The octopus love of people in Amakusa is unbelievable! National Route 324 is octopus’s highway! Big octopus in Amakusa is just awesome!

In the Amakusa region of Kumamoto Prefecture, the route along National Route 324 is called the Amakusa Ariake Octopus Road, named after Amakusa’s specialty, octopus. The Ariake Sea, where extends along this road is a large catching area of octopus. Amakusa in summer is famous for catching many octopuses, and shops along the road offer their original specialties using those local octopus, such as dried octopus and large octopus’ dumplings.

Speaking about a special feature of summer in Amakusa, it is a sun-dried octopus with a humorous figure with their eight legs extended. Because in Amakusa a lot of octopus are caught in summer, so people dry them and use them as a preservation food.

A huge monument of octopus is placed on the square of roadside station, Ariake “Ripple land” and it is a symbol of “Amakusa Ariake Octopus Road”. It is a place to take photogenic picture because of its reality that seems to start moving now.

Access to Ariake Ripple Land

It takes about 5 hours from JR Tokyo Station to JR Hakata Station by Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen. It takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes from JR Shin-Osaka Station to JR Hakata Station by Sanyo Shinkansen. It takes about 40 minutes from JR Hakata Station to JR Kumamoto Station by the Kyushu Shinkansen. Get off at JR Kumamoto Station.

It takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes from Haneda Airport to Kumamoto Airport. It takes about 1 hour from Kumamoto Airport to JR Kumamoto Station by airport limousine bus.

It takes about 2 hours from Kumamoto-ekimae bus stop to Shimotsue Shirogahama Beach bus stop. About 5 minute-walk from Shimotsue Shirogahama Beach bus stop.

It takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes from Haneda Airport to Fukuoka Airport. It takes about 30 minutes from Fukuoka Airport to Amakusa Airport. It takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes from Amakusa Airport bus stop to Hondo Bus Center. It takes about 25 minutes from Hondo Bus Center to Shimotsue Shirogahama Beach bus stop.