Kyushu Island

Highlights of Kyushu Island

• Dine at the streetside yatai (屋台/food stands) which serve as a focal point of Fukuoka’s unique food culture; either draped in plastic tarpaulin in the cooler seasons to cocoon the patrons in warmth, or left open to allow the sea breeze to cool them down.
• Discover the Hells of Beppu that dot the city districts with their assortment of vivid colours, from sea blue to blood red. Evidenced by their bubbling surface, these aren't used for bathing, but can be put to good use for making soft boiled eggs instead.
• Stroll through the man-made port island of Dejima in Nagasaki and its impressive architectural style, influenced by Danish traders. Then travel north to visit the tranquil Nagasaki Peace Park which commemorates the city’s history and those who lost their lives in Japan's second atomic bombing.
• Brave an active volcano by climbing to Aso’s caldera - considered to be one of the largest in the world with a circumference of 100 kilometres. Sometimes the area is closed to visitors due to an increase of the volcano’s toxic fumes or potential for volcanic activity.
• Travel by boat or by plane to the subtropical island of Yakushima and its cedar forests and its trees said to be more than 7000 years old. Regular rainfall creates a misty shroud that permeates the island, famously inspiring the setting for Hayao Miyazaki’s archetypal animated movie Princess Mononoke.