a region of japan
Kyushu
Kyushu is the southernmost of Japan's four main islands, seven prefectures of volcanoes and onsen: Fukuoka and Nagasaki, the caldera of Aso, the onsen towns of Beppu, Yufuin and Kurokawa, and Yakushima's cedar forest to the south.
The moss forest, Yakushima
- Prefectures
- Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki and Kagoshima
- Places
- Fourteen places
- Journeys
- The Custom Tour of Japan
overview
Kyushu, at a glance
Kyushu was Japan's door to the world for centuries: Nagasaki was the one port open to European trade through the long isolation of the Edo period, and the porcelain of Arita, fired by Korean potters, was shipped from there to the courts of Europe. Fukuoka, its largest city, is an hour and a half from Seoul by air and has been a harbour for the continent since antiquity.
It is also the most volcanic of the main islands, and the richest in hot springs. Aso's caldera is one of the largest in the world; Beppu sends steam up from thousands of vents; Yufuin and Kurokawa are onsen villages every Japanese traveller knows by name; and Kagoshima looks across its bay to the great cone of Sakurajima. Takachiho's gorge and shrines keep the founding myths of Japan.
South of Kagoshima lie the islands of Yakushima, with its thousand-year cedars, and the Amami Islands, subtropical and quiet. The Kyushu Shinkansen runs from Fukuoka to Kagoshima in an hour and a half.
places
Where to go in Kyushu
Our tours stay overnightOur tours visit for the dayOn a Custom Tour of Japan
- Amami OshimaA green island in a warm sea, with a culture of its own between Kyushu and Okinawa.Kagoshima
- AritaA valley town of kilns, where the first white porcelain of Japan was fired four centuries ago.Saga
- AsoA world of grass inside a ring of hills, with horses on the slopes and the five peaks at its centre.Kumamoto
- BeppuA city built over its springs, where the steam rises from the hillsides into the streets.Oita
- FukuokaA merchant port and a castle town joined across the Naka River, with yatai stalls lit along its banks at night.Fukuoka
- IbusukiA warm southern shore, where the spring runs beneath the sand and Mount Kaimon rises from the sea.Kagoshima
- KagoshimaA southern city on a blue bay, facing the great cone of Sakurajima across the water.Kagoshima
- KirishimaMountains of the gods, cedar forest, and springs in every valley.Kagoshima
- KumamotoA castle on its hill, a garden of spring water, and the volcano country beyond.Kumamoto
- Kurokawa OnsenTimber inns along a mountain river, and an evening in yukata walking from one onsen to the next.Kumamoto
- NagasakiA city of hills around a deep harbour, where Japan first met the West.Nagasaki
- TakachihoA green gorge of volcanic rock, and a town where the gods of Japan are still danced each night.Miyazaki
- YakushimaAn island of granite and rain, where the cedars are older than the temples of Kyoto.Kagoshima
- YufuinRice fields, a mountain with two peaks, and inns that keep to the scale of the valley.Oita
journeys
Kyushu on a private journey
We bring guests to Kyushu on the Custom Tour of Japan, created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director.
questions
Kyushu: questions answered
How do you get to Kyushu?
By air to Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Oita, Nagasaki or Kagoshima, or by the Sanyo Shinkansen from Kyoto or Osaka to Hakata, in Fukuoka, in under three hours.
What is Kyushu known for?
Its volcanoes and onsen (Beppu, Yufuin, Kurokawa and Ibusuki among them), Nagasaki's history, the caldera of Aso, the porcelain of Arita, Yakushima's ancient cedars, shochu, and Fukuoka's food.
Are Yakushima and Amami part of Kyushu?
Yes. Both belong to Kagoshima prefecture, so both are part of Kyushu, though they lie far out to sea to the south.
Which Luxury Japan Travel journeys include Kyushu?
We bring guests to Kyushu on the Custom Tour of Japan, created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director.
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The rest of Japan
Kyushu, planned for you.
Tell us when you would like to travel and which places in Kyushu draw you, and we will answer with a Custom Tour of Japan created around your party alone, or, if you would rather travel independently, an Expert Japan Itinerary that plans every day for you.