Gyokuto Town , Tamana County, Kumamoto Prefecture
Gyokuto is a small town with a population of about 5,200, located about 1,000 km from Tokyo, the capital of Japan, and about 80 km from Fukuoka, one of the major cities in Japan. Despite being surrounded by mountains and rich in nature, the area is characterized by easy access to transportation, and it takes only 20 to 30 minutes by car to reach the center of Kumamoto City in Kumamoto prefecture. The region is a major producer of fruits such as mandarin mandarins, pears, watermelons, and plums. It is a town with a good countryside, where people are deeply connected and easy to spend time with.
Message from town mayor of Gyokuto Town
145 years ago, a fierce battle was fought in Gyokuto town during The Satsuma Rebellion (also known as the Seinan War), the last civil war in Japan. This small town became a battlefield, farmlands were destroyed and people lost their houses. Nowadays, no one knows the situation at that time anymore. However, I imagine the situation in Ukraine that is suffering from the Russian invasion is similar to the situation in Gyokuto town 145 years ago. During The Satsuma Rebellion, the organization called “Hakuaisha” which became the Japanese Red Cross afterward started to support soldiers who were suffering on the battlefield. Gyokuto town is the place related to it. We take over philanthropism from them and start this project to help people who need support.
What's Gyokuto town like?
We asked civil servant: What is the good point of Gyokuto town?
Safe to walk around for all including children and women.
Access to delivery service such as online shop Amazon.
There is a help desk for consultation on matters related to daily life, and they provide friendly and helpful support.
Calm and peaceful.
Free Medical care up to senior of high school students .
Stronger people to people connection.
People tend to be more friendly than big cities.
Tap water is drinkable.
Public bath is available.
Good quality and tasty rice is available.
Library is available.
Easy access to transportation and quick access to the city.
Beautiful fields(as rice fields and vegetable garden) landscape
There is a train station for JR.
Access to Convenience stores.
Many animals including birds live in the town.
Beautiful scenery.
Vegetables are locally grown and inexpensive.
Annual average temperature is 17 degrees Celsius.
Can take a walk in beautiful nature.
There are Banks.
Many rivers and mountains.
Clean air.
Great spots for Star gaizing.
Famous for agriculture.
School Lunch is served for free for students in elementary and junior high school .
Cost of living is low.
Plenty of parks.
The local government is flexible and quick in response.
Town is compact and has major facilities within walking distance.
Famous for mandarin, pear, watermelon, and plum.
Grocery delivery is available , called Seikyo.
Free shuttle bus is available around town. You can take the bus to General hospital in Tamana city.
Easy to get along with locals through events such as sports match, ball games, and summer festivals.
Elder health exercise event for over 65 is available for 4 times per week to improve healthy life expectancy.
Other aspects
No access to food delivery dervice such as Uber eats.
Some areas are depopulated.
Limited access to restaurants/pubs.
Need a car to travel in hills/mountains area.
Few people speak English.
Only one hospital inside the town.
Elder people have a strong accent.
No high school in the town.
At night, it's dark in many places.
Fewer job opportunities in the town.
Access
【By car】
From Fukuoka airport to Gyokuto town—-about an hour and 20 min
From Kumamoto airport to Gyokuto town — about 45 min
From Kumamoto city to Gyokuto town — about 30 min
【By airplane】
From Tokyo(Haneda or Narita airport) to Kumamoto airport — about 2 hours
【By Shinkansen】
From Hakata st. to Shin Tamana st. — about an hour and a half From Tokyo st. to Kumamoto st. —- about 6 hours