Kyushu Travel Guide: Hot Springs, Volcanoes and Fukuoka
Golden Tropics Travel · Updated
Kyushu, Japan's south-western island, is warmer and less crowded than Tokyo or Kyoto, and full of hot springs, volcanoes and history. Fukuoka is the gateway, and most tours loop through the island by coach, with plenty of onsen along the way.
Fukuoka
Fukuoka is a relaxed seaside city. In the evening, open-air food stalls called yatai line the river at Nakasu, and Canal City and Tenjin are popular for shopping. Dazaifu Tenmangu, a shrine dedicated to the god of learning, is a short drive away.
Hot-spring towns: Beppu and Yufuin
Beppu has more hot springs than almost anywhere in Japan. Its famous 'hells' are colourful, steaming pools that are for looking at, not bathing in. Nearby Yufuin is a quieter town of craft shops and cafés below Mt. Yufu, with morning mist over Lake Kinrin.
Volcanoes, castles and gorges
- Mt. Aso: one of the world's largest calderas, with green grasslands; the crater area closes at times because of volcanic gas
- Kumamoto Castle: a great castle being restored after the 2016 earthquakes, with its main keep reopened
- Takachiho Gorge: a narrow gorge with a waterfall, where you can row a boat between the cliffs
- Sakurajima: an active volcano facing the city of Kagoshima
Nagasaki
Nagasaki was Japan's window to the world for centuries. Visit the Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum, Glover Garden's Western houses on the hillside, and the night view from Mt. Inasa.
When to go and what to eat
- Spring (late March to April) and autumn (November) are the most comfortable seasons.
- Summer is hot and humid, and the rainy season is usually June to mid-July; typhoons can affect August and September.
- Hakata ramen is made with a rich pork-bone broth; seafood, mentaiko (spicy cod roe) and Kumamoto horse meat are other local dishes.
- Fukuoka has some halal restaurants; tell us your needs when you book so meals can be arranged.