This is mostly positive. The hotel is located between the train station and the Castle. So you can take the tram (A line), get off at Karashima Cho, walk left for about 15 mins, past Dormy Inn, hotel is on the left. Warning: the tram costs Yen 150 and may be crowded, causing some discomfort when you exit. A taxi might be more reasonable. I took a taxi from the hotel to the castle, cost about Yen 650. But you can take the A or B line 2 stops farther and walk uphill to the Castle. The tram will announce in English when you get to the Castle stop.
When you return to the RR station, the tram isn't crowded, so luggage isn't a problem. But remember to take the A line. The B line does not go to the main RR station. I made that mistake and had to backtrack. The trams have clearly marked letters A or B on the front and back, but generally all announcements are in Japanese. So get a tram map from the internet, or at the station, or on the tram itself. There is a Yen changer at the back of the tram. Everybody gets on in the rear and exits and plays at the front. Drivers are courteous.
One last thing. The fridge in my room was broken. Next day I wrote a note in English with a drawing and informed staff. Upon my return in the afternoon, the fridge was fixed. So good response Chisun Hotel.

My wife and I were on a sight-seeing trip around Kyushu island during the cherry blossoms season of 2010 (late March). We stayed one night at the Kumamoto Chisun Hotel and felt completely satisfied with our experience.

Kumamoto turned out to be much larger than we expected, with lots of traffic. Staying in a hotel with good location makes a big difference. In this respect, we were very lucky to choose Chisun.

The hotel is just a short walk (less than 10 minutes) from the magnificent Kumamoto Castle, which is made even more majestic by the cherry blossoms along the moat. We have seen many castles and palaces in Japan, but this one is among the most impressive.

The hotel is also a short walk from the popular shopping arcade with an array of restaurants and stores. The main street (called Ginza) is fully covered and closed to traffic. It was a bustling place on Saturday night when we were there and most of the restaurants were fully booked. We could not get a table at our top three choices, but we got one at a very nice izakaya.

Our room at Chisun is cozy, if smallish, with comfortable bed and a nice layout. The breakfast was wonderful -- with a large selection of both Japanese and Western food. The staff is very courteous and professional. I had no difficulty communicating in English.

The hotel has a parking lot for guests, but our rented car exceeded the height limit. So we parked at a commercial lot right behind the hotel.