Honmyo-ji Temple

There is no fee to enter the temple. It takes 15 minutes from Kumamoto Gakuen University by car. Visitors enter the temple through walking up the stone path. the stone path has 176 steps. If you take another 300 steps, there is a statue of Kato Kiyomasa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyomasa_Kato) located at the top of the stone path. Kato Kiyomasa did the flood prevention works in Kumamoto. He controlled Kumamoto for 22 years. He built the Kumamoto Castle. Beside the bronze statue of Kiyomasa, one is able to have a panoramic view (http://view.adam.ne.jp/e_setoy/pic/kyusyu/kinpo.html) of Kumamoto city.

Honmyo-ji Temple is located at 4-13-1, Hanazono, Kumamoto city. It is open from 6a.m. to 5 p.m. The phone number is 096-354-1411. There are free parking areas at the back of the temple. You can take the JR- The Japan Railway, car and city bus. If going to the temple by JR, take the Kagoshima line and get off at Kumamoto station. Then it takes 10 minutes on foot from the station to Honmyo-ji. If going there by bus, you can take the bus from Kumamoto Kotsu Center for Hanazon. It takes about 15 minutes to the Honmyo-ji Dentei Station.