九 州 (K Y Ū S H Ū)
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[Deutsche Version …]
The 九 (kyuu = nine) 州 (shuu = province) are building the southernmost of the four main islands of Japan. On Kyuhsu I only visited a few places. 2006 I started with Beppu and Aso (vulcano). In 2016 I added Nagasaki, Fukuoka/Hakata, Dazaifu, Kumamoto, Yufuin and Kurokawa to the list. But, the island Kyushu in total only is a „should visit“.
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The problem with Kyushu is not the limited amount of temples, castles and shrines. It is to get there. All international flights starting in Europe are going over Osaka and Tokyo. And even the shinkansen needs a whole day. Therefore you should a visit to Kyushu as a complete trip and not split up Kyushu into different journeys. Sum up (Rule: SHOULD is MUST if CAN):
- MUST: Nagasaki, Kumamoto
- SHOULD: Beppu, Fukuoka/Hakata, Dazaifu, Yotoku Inari Jinja, Kurokawa
- can: Vulkan Aso, Huis Ten Bosch, Yufuin
別府 : Beppu, Oitaken — SHOULD, 1 day
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Beppu is famous for it „Eight hells“. These are eight onsen (hot water spring) that are not siutable for bathing. Each hells is different from the others. The are nice, and you should visit them, but the are not that aweson that the are worth the trip ti Kyushu. Because on the location Beppu is not suitable for daytrip. Even Fukuoka is to far away.
阿蘇山 : Vulcano Aso, Kumamotoken
can, 1 Tag (MUST VISIT for vulcano enthusiast)
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Aso offers you a view into the crater, which is filled with a lake, in that the blue water is boiling by the heat coming from below. Getting there from Beppu is nightmare. Don’t do this mistake, like I did. Plan a trip starting in Kumamoto. But there is still one risk: The crater is often closed for tourist due to higher activity in release of toxic gas. If this happens, there is no plan B. There is nothing going on in the village and you will spend your day in waiting for the next train back or the crater to open.
長崎 : Nagasaki, Nagasakiken — MUST VISIT, 1 day
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The temples and shrines, Glover Garden and also Oura Church are definately worth a visit. You can skip the peace memorial park. Distances in Nagasaki are not the far, so you can cover everything with a little bit of planning. I recommend to stay at least one night. China Town at daylight is boring. And there is a nearby mountain that provides a good night view of the city, like in Hakodate.
ハウステンボス : Huis Ten Bosch, Nagasakiken — can, 1/2 day
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Huis Ten Bosch is far away from Nagasaki. If you don’t want to see a japanese version of the Netherlands, you can skip it. But the light installation are worth a visit. I was happy to made a stop there.
福岡/博多 : Fukuoka/Hakata, Fukuokaken — SHOULD, 1 day
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Fukuoka/Hakata has some nice sightseeing spots, but it is not like you miss something special. But Fukuoka/Hakata is transportation hub with connection to the shinkansen network and an airport that makes Fukuoka/Hakata a good base camp. Two more reasons for that place is the proximity to Dazaifu an the Yatai at night.
太宰府 : Dazaifu, Fukuokaken– SHOULD, 1 day
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Dazaifu is small and can be visited within a half day easily. There is one shrine and a temple with a beautiful garden next to it. There are two more old and small temples that are a mile away. You can skip the „government ruins“. With the shopping street between the shrine and the train station the tourist thing is complete.
祐徳稲荷神社 : Yutoku Inari Jinja, Sagaken — SHOULD, 1/2 day
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The shrine is far away from Nagasaki and Fukuoka. Luckily the train station is serviced by the Ltd. Express. But it is a long way from the train station to the shrine (over two miles). You need a taxi. There busses but I don’t know the timetable.
湯布院 : Yufuin, Oitaken — can, 1 day
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A small onsen town close to Beppu. But to be honest, Kurokawa is smaller and much prettier. In the other hand, it is easier to get to Yufuin an even easier to go to Beppu.
黒川 : Kurokawa, Kumamotoken — SHOULD, 1 day
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This a small, nice onsen town. But it is very difficult to get there. It is in the middle of nowhere. There are only two highway busses a day. Or you rent a car. But I really recommend at least a day trip if you are an onsen enthusiast. Try to stay over night. It is really decellerating. Because all you can do is to visit an onsen and do nothing else.
熊本 : Kumamoto, Kumamotoken — MUST VISIT, 1 day
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My knowledge of Kumamoto is limited to the castle, that was closed for visitors because of the damages caused by the April 2016 earthquake. But so far Kumamoto is a place the you should visit.
| am Shinkansen | Hauptstrecke | Nebenstrecke | abseits (Bus / Boot) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kumamoto * | Nagasaki ** | Vulkan Aso * | Yakushima *** |
| Fukuoka/Hakata * | Yoshinogari Park * | Yufuin * | Kurokawa Onsen ** |
| Kagoshima * | Beppu * | Huis Ten Bosch * | Amami Oshima ** |
| Minamata | Oita | Yutoku Inari Jinja * | Takachiho * |
| Kitakyushu | Usa | Dazaifu * | Udo Shine * |
| Kitsuki | Karatsu | Kirishima * | |
| Usuki | Takeo Onsen | Satsuma Peninsula * | |
| Miyazaki | Arita | Kunisaki Peninsula * | |
| Imari | Shimabara Peninsula | ||
| Ibusuki | Kirishima Mountains | ||
| Ureshino Onsen | |||
| Amakusa Island | |||
| Kuji Mountains | |||
| (Vulkan) Unzen | |||
| Hirado |
Listed in the map but no sightseeing spots. There are places to change train or bus lines)
- Yatsushiro (connection point Shinkansen – Hauptlinie)
- Tosu
- Saga
- Sasebo (connection point JR – Matsuura Railway)
- Nagasaki Airport, Fukuoka/Hakata Airport
- Oita Airport, Kagoshima Airport, Kumamoto Airport, Kitakyushu Airport
