The next part of our journey brought us to the island of Kyushu and the Kumamoto Prefecture. Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, forming the first level of jurisdiction and administrative division. They consist of 43 prefectures proper, two urban (Osaka and Kyoto), one "circuit" or "territory" (Hokkaido) and one "metropolis" (Tokyo). Kyushu is the southwestern most of …

