Take some time to browse through these itinerary suggestions and online resources when planning a trip to Kyushu.

Oita Prefecture

Visit Beppu, where this areas Onsen (hot springs) are only second to the Yellow Stone National Park in the United States in terms of the volume of water produced.  There are eleven types of hot springs in the world and ten of them can of them can be found in Beppu.  Be sure to take make some time for one of three Beppu walking tours.

See the wild monkeys of Mt. Takasaki.

Explore the Kunisaki-hanto Peninsula and visit the Usa-jingu Shrine to see many important Buddhist artifacts.

For more Oita Prefecture travel planning suggestions visit the Japan National Tourism Organization’s Oita pages or We Love Oita.

Kagoshima Prefecture

Visit Yakushima Island, home to Japan’s oldest trees, giant sugi (cryptomeria), that date back thousands of years and one of fourteen World Heritage Sites in Japan. 

During low tide, walk from Ibusuki City to Chiringashima, a small island connected to the city by a sand bar or get buried in steaming sand to stimulate blood circulation.

Visit the Chiran Samurai Residence and Garden that date back to the early 1600′s.

Tour the Tanegashima Space Center, the largest space-development facility in Japan to see al ife-size rocket launch vehicle mock-up and other space related exhibits.

Drive the scenic nine kilometer route to Cape Seta or explore the marine ecosystem on a glass bottomed boat.

Visit Amami Park to learn about life on Japan’s souther islands.

Explore the city of Kagoshima (PDF Guide to Kagoshima)

Browse the Japan National Tourism Organization’s Kagoshima pages or Kagoshima Vistitors Guide to learn about more things to do and see when visiting Kagoshima Prefecture.

Miyazaki Prefecture

Visis Nichinan-kaigan Coast and be sure not to miss the Uso Shrine located in a cave and perched upon a hillside.

Stroll through Hewadai Park in Miyazaki City to see the peace monument and the Haniwa gardens (Hewadai Park Map-PDF)

See the Onda Festival in Misato City where the image of a Shinto deity is brought out from Tashiro Shrine to preside over rice-planting rituals in nearby sacred rice paddies. (access to Misato).

Take in the natural beauty of the rock formations and the rich architectural history of the preserved buildings in Hyuga.

Relax in some of the Miyazaki Onsens or explore Takachiho Gorge.

For more information about Miyazaki trip planning visit the Japan National Tourism Organization’s Miyazaki pages or Miyazaki Prefecture Tourist Information websites.

Okinawa Prefecture

Learn about Okinawa Awamori, a fruit liquor similar to whisky or brandy that was first made in Okinawa, at Zuisen Distillery.

Check out the Tsuboya Pottery Studios in Naha where you can even try your hand at making a pot or two

Make the trip to Okinawa Commemorative National Government Park to learn about Okinawan culture, flowers an aquatic life.

Explore the Shurijo Castle Park, part of the Ryuko Kingdom and one of fourteen World Heritage Sites in Japan. 

Relax on the beautiful beaches of Miyakojima Island or see how Yukishio (“snowsalt”), the world`s most mineral-rich salt  as certified by the Guiness-book of World Records,  is extracted from seawater.

Visit Ishigaki and the Yaeyama Islands.

See traditional Okinawan performing arts at the National Theater Okinawa in Urasoe.

Visit the Japan National Tourism Organization’s Okinawa pages and the Okinawa Tourist Information website for more great things to do and see in Okinawa Prefecture.

Articles in the Japan: A Closer Look series:

• Japan: A Closer Look at Hokkaido
• Japan: A Closer Look at Tohoku – Part 1 & Part 2
• Japan: A Closer Look at Chubu – Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3
• Japan: A Closer Look at Kanto – Part 1 & Part 2
• Japan: A Closer Look at Kanto – Kanagawa
• Japan: A Closer Look at Kanto – Tokyo Practicalities
• Japan: A Closer Look at Kanto – Tokyo – Part 1 & Part 2
• Japan: A Closer Look At Tokyo:Lesser Known Facts And Figures
• Japan: A Closer Look at Kansai – Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3
• Japan: A Closer Look at Chugoku – Part 1 & Part 2
• Japan: A Closer Look at Shikoku
• Japan: A Closer Look at Kyushu – Part 1

Image Credit:  Flickr, Beppu by joka2000, IMG_2264, Takachiho gorge & Seiden(the royal palace)

If you are planning a trip to the Kyushu region of Japan this guide will get you started with some itinerary suggestions and links to local tourism websites.  Part 1 will cover the sights of Fukuoka, Saga, Kumamoto and Nagasaki Prefectures while Part 2, to be published next week, will take a closer look at Oita, Kagoshima, Miyazaki and Okinawa Prefectures.

Fukuoka Prefecture

Tour the Asahi Beer Factory in in Hakata (Access Map) to see how your favorite beer is made.

If sake is more your style, then visit Hakata Hyakunengura, the only sake brewery in Hakata.

Visit Busoji Temple, the oldest temple in Kyushu, year round or make the trip in June to see the wisteria.

Take a slow cruise of Yanagawa in a rustic donko-bune boat.

Drive the scenic highway to Itoshima Peninsula and take in the view or go surfing.

Visit Dazaifu City, the seat of Kyushu government more than 1600 years ago and home to Dazaifu Tenman-gu Shrine where the deity of learning is enshrined.

Relax in one of the many onsen located near Fukuoka. .

Explore the trading houses (igura-ya) and other historic buildings in Yoshii Town.

Take in one of the exhibits at the Fukuoka Art Museum.

For more itinerary suggestions fro Fukuoka Prefecture visit the Japan National Tourism Organization’s Fukuoka pages, Fukuoka/Hakata Tourist Information or Welcome to Fukuoka.  Also check out Fukuoka Talk, a site that is working hard to compile a list the best places in and around Fukuoka for the local, ex-patriot, or traveler.

Saga Prefecture

Visit Yoshinogari Historical Park to see the largest ditch-surrounded settlement of the Yayoi period in Japan.  Attend a workshop to make Sekkenseki or Kourouseki stone pendants or learn how to make a earthenware flute.

See Yukota Inari-jinja in Kashima City and one of the largest shrines in Japan dedicated to the god of business prosperity.

Explore the natural beauty of Karatsu where you can find the Nanatsugama Caves formed by the rough waves of the Genkai Sea.

Relax at an onsen in Takeo and Ureshino and explore this area that is famous for green tea.

Visit Arita to see ancient kilns be sure to bring home some of the porcelain produced in the area.

Visit the Japan National Tourism Organization’s Saga pages or Saga Sightseeing Information for more great things to do and see in Saga Prefecture.

Kumamoto Prefecture

Visit the active volcano at Mt. Aso and take a cable car to Naka-dake peak, only steps away from the crater’s edge.

See the Last Samurai Battlefield in Tabaruzaka Park.

Visit the onsen of Kurokawa to try outdoor bathing.

Explore scenic Kikuchi Valley where the water temperature is around 13 degrees Celsius even in summer and where a number of waterfalls and crystal clear streams abound.

Take a walking tour of Kumamoto City and stroll around Kumamoto Castle or follow in the footsteps of famous writers or shop to your hearts content.

Browse the Japan National Tourism Organization’s Kumamoto pages or Manyou Kumamoto to plan your trip to Kumamoto Prefecture.

Nagasaki Prefecture

Visit the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum to see the city before and after the bombing in August of 1945.

See the Spectacles Bridge, a picturesque stone arched bridge built in 1634, that gets its name from its resemblance to a pair of spectacles when the arches of the bridges are reflected as ovals on the surface of the Nakajima River.

Explore the striking vermilion Chinese temples along Tera-machi street in Nagasaki.

Relax on the beaches of Iki, a 133 square-kilometer island located in the Sea of Genkai, and try some mugi-shochu, a distilled alcoholic drink made from barley, that was first made here.

Visit Shimabara, the city of fish, where over 1,500 koi can be found swimming in the city’s ponds and wander down an old samurai street.

Have a Sasebo Burger when you explore the city of Sasebo or use the city as a jumping off point for a cruise of the Kujuku Islands.

The Japan National Tourism Organization’s Nagasaki pages, Welcome to Nagasaki and the Nagasaki City Tourism Guide offer more great information for those planning a trip the the area.

Articles in the Japan: A Closer Look series:

• Japan: A Closer Look at Hokkaido
• Japan: A Closer Look at Tohoku – Part 1 & Part 2
• Japan: A Closer Look at Chubu – Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3
• Japan: A Closer Look at Kanto – Part 1 & Part 2
• Japan: A Closer Look at Kanto – Kanagawa
• Japan: A Closer Look at Kanto – Tokyo Practicalities
• Japan: A Closer Look at Kanto – Tokyo – Part 1 & Part 2
• Japan: A Closer Look At Tokyo:Lesser Known Facts And Figures
• Japan: A Closer Look at Kansai – Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3
• Japan: A Closer Look at Chugoku – Part 1 & Part 2
• Japan: A Closer Look at Shikoku

Image Credit: Flickr, Canals in Yanagawa　柳川, Caves, 2006-04-12-14:49.01.jpg & kofukuji nagasaki

Kyushu

Karashi mentaiko – This is my favorite breakfast item to cut up and eat raw with rice or cooked as filling of onigiri. Boxes of these precious salty and spicy pollack roe mixed with chili pepper are sold everywhere in Hakata or even at Narita to represent Fukuoka traditions.

Hiyajiru – This is a nice refreshing cold soup dish for hot summer weather that can be found near the beaches dotted with palm trees in Miyazaki. Grilled fish is mixed with miso and roasted sesame using mortar and pestle then mixed with cold broth. The cold soup mix is then poured over rice or rice and oats and sprinkled with small tofu chunks, diced cucumber, and chopped summer herbs such as shiso and myoga.

Image Credit:  Mentaiko bento 明太子&野沢菜ごはん &  Hiyajiru (冷汁)

Okinawa

Goya Chanpuru – This dish is a common home cooked meal in Japan but it originated in Okinawa and is a combination of bitter melon and tofu stir fried with pork.

Taco rice – Instead of wrapping beef with tortillas in this Tex-mex meets Japanese combination, someone decided to put the fillings over rice. This is another popular Okinawan dish that can now be found in many other parts of Japan.

Image Credit:  goya chanpuru & taco rice

To learn more about Japanese Food and regional specialties you may enjoy reading Traditional Dishes of Japan on the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) site.

While this is the last of the Regional Food of Japan series, it will be my pleasure to contribute monthly food related articles for you to enjoy here at The Nihon Sun.  In the meantime please visit me at Tokyofoodcast to follow my foodie adventures in Japan and learn more about Japanese food and food culture .

Other Regional Foods of Japan

Hokkaido
Tohoku & Kanto
Chubu & Kansai
Chugoku & Shikoku