With a fine selection of beaches, rivers, lakes, gorges, and leisure centers, Kumamoto has many water sports to choose from. Whether you\u2019re looking for a simple swim, a relaxing paddle, or a thrilling, fast-paced adventure, head to this city on the western coast of Kyushu and check out what\u2019s on offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If it\u2019s a swim you\u2019re after, you can try one of the city\u2019s leisure or sports facilities as many of them have pools. One of the most popular is the Aqua Dome<\/a> in the Minami area. Aqua Dome has a main (50-meter) pool, a smaller (25-meter) pool, and a specialized diving pool open during the summer months by experienced divers. Another good pool is at the Uto City Sports Club<\/a>. In addition to the 8-lane 50-meter pool, there is a pool for infants and a slider pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For outdoor swimming in a more natural environment, head to Okoshiki beach<\/a> in Uto, considered one of Japan\u2019s most beautiful beaches. There is also a great swimming spot on the Kikuchi river<\/a> in northern Kumamoto. You can access the location by following the signs for the Kikuchi gorge and looking for a left turn marked by a big picture map sign. You will find a free parking lot, a caf\u00e9 and public toilets here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t fancy wading through the water using your limbs and would prefer to do so from the comfort of a boat, one place to head to is the picturesque Lake Ezu<\/a>, which runs for 2.5 kilometers alongside route 57. As well as cooling off with a dip in the lake, you can rent a rowing boat (around 500 yen per 40 minutes) or a pedalo (about 1,800 yen per 40 minutes). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another even more spectacular location is the Soyo Gorge<\/a>, a 10-kilometer U-shaped valley flanked by rocks rising to 200 meters. You can try your hand at kayaking sessions here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For a slightly more high-octane kayaking experience, you can try the Ide Venture<\/a> on the Kikuchi canal. This is essentially two-person canoeing along a 2-kilometer course that takes in forests of trees, bridges, and a 300-meter underground tunnel. This experience is available during the summer months only (July to September) at 3,300 yen per person (2,200 yen for children). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Those partial to riding the waves with their own surfing equipment can head down to one of Kumamoto\u2019s best-surfing spots<\/a>. Here, you can sometimes find instructors with equipment willing to offer lessons to beginners. For rafting, the Kuma river is one of the best locations in the region. Land Earth<\/a> is an adventure water sports company that has been running since 1992. Instructors provide rafting and canyoning sessions ranging from family-friendly routes to the \u201cducky\u201d high-tension tour for thrill-seekers, costing 13,800 yen per person (rafting) and 8,000 yen per person (canyoning).<\/p>\n\n\n\n A little further afield in neighboring Oita, you can journey to the Sumiyoshihama Resort Park and try your hand at windsurfing<\/a> (6,000 yen) or wakeboarding<\/a> (6,500 yen).<\/p>\n\n MK Products<\/a>, CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With a fine selection of beaches, rivers, lakes, gorges, and leisure centers, Kumamoto has many water sports t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":5109,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162,43,63],"tags":[50,46,84,465,473,468,470,53],"class_list":["post-5108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-friendly","category-kumamoto-2","category-outdoors","tag-august-2","tag-july-2","tag-june","tag-kumamoto-city","tag-kumamoto-outdoors","tag-kumamoto-prefecture","tag-oita-prefecture","tag-summer-2"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tBoating <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Surfing, Rafting, and Boarding <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![MK Products<\/a>,](\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Kamiezuko-lake_kuwamizuhonmachi_1.jpg\"){kind=link}