Pukman @ WinK: the community that time didn't forget

I LIVE IN KUMAMOTO, a medium-sized city in the central area of Kyushu. It is an interesting place to live, because it is in the center of an area of great natural beauty. To the north is Aso and Kikuchi, to the south Amakusa. Aso is a highland area with a famous volcano boasting the biggest caldera in the world. Kikiuchi is famous for its gorge. Amakusa is an archipelago consisting of well over 100 islands, the most famous of which are Shimoshima and Kamishima. Kamishima is the first island we meet as we go to Amakusa from the Kumamoto mainland. Shimoshima is the most heavily populated one. It has the cities of Hondo and Ushibuka although recently they have changed their names. It also has the famous churches of Oe and Sakitsu which have existed for hundreds of years and came to fame in the “kakure Christian” era. And of course it has the sea and a couple of very nice beaches. (163)