6-Day Kyushu Discovery: Fukuoka, Beppu Onsen, Mount Aso & Nagasaki

Tour Overview

Itinerary Highlights

Day 1: Arrive Fukuoka

Welcome to Kyushu! Airport pickup. Evening at Nakasu Yatai — Fukuoka’s famous riverside food stalls serving Hakata ramen, gyoza, and yakitori. Canal City and the illuminated Nakasu district. Overnight in Fukuoka.

Day 2: Fukuoka to Beppu

Morning visit to Dazaifu Tenmangu — a stunning Shinto shrine dedicated to the god of learning. Try umegae mochi (grilled rice cakes). Afternoon drive to Beppu — Japan’s hot spring capital with over 2,800 springs. Visit the Jigoku Meguri (Hell Tour) — 8 spectacular hot springs: Blood Pond Hell (red), Sea Hell (turquoise blue), and Tornado Hell (geyser). Evening: sand bath and onsen at your ryokan. Overnight at Beppu Onsen.

Day 3: Mount Aso — World’s Largest Caldera

Drive to Mount Aso — home to the world’s largest volcanic caldera (25km wide). Visit the Aso Volcano Museum and drive up to the active crater rim — peer into the steaming turquoise crater lake. Walk through Kusasenri — a vast grassland with grazing horses and volcanic peaks. Afternoon visit to Takachiho Gorge — rent a rowboat and float through the dramatic basalt column canyon. Overnight near Aso.

Day 4: Kumamoto Castle

Morning at Kumamoto Castle — one of Japan’s three premier castles, recently restored after the 2016 earthquake. Afternoon drive to Nagasaki — Japan’s historic gateway to the West. Evening at Mount Inasa Observatory — voted one of the world’s top 3 night views. Overnight in Nagasaki.

Day 5: Nagasaki History & Culture

Morning at the Nagasaki Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum. Visit Glover Garden — Western merchant houses from the Meiji era with stunning harbor views. Dejima — the restored fan-shaped artificial island where Dutch traders lived during Japan’s isolation. Afternoon: Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown for champon noodles. Oura Cathedral — Japan’s oldest Gothic church. Overnight in Nagasaki.

Day 6: Depart Fukuoka

Drive back to Fukuoka. Visit Yanagawa for a traditional punt boat ride through willow-lined canals (optional). Fukuoka Airport. Safe travels!

Inclusions

• 5 nights: Fukuoka, Beppu Onsen, Aso, Nagasaki
• Daily breakfast + 2 dinners
• Private vehicle with English-speaking driver-guide
• Beppu Hells, Kumamoto Castle, Nagasaki Peace Park, Glover Garden entries

Why Kyushu

• Beppu — Japan’s onsen capital, more hot springs than anywhere else
• Mount Aso — peer into the world’s largest volcanic caldera
• Nagasaki — Japan’s most unique city, a blend of Japanese, Chinese, and European
• Fukuoka — Japan’s food capital, birthplace of tonkotsu ramen