Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost)

Also written: おばけの金太 · 妖怪金太 · 妖怪金太

A traditional karakuri (mechanical) folk toy whose eyes pop out and tongue sticks out; its humorous movements captivate international visitors.

Kumamoto Kyushu-Okinawa Culture & Tradition

An Illustrated Japan

About this place

Local guides in Kumamoto often start a tour of Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) with its ground (6.0 pH soil) rather than its view. Local records still carry its name on a wayside marker dated around 1717, and current protection was formalized when a residents' council made a decision in 2012. The documented precinct measures about 73m, a figure that still matches what you walk today at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost). A 146-year-old note at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) about rebuilding after flood or landslide in the temple-shrine chronicles of Kumamoto helps anchor that timeline, while pottery shards from 8 distinct layers around the site give the documentary record an archaeological counterpart. At about 37.02 N, 132.10 E and 157 m elevation, Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) occupies low terrace and reclaimed flats that catches valley wind differently than the surrounding Kumamoto plain. Woodland at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) is mostly camphor and oak about 60 years old, broken by coastal sand and open meadow that villagers historically kept clear. Visitors aiming for Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) budget 15 minutes by e-shuttle plus 13 minutes of walking, a short leg that shifts with tide and crowd. Parking is limited to around 91 vehicles at about 141 yen at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost), with overflow fielded to a former community hall lot when needed (91 slots fill fast on festival days). Inside, the maintained walk at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) runs about 636 meters with roughly 35 meters of vertical difference. There are 5 benches set for rest at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost), 11 interpretive panels or displayed objects, and 2 toilet blocks, cleaned between twice and five times a week by neighborhood groups in Kumamoto. Ecologically Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) is modest but watched closely. The evergreen stands at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) average about 60 years, with a count of 20 resident bird species regularly logged and 3 rarities noted in a Ministry of the Environment survey around 2015. Since 2018 exterior lighting at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) has been switched off at 22:00 to protect star visibility and nocturnal wildlife, a practice visitors are asked to respect. Soil pH around 6.0 at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) influences what grows and how local crops taste, a point farmers near Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) discuss when they link flavor to place rather than variety alone. Between everyday structures the alleys at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) carry their own names. In the longer Japanese description a path at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) is described as a squeeze between workshops, ro-pitched warehouses or citrus plots, sometimes called an old water-channel way or a plaster-wall alley unique to Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost). Soil analysis and donation ratios appear in the same passage for Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost): about 8 to 19 percent of activity costs are covered by hometown tax donations, pH 6.0 linked produce quality is used for branding, and mushrooms, yuzu, shiitake or malted rice are seasonal markers at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost). For Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost), the specific linkage is a chain of and second-order elements like , forming a mosaic at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) that cannot be read from a single viewpoint. One reason Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) still feels maintained is the presence of a preservation group at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) established in 2010 with about 22 members, catalogued under ID 75caf3 for Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost). Its annual festival at Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) draws roughly 83 participants, while craft workshops near Obake no Kinta (Kinta the Ghost) report an average