Kyushu

Japan's big island of hot springs and volcanoes: Fukuoka food, Beppu and Yufuin onsen, Mt. Aso, and Yakushima's primeval forest.

Kyushu is the southernmost of Japan's four main islands and is often planned together with nearby outlying islands (Yakushima, the Goto Islands, Amakusa). In the north, Fukuoka is the gateway, with yatai food stalls and Dazaifu Tenmangu as an introduction; in the east, Beppu and Yufuin are the hot spring towns with Japan's largest volume of spring water; in the center are the giant Mt. Aso caldera and Takachiho Gorge; in the west, Nagasaki blends Dejima, churches and the atomic bomb sites, and the Hidden Christian heritage sites of Amakusa and the Goto Islands are World Heritage listed; in the south, Kagoshima faces the active volcano Sakurajima, and a boat or flight from there reaches the Jomon Sugi primeval forest on Yakushima. The classic route is the Fukuoka–Yufuin–Beppu–Aso–Kumamoto–Kagoshima loop in about 7–10 days; add 2–3 more days for Yakushima. For transport, the Kyushu Shinkansen runs from Fukuoka to Kagoshima, and the sightseeing trains (Yufuin no Mori, Ibusuki no Tamatebako and others) are attractions in themselves; public transport is sparse around Aso and Takachiho, where driving yourself is most convenient. The JR Kyushu Rail Pass is good value for foreign visitors.

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