The Kyushu region

Author: Edutraveller
Date written: 04/18/2003 09:26:25 PM
Last edited: 2003/05/04 12:44:12
Keywords: Kyushu, Japan regional guide, Kyushu guide, Fukuoka, Nagasaki

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Kyushu

Kyushu. Third of the four main islands, Kyushu is famous for its hot springs which break through the surface of the ground all over this volcanic area.

Kyushu consists of Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Oita, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima prefectures. It is the third largest and southernmost of Japan's four major islands and has always been a key entry point for news, ideas and culture from the Korean peninsula and China. During the years of the Tokugawa Shoguns, the Dutch trading post at Nagasaki was Japan's only connection to the rest of the world, and the city is now a prime attraction and study destination. Nagasaki has numerous universities and schools and a long history including the atomic tragedy of 1945. The northern city of Fukuoka is the main international entry point and is also the terminus of the Shinkansen (Bullet train) from Tokyo. This city is very close to Korea and has large numbers of Korean and Taiwanese students and residents. Cities such as Kumamoto and Kagoshima are famous for their history, castles and feudal era gardens. On the east coast the city of Beppu is famous throughout Japan for its hot springs (and high prices). Active volcanoes to visit include Mt Aso and Sakurajima, and there are plenty of good hiking opportunities in the many national parks throughout Kyushu island.

Kyushu is an ideal destination for those who are not seeking to spend long (or visit at all) the major cities of Osaka and Tokyo. It has plenty to offer in the way of watersports and hiking, and is perfectly located for travel to the Korean peninsula (there are regular ferry crossings to both Pusan in South Korea) and to other parts of Japan (Osaka, Shikoku, etc).

Getting there

International flights will all go to Osaka (Kansai International KIX), Nagoya (NGO) or Tokyo (Narita International NRT). You may find some flights to Fukuoka (FUK) from other Asian countries. Usually however you will have to transfer from one of the main international airports. It is worth buying a ticket to your final destination (usually Fukuoka if Kyushu) if you are not intending to spend much time in the rest of Japan as transport from even Osaka will be fairly costly and time consuming.

Fukuoka and Kagoshima are good places to catch the ferry to other parts of the country or for Okinawa. In particular, try the ferry if you are thinking of going to or coming from Shikoku. There are too many ferry routes to list all the ports, but ask at the local tourist information and they will be able to tell you if there are ferries - if there is an island nearby, there probably is.

Trains from Honshu come from Tokyo, through Nagoya and Osaka (where you probably change), through Hiroshima, to Kita Kyushu by tunnel and then to Fukuoka. The shinkansen runs regularly, but it is a long way to Tokyo - and expensive by train. Consider flying if coming from so far unless you break the trip up and stop along the way.

Weather

Kyushu has a similar climate to the rest of Honshu on the lower coastal areas, while higher areas inland tend to be cooler. Temperatures in summer average near thirty degrees Centigrade around the coast and a few degrees lower on higher ground. Rainfall is concentrated in the summer period as the monsoons come through - being further southwest, they arrive earlier in Kyushu than other parts of Japan.

Sunshine is fairly consistent throughout the year, a little lower in June (typhoons) and during the winter. As one of the main reasons for coming to Kyushu is the hiking and camping, make sure that you have an alternative plan in case of typhoons.

Fukuoka

Fukuoka has long been Japan's gateway to the world. It and Nagasaki, further around the coast of Kyushu, have had trade links with China and Korea, and with other parts of the world, for millenia and have many traces of this - from the European houses in Fukuoka, the imported arts and crafts, to the defensive walls at Hakata built to withstand the Mongol invasion.

Fukuoka was the first place where rice farming was introduced from Asia in the fourth century BC, and items and remains have been found from that period and later showing the continued links between Fukuoka and the Chinese Empire. Often emissaries from China and Korea would pass through Fukuoka (or Hakata as it is sometimes called), and Japanese missions would also use the ports of the area as the start of their trips to the continent. Pottery is also well known in the prefecture, particularly Agano-yaki and Koishiwara-yaki.

One of the most famous types of ramen is tonkotsu, noodles in a pork stock soup. Originally from the Fukuoka area, this has become one of the Japanese standards and can be found all over the country. Other items traditionally associated with Fukuoka include Karashi Mentaiko (spicy fish roe), unagi (eel) and fugu (the famous globefish sushi - deadly if not correctly prepared), but these are also associated with other cities in Japan.

• Fukuoka City
• Shopping and entertainment: Canal City shopping and cinema complex; Hawk's Town (indoor jungle and baseball stadium); Marine World (amusement park); Tenjin (department stores).
• Museums: Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka City Art Museum.
• Dazaifu: Kaidan-in monastery; Kanzeon-ji temple and treasure hall; Exhibition hall.
• Kita Kyushu: Space World (space-themed amusement park)
• Fukuoka Prefecture Festivals: Hakata Gion Yamakasa; Tobata Gion Oyamagasa; Kawawatari Jinkosai Festival; Kurume Gion Daiko; Oniyo Fire Festival at Daizenji Tamatare-gu Shrine.

Oita

Yaba-kei Valley is a huge lava plateau 36 km across and 32 km long and is well known for the strange shapes of its rock formations. The valley also has a long tunnel (185 metres) supposedly dug by a monk with just a hammer and chisel (and over thirty years free time). See also the Keisekien garden, and Rakan-ji Temple which has over 3,700 stone statues of the Buddha.

Kunisaki-hanto: volcanic peninsula; twenty-eight ravines cut through it. This huge area is home to the Usa-jingu Shrine, head of all Hachimangu Shrines. Many Buddhist National Treasures and Important Cultural Assets are found in the area. The Fuki-ji Temple has a wooden Amida-nyorai (Amitabha Tathagata), and you can see statues of the Four Devas in Maki-Odo along with a figure of Fudo (Kumano-magai-butsu). See also the Oita Prefectural Museum of History in Usa-fudoki-no-oka.

Beppu is synonymous with onsen, and mineral-laden hot water gushes out of the ground all over the place. Hot springs have the greatest volume of hot water per minute in Japan (Hamawaki, Beppu, Kankaiji, Myouban and Kannawa). The area also has the "tour of hell" near Kannawa, with various colour waters and geysers.

Yufuin and Kuju Heights are in the central part of Oita. Yufuin is a pleasant town with lots of restaurants, cafes and onsen. The water is said to be good for rheumatism and neuralgia. Kinrin-ko in Yufuin is fed with hot water which enters through the bed of the lake. On cold days, steam rises from the surface.

Usuki in the south of Oita is a castle town, near where a Dutch ship drifted ashore 400 years ago and began a long period of Kyushu's (controlled) interaction with the West. The area has "Usuki Sekibutsu", stone figures carved out of the cliff. The figures number several thousand, and probably date from the 12th or 13th century.

Taketa is a castle town found in the southwestern part of Oita. The Oka Castle is on the edge of a steep cliff and dates from 1185, but little remains of the original but a few piles of rocks. The area is well known for its clean water, and is called a "little Kyoto" (as Japanese often term anything that is reminiscent of traditional Japan). Local cuisine is deliscious and is based on fish and chicken.

Miyazaki

Takachio is home to Takachiho-jinja and Amanoiwato-jinja, associated with the first emperor of Japan. Sacred music, passed from generation to generation, is still played in the evening at the former. The nearby Takachiho-kyo is a deep gorge formed by the Gokase River. See the seventeen metre-high Manai-no-taki waterfall.

Hyuga City in Nippo-Kaigan Quasi-National Park and the southern resorts of Isegahama and Okuragahama have good beaches. The Mimitsu area of Hyuga is a preservation area and has a real feel of old Japan. See the Hyuga City History People's Museum. The Emperor Jinmu (the first emperor of Japan, supposed to have lived in the seventh century BC) is said to have set out from here to unify the Japanese nation.

Saito: Saitobaru Kofun-gun (burial mounds area) with over 300 kofun of various shapes and sizes dating from the fourth to sixth centuries. Autumn fire festival: torch-lit parade winds through the kofun. Also see Hyuga Kokubun-ji and Tsuma-jinja Shrine. Miyazaki city: world's biggest water park (Sea Gaia). It has a mild climate to suit and is a popular resort destination. See the Miyazaki-jingu shrine built entirely of ceder and set in deep woods. Nearby Heiwadai-koen Park has good views of the area.

Ebino-kogen Highland is part of Kirishima-Yaku, Japan's first national park. The mountains are dotted with lakes and hot springs. It is said that you can see Korea from the highest Mountain, Karakuni-san. Cape Toi-misaki area: see wild Misaki horses, Toi-misaki Lighthouse views, Toimisaki-himatsuri Fire Festival (summer).

Kagoshima

Kagoshima includes not just the section of Kyushu island but also several islands extending down towards Okinawa. Some of the best things to do in Kagoshima include hiking in the Kirishima National Park (shared with Miyazaki Prefecture). While there, make sure to see Kirishima Jingu.

Kagoshima City is called the Naples of Japan, although so is Osaka sometimes. It lives under the shadow of Sakurajima, an active volcano, something that Osaka cannot boast. In Kagoshima city, see Iso Gardens and Kagoshima Prefectural Museum of Culture. The Satsuma Peninsula to the south of the city is picturesque.

Kumamoto

Kumamoto has one of the largest caldera volcanoes in the world, Mount Aso. The Aso and Unzen-Amakusa national parks and Yabahita-hiko and Kyushu Central Mountains quasi-national parks take up one-fifth of the entire prefecture. Many onsen can be found all over the region, and things that you should see include the Amakusa-gohashi (five bridges), scene of many Christian martyrdoms centuries ago.

Kumamoto Castle in Kumamoto city is famous for its fortifications. The city also has the house of "Koizumi Yakumo", the Japanese name of the scholar Lafcadio Hearn who lived in the area for many years. Another famous resident was Souseki Natsume, an important writer around the turn of the twentieth century.

Nagasaki

Nagasaki Prefecture has the city of Nagasaki, site of one of the atomic bombs dropped by American forces at the end of World War II. The city has been completely rebuilt, and like Hiroshima has a peace park. Half the area of the prefecture is made up of nearly a thousand islands, both inhabited and uninhabited. For centuries, Nagasaki has been an important port linking Japan with Korea and China, and other parts of the world. It has also had a long association with Holland, being the site of one of the few permitted trading posts.

Things to see: Huis Ten Bosch Dutch theme park; Nagasaki City peace park and A-bomb Museum. Lots of ferries connect Nagasaki with the surrounding islands; try taking a boat accross to the Shimabara Peninsula, and walk around Unzen and its many onsen and bubbling "jigoku" (hells).

Saga

Saga is known as the home of ceramics. At the crossroads of Chinese and Korean cultures, Korean technology was imported to Japan through Saga. Many Korean craftsman worked here and passed on their skills, leading to the highly-prized Arita yaki, Imari yaki and Karatsu yaki. The discovery of high quality porcelain in the area by a Korean craftsman ensured the future of Arita and Imari.

In Saga, also see Niji-no-matsubara, a Japanese black pine forest that stretched for about five kilometers, and the Nanatsugama sea caves. Tosu City has Tashiro-Ota, an ancient grave decorated with coloured pictures. Yoshinogari, which was discovered in 1989, has a reconstructed watchtower and village. The area seems to have been inhabited for many centuries.

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