Kyushu Deep Dive — 8 DaysDeep dive8 days / 7 nights

Kyushu Deep Dive — Yufuin, Beppu, Aso & Takachiho

Kokonoe Yume Bridge, Lake Kinrin, Beppu Jigoku, Mount Aso, Takachiho Gorge, and Fukuoka.

Fukuoka · Kokonoe · Yufuin · Beppu · Aso · Kumamoto · Takachiho · Itoshima · Mojiko · Dazaifu· Volcano · Onsen · Gorge

Multi-Day Tours

Kyushu Deep Dive — Yufuin, Beppu, Aso & Takachiho

Eight days across northern and central Kyushu: Tosu Outlets, Kokonoe Yume Bridge, Yufuin’s Lake Kinrin, Beppu’s hells and steam views, Aso’s grasslands and crater, Takachiho Gorge, Kumamoto Castle, Itoshima’s Meoto Iwa, Mojiko Retro, and Dazaifu Tenmangu before a Tenjin send-off.

Kokonoe Yume Bridge · Yufuin Lake KinrinBeppu Umi Jigoku · Kamado Jigoku · hell steamingAso Kusasenri · Nakadake craterTakachiho Gorge · Kumamoto CastleItoshima Meoto Iwa · Mojiko RetroDazaifu Tenmangu · Ohori Park · Tenjin

Route: Fukuoka → Kokonoe/Yufuin → Beppu → Aso/Kumamoto → Takachiho → Itoshima/Mojiko → Dazaifu/Tenjin → Fukuoka
Travel style: Volcano · Onsen · Gorge

Multi-Day Tours

Itinerary

8 days / 7 nights · Fukuoka · Kokonoe · Yufuin · Beppu · Aso · Kumamoto · Takachiho · Itoshima · Mojiko · Dazaifu

1

Day 1

Arrival in Fukuoka · Tosu Premium Outlets
After arriving in Fukuoka, shop and dine at Tosu Premium Outlets, then check in at a Hakata hotel after dinner.

Arrival in Fukuoka
Arrive in Fukuoka, meet your guide, and begin this deep dive into Kyushu.

Tosu Premium Outlets
In Tosu, Saga Prefecture, more than 170 domestic and international brands gather. The food court features Kyushu favorites such as Ippudo, Mise chicken, Noko udon, and Gokumiya.
Meals

B · At leisure

L · At leisure

D · Japanese set meal

Stay

Hotel New Otani Hakata
2

Day 2

Fukuoka · Kokonoe Yume Bridge · Yufuin · Beppu
Walk Japan’s highest pedestrian suspension bridge, explore Yufuin’s Yunotsubo street and Lake Kinrin, then overnight in Beppu Onsen.

Kokonoe Yume Bridge
Japan’s highest pedestrian-only suspension bridge, 390 m long and 173 m high. Grated decking lets you look straight down to the stream; distant views take in the twin falls of Narukogawa and the pristine Narukogawa Gorge.

Yufuin Yunotsubo art street
Mist drifts around Lake Kinrin. The onsen street is lined with tofu shops, soy sauce stores, galleries, and museums—full of local character.

Lake Kinrin
About 400 m around, the lake glows like golden fish scales at sunset. Hot springs well from the lakebed year-round; in cold weather, white mist turns the scene dreamlike.
Meals

B · At the hotel

L · At leisure

D · At the hotel

Stay

Kamenoi Hotel Beppu
3
Day 3

Beppu Jigoku · hell steaming · steam viewpoint
Visit Umi Jigoku and Kamado Jigoku, try the hell-steaming workshop, and overlook Beppu’s geothermal steam landscape.
Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell)
One of Beppu’s most famous hot-spring sights: vivid blue water, a vent about 200 m deep, and temperatures around 98°C. Sample eggs or pudding steamed by the springs and browse souvenirs.

Kamado Jigoku (Cooking Pot Hell)
Second only to Umi Jigoku among the eight hells, with a mini Blood Pond, White Pond, and Tiffany-blue spring. Sip sulfurous hot-spring water, try hell-steamed snacks, and enjoy a free foot bath.

Beppu steam workshop (Kannawa Hell Steaming Workshop)
Experience jigoku-mushi (hell steaming), used since the Edo period: food cooked in geothermal steam of about 98°C.

Beppu steam viewpoint (Yukemuri Observatory)
Beppu’s hot-spring steam ranked second nationwide after Mount Fuji in a survey of “Japanese landscapes to preserve for the 21st century.” Its night view is a Japan Night View Heritage site, and the steamscape is an Important Cultural Landscape.
Meals

B · At the hotel

L · At leisure

D · At the hotel

Stay

Kamenoi Hotel Beppu
Tips
- Lunch is at leisure around the Beppu steam workshop.
4
Day 4

Beppu · Aso Kusasenri · Nakadake crater · Kami-Aso Kumanoza Shrine · Kumamoto
Aso grasslands and Nakadake crater (scenic bus at your own expense), then a mossy shrine approach before check-in in Kumamoto.
Aso Kusasenri
About 1 km of grassland on the Aso loop road, where Mount Komezuka and rain-fed ponds form a grand landscape that shifts with every season.

Mount Aso crater (Nakadake)
One of the world’s largest calderas. Nakadake is about 600 m across and 130 m deep, with close views of white volcanic steam; access may be restricted when activity is high.

Kami-Aso Kumanoza Shrine
A cedar approach with more than 260 stone steps and nearly 100 moss-covered stone lanterns creates a solemn atmosphere. Behind the main hall, the “Uketoiwa” boulder has a hole said to bring exam success and good fortune when touched.
Meals

B · At the hotel

L · At leisure

D · Japanese set meal

Stay

Ref Kumamoto by Vessel Hotels
Tips
- The Aso crater requires a scenic bus (about ¥1,500 JPY per person), booked on-site subject to availability; if you prefer not to go up, stay longer at Kusasenri.
5
Day 5

Kumamoto · Takachiho Gorge · Kumamoto Castle · Shimotori
Nationally scenic Takachiho Gorge (rowboat at your own expense), then return for Kumamoto Castle and the Shimotori shopping street.
Takachiho Gorge
A soaring canyon carved from cooled pyroclastic flow—a National Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument. Manai Falls, one of Japan’s 100 best waterfalls, is the gorge’s emblem.

Kumamoto Castle
Also called Ginkgo Castle and long known as an impregnable fortress, one of Japan’s three great castles, built by Kato Kiyomasa. A living witness of history still under post-earthquake restoration.

Kumamoto Shimotori shopping street
Near Kumamoto Castle, a lively street for sake, pickles, croquettes, ice cream, and more—sample Kumamoto specialties and souvenirs, including stops around Josaien.
Meals

B · At the hotel

L · At leisure

D · Japanese set meal

Stay

Ref Kumamoto by Vessel Hotels
Tips
- Takachiho Gorge rowboats are not included; buy tickets on-site. Availability and suspensions depend on the day.
6
Day 6

Kumamoto · Itoshima · Mojiko Retro
Itoshima coast and Meoto Iwa, the Mojiko Retro district, and the Shiokaze sightseeing train (schedules as announced).
Itoshima coastal scenic drive
From Fukuoka along the peninsula coast, bays, beaches, and café views invite frequent photo stops along the way.

Futamigaura Meoto Iwa (Wedded Rocks)
Two linked rocks on northern Itoshima, one of the area’s most popular sights. The white torii base before the shrine is eroded by tides—walk closer at low tide; at high tide it stands in the water.

Mojiko Retro district
Opened as a port in 1889, preserving Western-style buildings from the Meiji through early Showa eras. Strait Plaza gathers restaurants, souvenir shops, and viewpoint eateries.

Mojiko Retro sightseeing train “Shiokaze”
A streetcar weaving through Mojiko’s retro streets, with Taisho-era canal-town scenery from the windows.
Meals

B · At the hotel

L · At leisure

D · Japanese set meal

Stay

Hotel Route-Inn Mojiko
Tips
- If Shiokaze schedules are unpublished or boarding is unavailable, visit the Kyushu Railway History Museum instead.
7

Day 7

Mojiko · Dazaifu Tenmangu · Ohori Park · Tenjin
Dazaifu Tenmangu, shrine of learning; Ohori Park modeled on West Lake; free shopping and dining in Tenjin.

Dazaifu Tenmangu
Dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deity of learning. The approach is lined with umegae-mochi stalls, soft-serve ice cream, and souvenir shops; students flock here during exam season.

Ohori Park
A waterside park west of Fukuoka Castle, modeled on Hangzhou’s West Lake. About 2 km around the pond, islands linked by bridges; a Japanese garden, tea house, and koi pond offer quiet charm.

Tenjin shopping district
Centered on Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station, with department stores and Loft. ACROS Fukuoka’s multi-level forest is free to enter, and the underground mall has more than 150 shops.
Meals

B · At the hotel

L · At leisure

D · At leisure

Stay

Hotel New Otani Hakata
8

Day 8

Fukuoka · departure
After hotel breakfast, transfer to Fukuoka Airport for your international flight and the end of the journey.

Fukuoka Airport departure
Gather as scheduled and transfer to Fukuoka Airport for your international flight, ending this deep dive into Kyushu.
Meals

B · At the hotel

L · At leisure

D · At leisure

Stay

End of tour

Kyushu Deep Dive — Yufuin, Beppu, Aso & Takachiho

Kyushu Deep Dive — Yufuin, Beppu, Aso & Takachiho

Itinerary

Arrival in Fukuoka

Tosu Premium Outlets

Kokonoe Yume Bridge

Yufuin Yunotsubo art street

Lake Kinrin

Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell)

Kamado Jigoku (Cooking Pot Hell)

Beppu steam workshop (Kannawa Hell Steaming Workshop)

Beppu steam viewpoint (Yukemuri Observatory)

Aso Kusasenri

Mount Aso crater (Nakadake)

Kami-Aso Kumanoza Shrine

Takachiho Gorge

Kumamoto Castle

Kumamoto Shimotori shopping street

Itoshima coastal scenic drive

Futamigaura Meoto Iwa (Wedded Rocks)

Mojiko Retro district

Mojiko Retro sightseeing train “Shiokaze”

Dazaifu Tenmangu

Ohori Park

Tenjin shopping district

Fukuoka Airport departure