Irene and Pedro have traveled with Asiahop to the island of Kyūshū. This is their second trip to Japan. A few years ago they were in Tokyo and Kyoto and fell in love with the country, so they promised to come back to see other places beyond the traditional routes. When they contacted us they told us that they wanted to see stunning natural landscapes but also medium-sized cities, as well as try a different gastronomy and enjoy the onsen culture. We recommend an almost comprehensive tour of Kyūshū, one of the four main islands of Japan, located in the southwest of the country.
This is Irene’s Diary, the account of an exciting journey that changed her perception of Japan.
Day 1-2. Arrival in Osaka 🛬
The trip was long but we made the most of it, reading some of the recommendations provided by Asiahop. We arrived at Kansai airport around 12 noon. We already have the eSIM activated and we have bought a Suica wallet card that we use to go from the airport to the Hotel, in the Umeda district. We left our bags and went for a bite to eat in the Shinsekai area, a little further south. We had a great time in this neighborhood, it is very lively. We stop at some stores in Namba and go to the hotel to take a shower and go down to have okonomiyaki for dinner in Dōtonbori. We hold out like champions to not fall asleep too early and thus acclimatize to the time zone.
Day 3. Osaka 🛫 Yakushima 🛬
We slept very well and the breakfast at the hotel was spectacular. As we wanted to enjoy an almost 100% experience in Kyūshū, this morning we left directly for Yakushima, our southernmost destination. The flight leaves at noon, so after a leisurely breakfast we head for the airport. This time we go to Itami airport, 40 minutes from our accommodation. As we will not need the big suitcase in Yakushima, we decide to send it directly to Kagoshima with the TA-Q-BIN system from the hotel itself. For a little more than 20$ we have our suitcase sent to our next destination so that it will be ready when we return from the island. We are left with only one backpack for 3-4 days.
The flight is quick and in a short time we begin to see the majesty of the island of Yakushima, which has very high mountains and that is why they call it the Alps of the Pacific. As soon as we land, an employee of the car company is waiting for us, who takes us to the offices in 5 minutes. She speaks very little English, but it is very easy to understand each other because they are very attentive. Around 4 pm we are in our Japanese car and we mark on the GPS the address of our home, a beautiful ryokan near Hirauchi, all to ourselves! Although we were a bit scared because we had never driven on the left before, it is very easy to do so on this island where there are few cars and, in addition, only one main ring road that goes along the coast. On the way we stopped at a supermarket and did the shopping for the next few days. We arrived at the house before 5 pm, just to rest a little and go to explore the Senpiro waterfall, a few kilometers from home.
Our first impression of Yakushima is very striking, it feels like we are in a place in Costa Rica or Hawaii, you notice the energy of the vegetation everywhere. Our house is tucked in the middle of a wooded area but we have several neighbors a few meters away and direct access to the main road. The house is simply spectacular, with classic Japanese rooms with futons, a huge kitchen and a beautiful hallway (engawa) overlooking the garden. Today we will have sushi for dinner and relax on our porch watching the stars.
Day 4. Yakushima. Exploring the island at leisure 🗺️
Before breakfast we went to the natural onsen next to our house, Hirauchi Onsen. It was still dark but we had to take advantage of the tides, as this natural spa is only accessible at low tide. The experience was mind-blowing, bathing in hot waters in the middle of the ocean and watching the sunrise. We will never forget it.
We returned home for breakfast and started today’s drive. We headed west and drove up to the north of the island. Along the way, the Ohko waterfall and the Seibu Rindō, the road where deer and monkeys live in freedom, peace and harmony. It’s amazing how they are scattered along the road and paths, taking advantage of the morning sun to groom themselves 🙂 The road is very narrow and you can only go in one direction, so we go very slowly. But that allows us to admire the beauty of this place.
After leaving the forest we reached an open area with huge cliffs and beaches. We reached Miyanoura where we stopped to eat flying fish ramen, a totally different food from what we were used to from our previous trip. We return to our accommodation but we continue around the island to circumnavigate it completely, so we stop to visit the village of Anbo and have a coffee in one of the many traditional cafes that are in that area. We return home to take a shower and rest after a long day.
Today we also feel like taking advantage of the house and preapararamos yakiniku for dinner. Before nightfall we decided to watch the movie Princess Mononoke, which we already knew, but being on this island, where they say that Hayao Miyazaki was inspired to tell the story, it is almost obligatory. Before going to bed we had a beer watching the stars and listening to the sea from our garden. It has been a spectacular day.
Day 5. Yakushima. Ancient trees and Japanese friends 🧑🤝🧑
It has been raining a lot today. It seems to be a normal thing in Yakushima, but we don’t mind because we know that it is very similar to tropical rains and it will soon clear up. Besides, the temperature is very good even though it is winter. We have breakfast calmly and before noon it has stopped raining completely and the sun is shining, so we return to the road and head to Yakusugi Land, a park where the oldest trees on the island are, Japanese cedars over 3,000 years old. There are several routes, we choose the intermediate level and, truth be told, it is quite easy. The views from the road up to the park are incredible, so we stop for a coffee in a thermos and admire the view of the mountain range, towering over the cedar forests.
In the afternoon we do another hiking tour in the northern area, have a beer and have a bite to eat for dinner at a place near our accommodation. The day before we met some neighbors at the Hirauchi onsen and we met again tonight, when the tide is low, to enjoy the bath together. They are a family made up of different generations. Yoshi is in his 40s and has lived in several countries, including Mexico, so he speaks Spanish quite well. He tells us stories about the island and translates the jokes told by grandma. At midnight we each went home and said goodbye because the next day we will fly to Kagoshima. It has been a very pleasant experience to have them as neighbors.
Day 6. Yakushima 🛫 Kagoshima 🛬. Walking around Tenmonkan 🏙️
Today we are a bit sad because it is our last day in Yakushima. Without a doubt it has been an incredible experience, a place we will return to for sure. We return the car and are dropped off at the airport. We have time to have something to eat at the airport cafeteria, very simple but with home made food that is delicious. We fly to Kagoshima, where we arrive in half an hour.
Once in Kagoshima, the airport is a bit far from the city, so we have to take a bus that leaves us directly in the area of the hotel. As soon as we arrive at the hotel we have our suitcase, sent from Osaka, in the room. Today we are going to go for a leisurely stroll around the city, the liveliest neighbourhood is Tenmonkan, so we spend the whole afternoon there. We had dinner in a kurobuta black pork restaurant that was delicious and that we found walking around this area. At first we were a bit scared because we didn’t know how to choose the places to eat, but little by little we realised that all the places had excellent food. We take a tram that leaves us near the hotel and we walk the rest of the way.
Day 7. Kagoshima. The samurai and Sakurajima 🌋.
First thing in the morning we decided to go to the Meiji Restoration Museum to learn a little more about the general history of Japan and in particular Kagoshima, a very important samurai stronghold during the last stage of the Edo period and the beginning of the modernisation of the country. Throughout the city you can find statues of famous warriors and it is very interesting to understand how difficult it had to be to change the country in just a few years from an almost feudal system to a fully modern and developed country.
Mid-morning we set off for the Sakurajima volcano and make several tours of its slopes. We decided to take the tourist bus that takes us to the Yunohira Observatory and the Kurokami Torii, a shrine partially buried by the eruption of 1914. Incredible as it may seem, we are walking through a volcano that is active and that, at the moment we are there, begins to expel smoke and ash, although we are told that it is not dangerous and that it is something that happens every day. Impressive.
Kagoshima is a very quiet city although it has a population of over 600,000. It is easy to get around the city by tram or bus, so we walk around in the afternoon after visiting the Segan-en garden. It’s been a long day and we’re a bit tired, so we decide to buy something in a konbini, and as our hotel has a terrace and a view of the volcano, we have dinner there while watching it disappear in the middle of the sunset. What a unique country Japan is!
Day 8. Kagoshima 🚆 Miyazaki. Aoshima Island 🏝️
Today is our first day with the 7-day Kyūshū Rail Pass, which will last us until the last trip around the island before we return to Osaka for the flight back to Spain. The initial train ride is very nice because we skirt the entire Sakurajima Bay and can appreciate the volcano from other perspectives. We are loaded with a big suitcase, but the train is not crowded and there are no space problems. This is what we are noticing in general in Kyūshū, there is not much tourism and there is plenty of space for everything. Also the rooms are more comfortable and spacious than in Osaka or Tokyo.
Our hotel in Miyazaki City is close to the train station, so we walk there in 10 minutes. We drop off our stuff and head straight back to the station to visit the island of Aoshima, half an hour away by regional train. The trip is lovely, a little old carriage that goes along the coast of Miyazaki. The island of Aoshima is very small and can be covered in just over an hour. They have a small shrine (Aoshima Jinja) with lush vegetation all around. This area is very popular with surfers, because it really is a very windy coastline with lots of waves.
We return to the train station on our way to Miyazaki again, where we go to dine on the famous chicken nanban in the Nishi-Tachibana district. We go into an izakaya that looks good and we have a great time with other diners, very friendly and fun people. The chicken is delicious, battered and accompanied by a delicious mild sauce. We decided to have a few beers in the area before heading back to the hotel. We had a great time tonight.
Day 9. Miyazaki 🚆 Ōita. Touring the east coast 🌊.
Today we have a more or less long train ride, so we enjoy the coastal scenery as we make our way up to Ōita , and I also spend some time reading about Kyushu (and learning some Japanese words!). We eat a bento on the train (I was really looking forward to this :). The stop in Miyazaki was only one night but it was worth it. Although there are many more places we would like to visit in this huge prefecture (such as Takachiho Gorge, which we will keep for next time) we preferred to stay a few days in Oita, from where we can go to several places comfortably, because our hotel is right above the station. This is something that initially surprised us when Asiahop suggested it to us, but it has been a good choice. These JR hotels are middle class, have a very good breakfast and, in this case, have a rooftop onsen. The Oita onsen is simply the best hotel spa I have ever been to. It overlooks the entire city, the sea and the mountains, and is a two-storey space with an indoor and outdoor area. It’s worth going to the onsen alone even if you’re not staying at the hotel.
Arriving at the hotel around 15h, we rest a bit in the room and go up to the onsen. In the afternoon we went for a walk around the city of Ōita and looked for a place to have dinner. We opt for some yakitori in a very elegant izakaya. We won’t be able to discover much of this city, but we have a very good feeling about the little we have seen this evening.
Day 10. Ōita. The Yufuin seat and the Beppu hells ♨️
Breakfast at this hotel is overwhelming. In addition to everything you can have at the buffet, they have different Japanese menus that change weekly and that you can complement with the buffet. As we are staying in a hotel located almost in the same station, it took us 10 minutes to get on a train that takes us, first, to Yufuin, one of the onsen villages in this area. It is very cosy, perhaps too touristy for its small size. We tried a sento, a public onsen where, for less than 2 euros, you can enjoy medicinal hot springs in a small enclosure in the middle of the village. It is a highly recommended experience. It started to snow when we were inside, so we could watch the snow falling through the windows while we were soaking in the hot water.
After snacking at the street food stalls in Yufuin we take a train to Beppu, which is a much larger town. We take a bus to the Beppu Hells and spend the rest of the day there, seeing the incredible power of these boiling hot springs. We walk around the town a bit and in the late afternoon we take a train to Oita again. We return to the area where we had dinner the first day, although we look for another tempura place that does not disappoint. Back at the hotel we decide to enjoy the onsen at night, seeing the city fully illuminated. It’s speechless.
Day 11. Oita 🚆 Fukuoka. Dining in a yatai 🍜.
The experience in Ōita Prefecture was great, as if we had spent a couple of days in a spa. And we have really done something like that. So before breakfast we decide to go back to the hotel’s outdoor onsen while the city wakes up. I think I’m getting hooked on these baths…
We are heading to our last accommodation of the trip: Fukuoka. On the one hand we are sad because it is our last stage, but we also feel very fulfilled to see that we are making a very complete trip and seeing very different prefectures. We arrive early in Fukuoka and leave our suitcase and backpacks at the reception. The hotel is located near Hakata Station, from where we will travel to other cities comfortably thanks to the Kyūshū Rail Pass.
Today we spent the day strolling through Ohori Park and the ruins of Fukuoka Castle. What we are seeing of the city tells us that we are now in a large metropolis. The atmosphere is similar to that of Osaka or Tokyo in some neighbourhoods and there is much more crowding in the shopping centres and stations. But there is something different about it that we can’t explain.
In the evening we go for dinner at the most famous yatai in town, Nakasu’s, where we order the famous hakata ramen and different yakitori. It’s a fun experience because the eating spaces are very small and everyone is very crowded, so it’s easy to meet people to talk to. We take a night walk from Nakasu to the hotel because the night is very good and it’s not too cold. We have now unlocked Fukuoka!
Day 12. Fukuoka 🚆 Nagasaki. Lantern Festival🏮.
The second day in Fukuoka we take a train with our Kyūshū Rail Pass to Nagasaki. The route is also very beautiful because it is an area with many estuaries and inlets. We go to the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Park in the morning, which is on the other side of the city. It is an outdoor area with a lot of elements reminiscent of the 1945 disaster, as well as a small museum that takes about half an hour to walk around. We get around easily by tram to return to the centre. At lunchtime we go to the old part of town, where we find the Meganebashi, or bridge shaped like a spectacle because of its reflection in the water, built in the 17th century. We rest for a while in this beautiful area and then walk through the main streets of the city.
We stayed until nightfall because the Nagasaki Lantern Festival is just around this time and Chinatown is lit up with lanterns and paper statues that are spectacular. Nagasaki is very much influenced by Chinese culture and you can see it in the street food, such as chanpon, a delicious noodle dish with seafood and vegetables. We return in the evening on one of the last fast trains to Fukuoka. As we have been eating all day at the street stalls, we are not too hungry, and we also have some taiyakis that we bought at the market in the afternoon and that I doubt they will make it to Fukuoka alive 🙂
Day 13. Fukuoka 🚍 Mount Aso. Our second volcano 🌋
The title of this trip could be Travelling between onsens and volcanoes, as we have been to several different resorts and today we are going to visit our second volcano. To get to Mount Aso we had several options but talking with Asiahop we decided to hire a guided tour to be more comfortable, and it was a success. We were picked up at 10am from our hotel in Fukuoka and taken to different points of the Aso-san caldera. The day was more or less clear, so we were able to make the most of it. We took a lot of pictures of some amazing scenery. It’s great to be able to access such stunning scenery so quickly from a city like Fukuoka.
At 16h we were back at the hotel. We took a shower and went shopping, as we had agreed that we would use this afternoon to buy some souvenirs. We liked Nakasu’s yatai so much that we decided to repeat, but on the way we came across a ramen restaurant that we saw was highly rated, so we changed our minds and tried the local ramen. It was undoubtedly the best dish of the whole trip, as pork ramen is usually very strong, but this was very light and tasty. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at an izakaya for a beer and met an American couple who were starting their trip through Kyūshū and were going to do a similar route to us. So we were very proud to be able to recommend places as if we were locals.
Day 14. Fukuoka 🚆 Kumamoto. In love with Kumamon 🐻
Today we are going to visit the city of Kumamoto to see its castle. As we did some shopping yesterday afternoon, we are not in a hurry to return to Fukuoka in the evening, so we are improvising a little bit the day. In the end we like the city very much and we stay until dinner, because travelling by bullet train, we were back in Fukuoka in an hour. Kumamoto is a very large city and we move around a lot by train and tram. The castle is still under restoration due to an earthquake in 2016, but can be partially visited.
We decide to eat something in a konbini so as not to waste too much time and so we take advantage of the opportunity to have a good dinner in the Shimotori shopping area, where we dare to try the basashi and accompany it with some delicious gyozas. One of the things that surprised us most about the city is the omnipresence of its mascot, Kumamon, one of the most beloved in the whole country. It is everywhere, whether as a statue or in merchandising, signs, shops… The day has been very pleasant and we are very excited to know that we have almost made it all the way around the island, as an hour south on the Shinkansen is Kagoshima, where we started our train journey on our way back from Yakushima.
Fukuoka 🚆 Osaka 🛫 Madrid
Today is a transit day, so we take a train from Fukuoka to Osaka, without the Kyūshū Rail Pass that we got just yesterday. On Asiahop’s recommendation we decide to buy a one-week pass for Kyūshū and not buy the Japan Rail Pass for the whole country, as the only train we will be paying for outside the pass will be the one from Fukuoka to Osaka.
We arrived in Osaka at midday and decided to leave our bags in a coin locker and go to the castle. We spent a few pleasant hours there and walked around a bit, which will come in handy for the hours of flying ahead of us. We return to Osaka station, from where we head to the airport as we start to plan our next trip to Japan :). Travelling to Kyūshū has been a great opportunity to get to know a more authentic and less crowded Japan.
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