Road Trip On Koumi Line Part 1

Join us on our next two-day trip of enquiry and discovery. This time, we will be riding on the Hisatsu Orange Railway. It connects Kagoshima and Kumamoto prefectures and is known for offering breathtaking views of the East China Sea. The local line has 28 stations, with a route distance of 116.9km. In 2004, the Hisatsu Orange Railway took over from JR and started operations. It has various decorated trains including the Galaxy Express 999 train and the Kumamon train, featuring the popular mascot character.  

We start our adventure from Sendai Station in Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture. We board the 9.20am train and go to our first stop of Kusamichi, two stations away. The train crosses the Sendai River, the second-longest river in the Kyushu region, and arrives at Kusamichi Station at 9.35am. A local suggests we go to the Sendai Sengoku Village, known for producing armours. It is 30 minutes away by foot, so the resident offers to drive us there. We arrive at Sengoku Village after a 10-minute car ride. It is run by Marutake Sangyo, which produces more than 90 per cent of the armours used in films and TV dramas. We visit the armour workshop, where visitors can see how armours are made. 

The same resident who drove us to Sengoku Village drops us back to Kusamichi Station. We catch the 10.35am and go to Nishikata Station, two stops away. During the ride, a spectacular view of the East China Sea and Nishikata coast greets us. We arrive at Nishikata at 11.50am and a gentleman tells us about a mysterious rock called Ningyoiwa. It is seen as a work of art created by nature. We walk by the sea and see the oddly shaped rock. We find out that according to a local legend, a wife and her child turned into rocks as they waited for the return of the woman’s husband, who had died at sea. This explains why, depending on the angle, the rock looks like two humans. 

It is noon by now and we are hungry. A local suggests we have lunch at Michiyo Shokudo, a beach house. The owner, Michiyo, grew up in Nishikata and opened the restaurant to revitalise the community. Her speciality is jerk chicken, a Jamaican dish where chicken is marinated in a special sauce and grilled over high heat. We also order gapao rice or Thai fried rice. 

We then head to Origuchi Station on the 1.15pm train. We end up riding on the Yu Yu Train, which operates on weekends and public holidays. It runs slower than regular trains to let passengers enjoy the scenery, which means we will arrive at our destination later. We thus decide to alight at Ushinohama Station, two stops before Origuchi Station, and board the regular train from there at 1.55pm. We arrive at Origuchi in about 15 minutes. A student we meet recommends we go to Wakimoto Beach, where sea turtles go to lay eggs. After walking for half an hour, we finally reach the beautiful sandy beach which stretches for about 3km. Every year, between June and August, sea turtles would come here to lay eggs. 

We next board the 4pm train and head to Izumi Station, four stops away. The train pulls into the station after 20 minutes. We start looking for accommodation and ask a taxi driver for suggestions. He mentions Kajikasou but it is quite far away. Furthermore, when we call the place, we are told it does not have a pick-up service and we have to take a taxi there. We ask another local, who recommends that we try our luck near Minamata Station instead.

So we head to Minamata, three stops away, on the 5.30pm train. We cross the prefectural border and arrive at Minamata Station in Kumamoto Prefecture at 5.50pm. We start asking the locals about accommodation and one of them, Mr Sakamoto, tells us about the hot spring town of Yunotsuru Onsen. It is about 6km away and we have missed the last bus at 6pm. Mr Sakamoto kindly offers to drive us there. The car goes deeper into the mountains before reaching the small hot spring town after 20 minutes. Yunotsuru has a history of about 700 years and boasts a great atmosphere. Mr Sakamoto recommends two places here where we could stay. Unfortunately, the Asahisou inn is closed on this day and the other is a day-use hot spring which does not offer accommodation. 

Tips:

1)    An attraction near Nishikata Station is Ningyoiwa, which is associated with a local legend
2)    The best time to see sea turtles at Wakimoto Beach is between June and August