Kyushu is Japan’s third largest island located in the southern part of the country. The island is known for its varied hot springs, rich nature, and warm weather throughout the year. There are total of seven prefectures in Kyushu, and you’ll definitely enjoy traveling to any of them. In this article, we have listed the top travel destinations for each prefecture which we recommend visiting when traveling around Kyushu.
Table of Contents
- How to Get to Kyushu
- How to Get Around Kyushu
- The Seven Prefectures of Kyushu
- 7 Spots You Need to Visit in Kyushu (For each Prefecture)
How to Get to Kyushu
When traveling to Kyushu, starting from Fukuoka, the largest city in Kyushu may be the best choice since the city can be easily reached by both land and air from any major city in Japan. If you want to travel by land, you can take the Shinkansen (japan’s bullet train) from major cities like Tokyo to Osaka to get to Hakata Station in Fukuoka. If you’re traveling by air, you’ll find daily flights to Fukuoka Airport from any major airport in Japan.
Fukuoka by Shinkansen (Bullet Train)
- From Tokyo: 5 hours from Tokyo Station to Hakata Station
- From Osaka: 2 hours 30 min from Shin-Osaka Station to Hakata Station
Fukuoka by Air
- From Tokyo: 2 hours 20 min from Narita Airport to Fukuoka Airport, 2 hours from Haneda Airport to Fukuoka Airport
- From Osaka: 1 hour 20 min from Kansai International Airport to Fukuoka Airport, 1 hour 15 min from Itami Airport to Fukuoka Airport
How to Get Around Kyushu
Kyushu has an extensive network of trains between major cities, so you can pretty much go anywhere by taking the train to travel around Kyushu. Also, there are several regional airports scattered across the island. So flying to a regional airport nearby your destination is another way.
The Seven Prefectures of Kyushu
Map of Kyushu
Here is the list of all the prefectures in Kyushu
- Fukuoka
- Nagasaki
- Saga
- Oita
- Kumamoto
- Miyazaki
- Kagoshima
7 Spots You Need to Visit in Kyushu (For each Prefecture)
Dazaifu Tenmangu (Fukuoka)
This shrine is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, a 9th-century scholar, poet, and politician. Because of his remarkable talents especially in poetry, he was later deified as the god of learning and academics. This shrine of learning, culture, and the arts is especially popular with students and many of them visit this place to pray before their big exams. Along the path that leads to the shrine, there are many souvenir shops and Japanese sweets shops, so sampling the gourmet local foods along this path is another way to enjoy Dazaifu Tenmangu.
Access
The closest Train Station is Dazaifu Station. It’s about 1 hour from Hakata Station to Dazaifu Station
Beppu Onsen (Oita)
Beppu Onsen is one of the most popular hotspring destination in Kyushu. The hot spring consists of 8 different areas and offers you a wide variety of hot springs you can try, such as mad baths, steam baths, and sand baths. A must-do attraction when you visit Beppu Onsen is to tour the “Hells of Beppu”. Hells of Beppu is the seven stunning hot springs with various colors with nearly boiling water temperature. The hot springs are only for viewing, but you’ll definitely enjoy the otherworldly view of the Hells.
Access
the closest Train Station is Beppu Station. It’s about 2 hours from Hakata Station to Beppu station.
Travel by Air: The closes airport to Beppu Onsen is Oita Airport. From the airport, it’s about 50 minutes to Beppu Onsen by taking a direct bus.
If you are interested in hotsprings in Japan, checkout this article
Top 10 Beautiful Onsen Towns in Japan
Gunkanjima (Nagasaki)
Gunkanjima, which translates to “Battleship Island” in Japanese is a small abandoned island off Nagasaki, lying about 15 kilometers from the city center. The island used to serve as a coal mine, and at one point more than 5000 people used to live there. In 1974, the coal mine was closed, and since then the island has been abandoned. Today, many people visit the island to see the post-apocalyptic appearance of this mysterious ghost town. The island was approved as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015 and has appeared in popular films such as “007 Skyfall”. The island is only accessible through organized cruise tours from Nagasaki city center, and the tours usually take about 2.5 hours to 3 hours.
Gunkanjima Tours
Access
The tours listed above leave from different locations but all locations are within walkable distance from Nagasaki Station.
The closest Train Station is Nagasaki Station. It’s about 1 hour and 50 minutes from Hakata Station.
Takachiho Gorge (Miyazaki)
Takachiho Gorge is a beautiful columnar-shaped valley shaped by an ancient lava flow. The best way to enjoy the gorge is to rent a rowing boat and row down the river. You can rent a boat at the south end of the gorge, and the water is calm so it is easy to navigate. View of the gorge from a boat looking up the 17-meter Manai Falls is quite stunning. Another way to enjoy this place is to walk along the paved path that spans the river. From above, you will also get a thrilling view of the gorge. The path continues for about one kilometer and leads to Takachiho Shrine.
Rental Boat Information
Access
Getting to Takachiho Gorge is a little tricky. The best way to reach this place from Fukuoka would be to take a bullet train from Hakata Station to Kumamoto Station, which takes about 40 minutes, then take a bus that goes to Takachiho Bus Center. The bus ride from Kumamoto Station is about 3 hours.
Kumamoto Castle (Kumamoto)
Kumamoto Castle is one of the most grandiose castles in Japan. In fact, the castle is counted as one of Japan’s three greatest castles. The castle was completed more than 400 years ago by Japanese daimyo Kato Kiyomasa. The Castle becomes especially beautiful in spring when the castle is surrounded by more than 800 cherry blossoms. Some parts of the castle are open to the public, so you can also have fun by touring the inside of this magnificent building.
Kumamoto Castle Official Website
Access
The closest Train station is Kumamoto Sation. From there, you can take the Kumamoto city Tram to Kumamotojo-Shiyakushomae station and walk for about 10 minutes to get to the castle.
Kumamoto Station is only about 50 minutes from Hakata Station by bullet train.
Yakushima Island (Kagoshima)
Yakushima is an island off the southern coast of Kagoshima Prefecture. Yakushima is most famous for its ancient ceader forests that has ceader trees more than 1000 years old. The oldest ceader tree on this island is called Jomon Sugi and it is estimated to be over 7000 years old! The most popular attraction on this island is to go for a hike to see the famous Jomon Sugi that’s located in center of the island. The trail to Jomon Sugi takes about 10 hours round trip, so if you plan to do this hike, you need to be well prepared. If you are inexperienced hiker, it may be better to join a hiking tour with a guide. Althoufh it is not a easy hiking, the natural beauty you can see along the trail makes it worth the effort.
Access
The best way to reach Yakushima island is by air. There is a flight from Fukuoka Airport to Yakushima Airport once a day to Yakushima Airport, and the flight only takes an hour. There are also flights from Kagishima Airport to Yakushima Airport several times a day, and this flight only takes about 30 minutes.
Floating Torii Gate of Oouo Shrine (Saga)
Torii is a traditional Japanese gate that’s usually found at the entrance of a Shinto shrine. Oouo Shiri at Saga prefecture is a unique shrime because the Torii gates of the shrine is build on the sea. When you visit this shrine, you’ll get a completely different view depending on time of the day. At high tide the torii will look like it’s floating in the ocean, but at low tide you can even walk under the torii. The town of Tara is famous for having delicious crabs and oysters, so be sure to try them out when you visit the town.
Access
The closest train station is Tara station. The Shrine is about 10 minutes on foot from Tara station. From Hakata station it’s about 2 hours to Tara station.
Kyushu offers a diverse range of experiences, from natural beauty and hot springs to rich history, delicious food, and traditional crafts. With its many attractions and friendly locals, Kyushu is sure to be a memorable destination.
