Fantastic breakfast at Hotel Wasuki, Kumamoto

I would highly recommend this hotel - reasonably priced, well-located (in the middle of the shopping area) and tastefully done up in modern Japanese minimalist style. My uncle liked this hotel.
So much food that 4 of us had to sit in 2 separate tables. Breakfast was a bargain at only 900+ yen per person.

熊本城 Kumamoto Castle

One of the 4 must-see castles in Japan. Renowned for its size and for being extremely wel-fortified in its hey day. Perched high up on top of a hill with a bird's eye view of the entire city. We had to tackle a steep 10-min uphill climb to reach the lower courtyard. One of the castle turrets demarcating the border of the compound.

Cherry blossoms starting to bloom in the courtyard. Lanterns are strung up for the upcoming sakura festival.

Workers pruning the sakura trees to prepare for the festival.

At the upper courtyard, just below the castle.

View of castle from upper courtyard.

The castle is well-known for its signature curved stone walls and wooden overhangs (base of the castle juts out from where the wall ends) to make it more difficult for enemies to scale the walls. There are also panels in the wooden overhangs that can be opened from inside for soldiers to throw rocks down at enemies attempting to climb the walls.

We finally reach the castle.
More climbing awaits. The castle is about 7 storeys high and is now a cultural museum. View of the courtyard from the top.