A Week in Kyushu
Kyushu has been one of the destinations in Japan that I want to visit for a long time. I visited Fukuoka when I was in an exchange program more than 20 years ago so I have had absolutely no memory about the city. 2 years has passed since I have lived in Japan and finally I decided to take a big trip as JR has issued a special discount pass for foreigners in Japan.
It turned out that Kyushu is gigantic island (even though it is the third biggest island in Japan) and I could only do the Northern area within 10+ holidays. This blog might be more about my experience rather than an actual tourist guide but I hope anyone who saw this blog can appreciate how cool Kyushu is and want to visit someday.
Nagasaki
I have to admit that I don't know much about Nagasaki except that the city was a big port using for international trade in Japanese history and the Atomic Bomb Museum. Nagasaki has its own charm as the city is a mixture of various cultures — Chinese, Dutch, Portuguese, etc. You can see Dejima, the Portuguese trading post, with beautiful European architectural buildings located not very far away from Chinatown and Confucius Shrine.
Nagasaki also offers some nature as you can climb up to Mount Nabekanmuri Park to see the view of Nagasaki Port from 169 meters above (there is also Mount Inasa but I didn't go there as the weather was horrible during my visit). The other exciting is food as Nagasaki is known for many specialties such as Champon, Sara Udon and Nagasaki wagyu beef.
Peace Park
Western-style buildings in Dejima
Confucius Shrine
A view of Nagasaki bay and residence area while hiking to Mount Nabekanmuri Park
The famous local Champon
Saga
I have to admit once again that I know nothing about Saga, worse, I don't even know this prefecture exist before this trip. However I had a great time in Saga as the prefecture offers so much nature and historical importance. I had a chance to visit many towns such as Tara, Takeo, Yobuko, Karatsu and Saga city itself however Saga is big and there are many places left so I definitely come back for more.
My most shocking moment in Saga would be a transparent squid in Yobuko Morning Market, I didn't know it was alive before ordering it (RIP). On the other notes, Yoshinogari Historical Park was very interesting. it is a gigantic archaeological site from Yayoi period (~1000BC) when people transformed into agricultural society. The other place is Saga Castle Ruins, which is not exactly a ruin as the castle has interactive museum showing how it used to be one of the most important domains producing canons as well as progressive political figures into Meiji Restoration period.
Yutoku Inari Shrine in Tara
A 3000-year old tree in Takeo Shrine that is believed to be an inspiration for a tree in My Neighbor Totoro
Yobuko Morning Market offers plenty of fresh seafood
Karatsu Castle
Yoshinogari Historical Park from Yayoi period
Fukuoka
It was quite a shock to come back to a big city after a few days surrounded by nature. Fukuoka is the biggest city in Kyushu however it is way less crowded than other metropolis like Tokyo, Osaka or Yokohama. Besides tons of buildings, nice beach and gigantic park, my favorite thing about Fukuoka is Yatai — an outdoor food stall where 8-10 people can sit together serving various food such as the famous Hakata ramen, yakitori and local-specialty mentaiko. There are plenty of Yatai in the city but the most famous one is on Nakasu Island where you can also enjoy the view of the riverside.
Outside of the city itself, there is a private wisteria park called Kawachi Wisteria Garden which was extremely beautiful. Moreover there is a small city called Dazaifu which is famous for temples and shrines. Surprisingly, this town used to be one of the most important administration centers of Kyushu overseeing the country's diplomatic relations and defenses. Dazaifu is also a house of Kyushu National Museum so there are plenty things to visit.
Yatai stalls along Nakasu Island
Mentaiko is one of the most famous food in Fukuoka
Beach area is Fukuoka
Kawachi Wisteria Garden
Walking street in front of Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine and its famous Umegae Mochi
Oita
Commuting to Oita prefecture can be done by Yufuin no Mori train, a special train with wooden interior and cafe with a view of beautiful nature. The first stop is Yufuin, the extremely famous onsen town which offers not only plenty of hot springs but also streets filled with delicious sweet shops/cafes and pretty tiny lake to stroll around.
The other famous town in Oita is Beppu, the onsen resort town where you can get anything from normal hot springs, mud baths, sand baths, etc. I didn't stay in ryokan (Japanese traditional hotel) but I stayed in the resort which has outdoor pool, 2 hot springs bath and tons of entertainment so it was very fun. The other thing you have to do is Hells Tour — a walking tour to see 7 extremely hot springs (that you can't go in). However, you can enjoy foot baths at each "hell" and special food such as onsen egg, hot spring-steamed pudding, etc.
Bento in Yufuin no Mori train
Yufuin Floral Village
Kinrin Lake at the end of the Yufuin walking street
Umi Jigoku, one of the 7 "hells" of Beppu
Onsen egg and hot spring-steamed pudding
Kumamoto
Kumamoto took me by surprised as the city is modern yet very peaceful. The most famous things about the city are Kumamoto Castle (which was scheduled to be opened soon) and the mascot Kumamon that you can see literally everywhere. I really enjoyed Josaien, a recreation of castle town in 17th century where you can buy souvenirs and local foods. Kumamoto is famous for horse sashimi and Ikinari Dango filled with red beans and sweet potatoes (I liked it so much, I had like 3 of them lol).
Outside of Kumamoto, Mount Aso is a large active volcano. However the crater was closed during my visit as there was a eruption warning so I went to Aso Volcano Museum where I took another hiking trail to Mount Eboshi instead. The trail was 4 kilometers long and it took around 2 hours. Of course, I wasn't a luckiest person in the world so it was raining on that day and when I reached the peak (1,337 meters), I saw literally nothing. No Mount Aso view for me and my crew.
Kumamoto Castle
Horse meat is one of Kumamoto's famous dishes
On the way to the top of Mount Eboshi
It took around 2 hours to complete 4-km trial
The picture vs the reality lol