 Tourism is a major industry in Kumamoto Prefecture. Visitors come in their thousands to see one of Japan's three most famous castles, ski, fish or just hike in the vast forests and explore Mt. Aso, the world's largest volcanic crater.
And Kumamoto remains an agricultural treasurehouse, leading Japan in the production of melons, reeds for tatami, and summer oranges.
But the prefecture is also at the center of Kyushu where most of Japan's ICs and other semiconductor components are produced. In and around Kumamoto City alone there are some 83 companies specializing in this booming industry.
Some of the major companies — Tokyo Electoron Kyushu, Hoya, Mitsui High Tech, Mitsubishi and NEC Kyushu among them — employ thousands of specialists. Many of the 5,000 employees working worldwide for one of those majors, Teradyne, are based here, contributing their share to the company's automatic test equipment which, in 1996, brought in just under $1.2 billion in sales.
"Kumamoto is my hometown," says a senior researcher here on "Silicon Island." He's back home now, but for many years, could find work in his field only in the country's more traditional industrial areas, such as Tokyo and Osaka.
"I was always thinking that I should come back someday, but there was just no high-tech industry here."
That changed several years ago when local government attracted investors to build what they called a "Technopolis" on the Takayubaru Plateau, near Kumamoto Airport.
An advanced research center for applied electronics, and another center to coordinate joint research efforts between local businesses and universities, were instituted. Soon, major Japanese and foreign high-tech companies were taking Kumamoto seriously.
Thousands of highly skilled men and women — and not just hometowners — began to relocate to these relatively wide-open spaces. They were attracted by the good schools (644 high schools and a total of 126 colleges, universities and technical schools). And of course by the clean air and, in particular, clean water for which the region is famed.
Not incidentally, the latter two are vital in the production of semiconductors, as well. That "clean industry" brings in some $12.5 billion annually to Kyushu's economy.
And not surprisingly, the good word about Kumamoto has spread to other industries. There are now about 40 software producers here, with more starting up all the time. Companies making automobile parts rank third in the prefecture's industrial count, while those specializing in industrial robots, telecommunications equipment and other high-tech marvels follow closely behind.
"Kumamoto is a great place to live and work," said the researcher. "I'm really glad to be home." | 
