Kashima, town in Kamimashiki district, Kumamoto prefecture, Japan
Kashima is a small town in Kamimashiki district, Kumamoto Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Rice fields and vegetable plots cover much of the surrounding land, alongside small factories that support the local economy.
The area was once part of the ancient province of Higo and remained under the control of samurai lords for many centuries. The town took its current form in 1955, when several nearby villages merged into one administrative unit.
Kashima is known for sake brewing, and small local breweries give the town a distinct character that visitors can notice as they walk through. Roadside shrines appear throughout the streets, showing how everyday religious practice remains part of life here.
There is no train line running directly through the town, but the nearby Minami-Kumamoto station makes access straightforward. Sturdy footwear helps when walking the narrower streets or climbing the hill near the local shrine.
Kashima is the birthplace of both a celebrated sumo wrestler, Yoshiazuma Hiroshi, and Shigeyoshi Matsumae, who went on to found Tokai University. It is rare for a town of this size to have produced two people with such different kinds of national reach.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
