILL |
One of its most famous spots is a conical man-made hill that was said to be fashioned after Mt. Fuji. What it reminds me of though, is our very own Mayon Volcano replica at the now defunct Nayong Pilipino. The park itself also sort of echoes the Hida No Sato folk village in Takayama.
➤ SEE: MERCURE HIDA TAKAYAMA REVIEW
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| ONE OF THE MANY INTERESTING STRUCTURES INSIDE THE GARDEN |
Suizenji Garden is very picturesque, and an hour around it—and circle it, we did—gives but a cursory glance at what it has to offer. But alas, an hour is only what we have, and we were soon moving to our next stop.
➤ BOOK SUIZENJI PARK ON A KIMONO HERE!
KUMAMOTO CASTLE
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| VISITING THE MAJESTIC KUMAMOTO CASTLE |
The highlight of The Essence of Kumamoto Tour was the city’s castle, which is considered one of the three major castles in Japan.
➤ SEE: ODAWARA CASTLE
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| VISITORS ARE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE CASTLE, FREE OF CHARGE |
The original Kumamoto Castle was built in 1467 and was reconstructed in concrete in 1960. After winding through the elevated pathways leading to the castle, we were able to enter it and explore all its six levels.
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| A VIEW OF KUMAMOTO CITY FROM THE TOPMOST FLOOR OF THE CASTLE |
The interiors are now converted into a modern museum, with the topmost floor giving a panoramic view of the Chuo-ku ward of Kumamoto City.
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| SAMURAI SHOW AT THE KUMAMOTO CASTLE GROUNDS |
The entrance of the castle complex features food stalls and souvenir shops surrounding an open area reserved for traditional and modern performances. On my way out, I was able to watch a Japanese samurai show, the rendition of which is somewhat a mix of traditional Japanese swordsmanship and modern dance.
➤ GET KUMAMOTO CASTLE TICKETS HERE!
KUMAMOTO WALK
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| WALKING ALONG KUMAMOTO CITY |
Having separated from our group, I walked towards the nearby Shimatori Shopping Arcade. The original plan was to eat at the food hall of the Kumamoto City Hall, which was en route to the arcade and which our guide told us was open to the public. It would’ve been a nice experience, dining with local salarymen. The only problem was, they only accept cash. And I was quite short on yen, depending solely on my credit card for Star Cruises’ shore excursions.
SHIMATORI SHOPPING ARCADE
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| THE SHIMATORI SHOPPING ARCADE |
So, on to the shopping district I proceeded. The Shimatori Shopping Arcade is similar to any other shopping arcade around Japan—shops on both sides of a roofed pedestrian-only street. I checked out a couple of 100-yen shops before proceeding to a local ramen joint.
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| SERIA, OUR FAVORITE 100-YEN SHOP, INSIDE THE SHOPPING ARCADE |
I don’t really shop much at most stores in Japan, finding them on the expensive side. Where I do love shopping in Japan is at Japanese second-hand shops, 100-yen stores, and groceries—which have really affordable items. Be that as it may, that would entail a lot of time, a commodity we don’t have much of during shore excursions.
➤ HIRE KUMAMOTO PRIVATE CAR DAY TOUR HERE!
KOKUTEI KUMAMOTO RAMEN
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| KOKUTEI HONTEN RESTAURANT, SHIMATORI BRANCH |
En route to the city, we googled for a ramen place that serves authentic Kumamoto Ramen.
The previous day, we sampled Nagasaki’s champon ramen, and we wanted to replicate that with our visit to Kumamoto. Kokutei Honten restaurant fit our bill perfectly; they serve local tonkotsu ramen, and it’s right inside the Shimatori Shopping Arcade too.
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| TAMAGO-IRI RAMEN, A VARIANT OF THE TRADITIONAL KUMAMOTO RAMEN |
There was a line outside the restaurant, a good indicator of how good the place is, but I was able to skip it since my companion was already inside. We both ordered their tamago-iri ramen, or ramen with eggs.
Kumamoto Ramen distinguishes itself with its dark, garlicky soup and is topped with more garlic. Kokutei ups the garlic game by using blackened garlic oil on its pork bone broth. It is then topped with bean sprouts, chashu, green onions, seaweed, wood ear mushrooms, medium-thick noodles, and two raw egg yolks—which you then mix with the soup for a richer and silkier texture.
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| REALLY GARLICKY RAMEN! YUMMM! |
Having a strong garlicky and savory flavor, I definitely dig this more than the champon we had at Nagasaki. It almost reminded me of the Hakata ramen we so love in Fukuoka. It was the perfect exclamation point for the end of our Kumamoto tour.
➤ GET A FUJIWARA WAGYU STEAK FOOD VOUCHER HERE!
BACK ON THE STAR NAVIGATOR
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| WAITING FOR THE SUNSET AT THE TOP DECK OF STAR NAVIGATOR |
Unlike the previous day, we really didn’t have any extra free time to roam around on our own. And even if we did, the cruise port was way out of the city, and there was nothing much to see and do in the area.
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| SUNSET ALONG THE YATSUSHIRO SEA ABOARD THE STAR NAVIGATOR |
So, we simply headed out to the top deck of the Star Navigator and enjoyed the view of the Yatsushiro Sea as our ship parted its calm waters en route to our next Japanese destination, Naha.
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