DAY 4

Kotohira – Dogo Hot Spring

Embark on a morning tour to Kotohira Shrine, a revered Shinto shrine accessible via a 785-step granite staircase. Enjoy a lunch break at the Towel Museum, highlighting textile designs by Atsuoko Matano and Masahiro Naruse. Continue through the scenic Shimanami highway, stopping at the Kirosan observation point for a breathtaking 360° panoramic view of the Seto Inland Sea and its thousand islands. After a visit to Kosanji Temple, arrive at Dogo Hot-spring town.

Overnight at Dogo Prince Hotel with renowned Dogo hot spring and a delightful kaiseki dinner. (B|L|D)

DAY 5

Dogo – Beppu – Yufuin

Embark on a morning visit to Matsuyama Castle, a historical monument built in 1628. Take a ropeway and lift to the castle for a panoramic view of Matsuyama City. Board a ferry across the Hoyo Straits to Oita City on Kyushu Island.

Explore Beppu Takasakiyama Monkey Park on Mount Takasaki, a 628-meter-high mountain along the coast between Beppu and Oita City. The mountain is home to approximately 1500 wild Japanese macaques that freely roam its steep, forested slopes. Mount Takasaki’s monkeys are divided into two troops of around 700 to 800 individuals each, making them some of the world’s largest monkey troops.

The “jigoku” of Beppu, seven spectacular hot springs, are ideal for viewing rather than bathing. They highlight steaming ponds of diverse colors, bubbling mud pools, and other captivating hydrothermal activities.

Umitamago is an attractive aquarium just outside Beppu, designed with interesting architecture and displays that create an experience resembling a modern art museum rather than a typical aquarium.  Animals residing in Umitamago include penguins, dolphins, seals, otters, and various fish. A visit to Umitamago Aquarium is best combined with a visit to the nearby Takasakiyama Monkey Park.

Check-in at Beppu Fugetsu Hammond Hotel and unwind in the world-renowned Beppu hot springs, concluding the day with a lavish kaiseki dinner. (B|L|D)

DAY 6

Beppu – Yufurin – Takachiho

Yufurin is a popular hot spring resort, located about ten kilometers inland from Beppu, another much larger and more developed hot spring resort. Yufurin boasts a wealth of art museums, cafes, and boutiques, attracting many travelers who come to stroll about the town for the day.

Another natural landmark in Yufurin is Lake Kinrinko. The small lake is located at the end of the town’s main walking route, about 1.5 kilometers from the station.

Takachiho is a town in northern Miyazaki Prefecture steeped in Japanese mythology. It is the site of the legend where Amaterasu, the Shinto Sun Goddess, disturbed by her brother’s cruel pranks, hid herself in a cave, prompting the other gods and goddesses to try and lure her out.

Overnight at Solest Takachiho Hotel. (B|L|D)

DAY 7

Takachiho – Kirishima – Kagoshima

Embark on a morning departure via the Kyushu Highway to Kirishima and visit the Kirishima Open-Air Museum, an open-air museum in Kirishima City of Kagoshima Prefecture. The museum, located in Kagoshima Prefecture’s premier center for cultural and artistic exchange, allows visitors to enjoy sculptures of high artistic value seamlessly exhibited in the natural landscapes of the Kirishima woods while appreciating the beauty of nature itself.

The Open-Air Museum exhibits original works by artists from all over Japan and around the world who visited the magnificent landscape that is Kirishima and created works that

best highlight the nature, history, and culture of the region. Guests can enjoy the transformations that each season brings to our outdoor exhibits.

The museum is known for its open-air area but also consists of an art hall which exhibits an ample collection of works by both international and Japanese artists, including Yayoi Kusama, a representative figure in Japanese art. These works, crafted from various materials like stone, iron, and plastic, are artfully displayed to harmonize with original topography and trees. Visitors can stroll along about two kilometers of paths, directly interacting with and appreciating the pieces by touching or sitting.

The unique placement of sculptures mixed with the natural elements of Kagoshima Prefecture’s scenery result in a breathtaking balance of art and nature. Thousands of tourists from Japan and around the world spend their holidays travelling to this wonderful, open-air museum. The Kirishima Shrine is an important site in the creation mythology of Japan. It was in this area that the god Ninigi no Mikoto, grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu, is said to have descended from heaven to rule over the earth. Ninigi no Mikoto landed on nearby Mt. Takachiho-no-mine bringing with him the three imperial regalia: the sword, the mirror and the gem. He eventually married a local princess, becoming mortal in the process, and established the lineage of Japanese emperors.

Enjoy a lunch at Kagoshima Fish Market kitchen.

Overnight at Shiroyama Hotel, featuring a hot spring spa. (B|L|D)

DAY 8

Kagoshima

Kagoshima Sakurajima is one of Japan’s most active volcanoes and the symbol of Kagoshima. The volcano smokes constantly, and minor eruptions often take place multiple times per day. Located in the middle of Kagoshima Bay, Sakurajima is the area’s most prominent geographic feature, having an elevation of 1117 meters and a circumference of about fifty kilometers.

Before a powerful eruption in 1914, Sakurajima used to be an island in the bay, but the massive lava flow from that eruption created the volcano’s current land connection to the Osumi Peninsula in the east. For most travelers, however, the volcano is still most easily accessed by the ferries that run the 3.5 kilometers between Kagoshima Port and the Sakurajima Ferry Terminal.

Enjoy a lunch break at Lord Shimaz’s Iso Garden, a villa for the reigning feudal lord situated in front of beautiful Kinko Bay, and its Shoko Shusekan Historical Museum. Senganen Garden, also known as Isoteien, is a Japanese-style landscape garden along the coast north of downtown Kagoshima. One of the garden’s most striking features is its use of Sakurajima and Kagoshima Bay as borrowed scenery. The garden also includes small ponds, streams, shrines, and a bamboo grove.

Senganen was constructed in 1658 by the local Shimazu Clan, one of the most powerful feudal clans during the Edo Period (1603-1868). The Shimazu ruled the Satsuma domain (present day Kagoshima) for almost 700 years until the end of the feudal age in 1868. They continued to be influential into the modern era as some of the earliest adopters of Western technology.

Enjoy our Kagoshima dinner at oldie Kumasotei Restaurant.

Overnight is at Shiroyama Hotel.

Day 9

Ibusuki – Cape Nagasakibana – Lake Ikeda

Begin the day with a morning departure to Ibusuki Town, known for its popularity due in part to its lovely white sandy beach and lush subtropical vegetation.

Experience a unique form of hot sandbathing, offering a terrific way to relax. Drive through the picturesque scenery of Mt. Kaimon to reach the scenic Cape Nagasakibana at the tip of the Satsuma Peninsula.

Enjoy lunch at Lake Ikeda at Tosenkyo Somen Noodle, home to the largest round-shaped crater in Kyushu.  Overnight at Ibusuki Shusui-en Ryokan. (B|L|D)

DAY 10

Kagoshima-Mt. Aso-Kumamoto

Travel by car to Kumamoto via the Yamanami mountain scenic highway to reach Mt. Aso, the Land of Fire. Explore the expansive creator basin, measuring 24km in length and 125km in width, which is the largest of its kind in the world, before visiting Kumamoto Castle.

Kumamoto Castle is one of the most impressive castles in Japan. With large castle grounds and a variety of buildings, Kumamoto Castle offers its visitors one of the most complete castle experiences in Japan. The garden reproduces the 53 post stations of the Tokaido, the important road, which connected Edo with Kyoto during the Edo Period, in miniature form, including a small Mt. Fuji. a monument built in 1607, and the Momoyama-style Garden of Suizenji.

Overnight at ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Kumamoto New Sky Hotel

Day 11

Kumamoto – Unzen – Nagasaki

Cross the Ariake Sea by ferry to Shimabara, where you will witness the Fugen Mountain Earthquake Ruin. Journey through Unzen Volcanic National Park en route to Nagasaki. Visit Nagasaki Peace Park, a memorial laid out to commemorate the exact spot of the atomic blast on August 9, 1945.

Explore Thomas Glover Garden Mansion, highlighting the glorious history of a Scottish merchant’s success story in Japan during the Meiji Modernization era. Noted for its scenery reminiscent of the setting for Puccini’s opera, Madame Butterfly, Nagasaki offers a commanding panoramic view of the harbor from its hillside. After dinner, enjoy a leisure walk in Nagasaki Chinatown.

Overnight at Nagasaki New Hotel. (B|L|D)

Day 12

Nagasaki – Arita – Imari – Takeo

Visit the Kyushu Ceramic Museum in the Saga Ceramic Valley, along with Master Kakiemon Kiln Park and Museum, and Master Manji Inoue Gallery. The Saga Ceramic Valley, home to the world-famous “Old Imari,” covers an area from Nishi Arita, across to Takeo, and down through Ureshino.

Ceramics production is deeply influenced by centuries of history, making this region one of the major hot spring resort areas in Japan.  Four hundred years ago, Arita, now known as the birthplace of Japanese porcelain, was a small village in the hills. Ri Sampei, a Korean potter, initiated the history and tradition of the porcelain industry in Arita, was brought here by Lord Naoshige Nabeshima.

Ri Sampei and colleagues discovered kaolin suitable for porcelain in Izumiyama, setting a milestone in porcelain production by opening a kiln in Kamishirakawa Tengudani.

Following this, more kilns came into operation, producing white porcelain glazed with indigo-blue patterns. Arita flourished as the first porcelain producer in Japan, attracting many Westerners. The pottery became known as Imari after the port from which it was shipped.

Ko-Imari, one of the three main styles of Arita porcelain, is characterized by remarkable glazing and patterns, with red and gold generously used. The Kakiemon style, created by Kakiemon, is noted for its milk-white background, and delicately tinted red patterns. The Kakiemon’s elegant ambience, as well as the brilliant Ko-Imari, gained popularity in Europe and significantly influenced porcelain manufacturing techniques there.

Continue to Okawachiyama, the village of secret kilns once owned by the Feudal Lord of Nabeshima, situated in a secluded area surrounded by beautiful mountains and country roads.

Overnight at Ureshino Taishoya Ryokan, known for its famous mineral spa and a former Nabeshima local Daimyo’s residence garden in the Kyushu area. (B|L|D)

Day 13

Yoshinogari – Fukuoka

Morning departure to the Historic Remains of Yoshinogari, Japan’s largest village enclosed by moats from the Yayoi Period (300BC – 300AD), burial mounds, and watchtowers with many interesting displays.

After lunch at Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, climb 234m high to the Fukuoka Tower Observation Desk for a panoramic view of Fukuoka and its gold coastline.

Arrive in the mid-afternoon at Tokyu Excel Hotel in the bustling shopping and entertainment area.  The afternoon is free for shopping leisure in Nakasu and Tenjin districts as well as the famous Canal City. (B|L|D)

Day 14

Fukuoka

After breakfast, transfer to Fukuoka Airport/Hakata JR Station and disband. (B)