William It’s said that half the joy of a journey is the journey itself - particularly apt if one goes by train. A day can be spent traveling to Takamori. A short taxi ride from Takamori Station will take you to the “tunnel to nowhere” - it was planned as a route to central Kyushu, but the more they tunneled, the more prodigious artisanal water became until the engineers finally shrugged, “Let them drive up the damn caldera edge.” I was reminded of this by a JT article, “Japan’s little trains that could.” https://japantoday.com/category/national/japan's-'little-trains-that-could'-battle-for-survival Thus the tunnel remains, a project half-complete: but, really, rather than automobile exhaust, inhaling the fragrance of some of the purest water in the world is vastly preferable. They’ve got this cool strobe light effect that makes water droplets falling from the walls appear that they are suspended mid-air. Also, the tunnel has a constant year-round temperature - welcome in the winter (sweater weather!) The tunnel is often decorated on a seasonal basis. Christmas decorations should last through January. https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Kumamoto/Takamori-Kumamoto-Japan https://kumamoto.guide/seasons/illumination/