Ancient Lotus Garden

The garden outside the Kumamoto Prefectural Burial Mounds Museum may attract more crowds for its beautiful wisteria display, but the summer months bring a new look to the garden as lotus plants throng the meandering waterways. The best time to come is in the early morning, when the delicate buds open up to greet the sun; they close themselves off again by early afternoon. The garden, which is always free to enter, hosts an ongoing lotus festival from late June to the first weekend in August. A small onsite market sells fresh local produce and drinks to combat the humidity.