Once upon a time, when we wanted a short vacation of pure relaxation, Kyushu, Japan, was the first choice for many people.
Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four major islands, is not only an island full of hot spring heat, but also has a warm scenery, food, and people. If you have been there once, you can understand why it is called "Japan's most blessed hot spring polar area".
Fortunately, with the resumption of global travel, Kyushu healing tours of staying at top yuloku inns, enjoying the wonders of the forest and the sea, and eating rustic cuisine and wagyu beef are finally within reach again.
Although spring has begun now, the weather temperature has not risen. When caught off guard by the pouring spring cold, flying directly to Kyushu to soak yourself in the bubbling hot spring should be the most anticipated enjoyment this spring.
When you come to Kyushu, most people's wishes are actually very simple: it is best to look up at the natural beauty, there is a private hot spring in the room, the warmth of one or two meals is essential, and it is best to bring some special experience that is not found elsewhere. So if you pick a good hot spring inn, your trip to Kyushu will already be a success in advance.
In the first half of the tour, we will visit many areas rich in culture, so an elegant and restrained hot spring bath is the perfect place. The hot spring mountain resort of the Japanese royal family, Takebayatsu Pavilion, and the niche secret hot spring inn Tsuki Shuki are two of the top choices we recommend.
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Onjuku Chikurintei
Former Besojo of the 28th lord of Saga-Nabeshima Island, the 330,000-square-meter park covers an area of 330,000 square meters since its opening in 1845, and the beautiful forest garden Mount Mifune is the backyard of the entire villa, and the depth of its construction and hospitality can be seen in the fact that it was once the residence of the Heisei and Reiwa emperors.
Covering an area of more than 150,000 square meters, there are only 11 rooms, and the per capita space is extremely luxurious. The courtyard blends in with architecture, the four seasons, nature and the surrounding environment. Each room is equipped with an open-air bath overlooking the garden and a private strolling path to Mifunayama Paradise.
The hot spring water here comes from Takeo Onsen, known as the "Beauty Bath", and the water is transparent and soft, making the skin elastic. In spring, there is a sea of cherry blossoms at night, bamboo shadow lights in summer, autumn mountains full of autumn leaves, winter with heavy snow garden, and residents of Bamboo Forest Pavilion can enjoy the scenery of the four seasons of the mountains while soaking in the private hot spring in their own courtyard, and Mifunayama Paradise is like its own back garden, which can be freely entered and exited at any time.
The famous gold-leaf cuisine is also worth the trip, and each dish is extremely luxurious and elegant, like a work of art. The famous Saga wagyu beef is served in exquisite vessels, and the sashimi made from lobster from the Ariake Sea is a rare treat.
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Moonlight Tree
Embraced by the forest and the moon, only 8 rooms are created in the secluded nature of 4,500 square meters, and the design style combines Japanese elegance with modern modernity, and uses wood elements to create a warm sense of belonging.
Built against the mountain, the rooms are designed in a style that combines Japanese elegance with modern modernity, using wooden elements to create a warm sense of belonging. Surrounded by excellent ecology, you can hear the pleasant birdsong and babbling water in the room. Japanese-style or Japanese-Western-style bedrooms, which can be selected according to your preference.
The open-air hot spring pool made of rock or cypress wood is unique in the Moontree Tree Room, offering spectacular mountain views during the day and starry skies at night.
Kumamoto is famous for its animal husbandry and "Higo beef" and "King Aso", and the ryokan also purchases fresh and wild vegetables from the local area every day. Therefore, the seasonal menu of the moon tree that changes with the seasons is also another exciting feature.
Fukuoka - Kitakyushu - Saga
Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, Arita Town, Huis Ten Bosch
During a short stay in the first city, Fukuoka, take time to visit the Japanese version of the Temple of Confucius, dedicated to the Tenmangu Shrine of Dazaifu Dazaifu Sugawara, known as the "God of Learning" and the "God of Calligraphy". Arguably one of Fukuoka's most important attractions, the main hall is built in an ancient style from the Momoyama period, with eye-catching plum blossom carvings above the lintel.
If you want to try fresh fish dishes in the Kyushu area, near the sea, you can try the fresh catch served daily at Kikaei in Fukuoka.
The main focus of the fish dishes here is "freshness", and the main attraction in the restaurant is the large fish tank in the center, which is 12 meters long, 3 meters wide and 1.2 meters deep, and there are more than 30 kinds of fish tanks. Being able to eat food while watching the fish swim in the water is also a special flavor.
If you like something more traditional and ceremonial, you should go to Sagano. Sagano is one of the first pavilions in Nakasu, Fukuoka, and everyone from waitresses to generals is dressed in expensive kimonos and speaks softly and appropriately, reflecting Japanese heritage. The raki made with rausu konbu and honkujie, as well as the seasonally served eight-inch plate, are the essence of this traditional kaiseki cuisine.
Saga is the smallest prefecture in Kyushu, and it would be a big loss to ignore it because it was "small". Saga is Japan's most famous "home of porcelain craftsmanship". In Arita Town, the birthplace of Japanese ceramics, you can choose to enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the morning and then go to Arita Yaki Ceramics to experience not only the world-famous Japanese porcelain, but also a souvenir of your trip.
Huis Ten Bosch, just a 30-minute drive from Saga, is an exotic town. The "Huis Ten Bosch Palace", which has been recreated with the permission of the Dutch royal family, the Dutch streets of the 17th century, splendid palaces and churches, quaint wooden houses and stone bridges, classic taxis and canal yachts all appear in front of you, recreating an original Netherlands without a trace.
Shimabara Peninsula
Wild dolphin observation, Liyu Street, Simingsu
Before leaving the port city of Kyushu, the famous wild dolphin watching experience in Minamijima's Haraguchi no Tsu is naturally not to be missed. Sail out to sea, and groups of dolphins are close at hand. As long as you sit on the small boat, you can almost reach out and touch the dolphins playing in the sea.
Located in Fukae Town, Minamijimahara, the restaurant Yamanoji Eupu is surrounded by greenery, and the smooth and chewy "Shimabara Tenoo" is a popular local delicacy. In spring and summer, you can enjoy eating flowing water noodles, and in autumn and winter, it becomes a night talk around the fire. The transparent glass curtain wall reflects nature, so you can slowly feel every breath.
After eating and drinking, you can go to Liyu Street. The whole street here is full of old street shops and homestays, and there are small ponds with carp inside and outside each house. The most worthwhile place on this street is the Yongshui Garden Simingsu. The manor still maintains the layout of a green garden, and there is also a large pond with carefully fed koi that is large and beautiful, making the whole courtyard more secluded and refined.
In the second half of the trip, we bid farewell to the coastline and walked from the foot of the volcano to the hot spring town, gradually deeper into the center of geothermal energy. Therefore, in the selection of top-quality soup accommodation, more emphasis will be placed on "mountain and forest guest houses" that have a sense of returning to the basics. Let Kyushu, a fertile land away from the main island of Japan, show its natural charm.
The three hot spring inns we recommend are Yamasho Infinity Tower and Kasui Besso, which are the second of the "Yufuin Gosanke", and Kai Aso, a representative of Japan's new hot spring inn under the Hoshino Group.
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Mountain Villa Infinity Tower
Looking at Kyushu, the hotel with the most stories, Yufuin's Sanso Infinity Pagoda is one of them. Koji Fujibayashi, the founder of the ryokan, disassembled the old wooden houses originally located in the Niigata area, transported them to Yufuin, and then reassembled them and rebuilt them. Today, it is known for its cost-conscious luxury facilities and attentive service, and is recognized as the highest level of onsen inns in Japan.
Each of the 12 individual rooms has a private courtyard and private bath for perfect privacy. Beneath the quaint exterior, the rooms hide surprisingly modern aesthetics and Western elements – high ceilings, elegant ancient Imari porcelain and antique furniture from Europe, and floor-to-ceiling windows that are lush with greenery, blending Japanese and Western design.
Once just a small restaurant near Lake Kinrin, today it is not only a high-end hot spring inn, but also a complex of art boutiques, restaurants, chocolate shops, cafes, museums, and soba noodle restaurants.
Chaliao Shiba-dong
The art gallery artegio
Chocolate specialty shop Theo Murata
The shop is clumsy
Tan's Bar, which transforms into a café by day and a bar at night, is nostalgic and retro. Coming here in the evening for a cocktail served in baccarat crystal goblets is a unique and sophisticated experience in the countryside.
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Ryū no Ibetsu
If you're looking for a place to stay with easy access, the location of Kosui Bessho on the shores of Lake Kinrin is impeccable. This century-old shop was once the private residence of Kumahachi, a legendary merchant in the Taisho period, and has been operating as an inn since 1950.
The main building has 6 Western-style guest rooms, and 15 Japanese-style villas with floor-to-ceiling balconies outside the building. All villas have private baths and some have open-air pools. The simple and bright living room contrasts with the traditional exterior, and the floor-to-ceiling windows frame the green of the courtyard, which is the best decorative painting of the room.
The three attractive shops under the umbrella of Turtle Ibejo are a choice you can't go wrong when looking for popular food or souvenirs in the Yufuin area.
The first café in the courtyard is a long log bar, a wall full of vinyl dishes, and jazz music flowing from the stereo, rendering a retro atmosphere; The self-operated restaurant, Yu no Yudakuan, is famous for its seasonal cuisine, and three signature ingredients are announced on three wooden boards at the door: black Wagyu beef, crowned chicken and wild vegetables, and it is not difficult to guess that the local cuisine is served with local essence; The small shop Keyya is full of seasonings, coffee, jams, sweets, and more, so you can satisfy almost everything you might want about a small Japanese grocery store.
It is worth mentioning that the service here, you can hardly see the female generals or nakai, and they only appear when needed, which is probably the supreme state of ryokans.
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Kai Aso
In Kuju National Park, which is recognized as a Global Geopark, on 8,000 tsubo-tsubo land at an altitude of 1,000 meters above sea level and surrounded by forests, Kai Aso has built 12 private guest rooms, each of which is an independent hot spring villa, and the Japanese-style courtyard has open-air baths, and the view is a whole pure mountain forest.
The interior cleverly uses the high ceiling pattern and the spatial characteristics of floor-to-ceiling glass to create a layered vision of the living room and bedroom. Huge floor-to-ceiling windows bring light and forest views into the interior, making the overall space more open. All rooms have a balcony with an open-air hot spring.
There are no complicated public spaces, except for the guest rooms, only the lobby, restaurant, Travel Library and a boutique. If you don't want to go out, you can nest in the library and read while drinking coffee.
The kaiseki cuisine for dinner not only maintains Hoshino's usual high standards, but also uses a large number of local Kyushu specialties, such as Kumamoto's horse meat, Aso's nationally famous beef, and cheese, and cheese cooked in a simple way, but you can enjoy the natural taste of Kyushu's mountains and wilderness.
Breakfast is generally authentic Kyushu customs. Seasonal side dishes, grilled fish, hot spring eggs, tofu, and vegetable egg rolls, if you have leisure, you can directly enjoy them at the observation deck at the highest part of the hotel, and enjoy delicious food while enjoying the vast forest landscape.
Yufuin - Aso
Aso Volcano, Daguan Peak, Aso Boy
In the second half of the trip, volcanoes, geothermal, hot springs and natural wonders will become the new focus of the trip.
Coming to Kyushu, how can you miss the hot spring town of Yufuin, saying that Yufuin is the most popular hot spring town in Kyushu, I believe that no one will object.
It is conveniently located here, and the quality and atmosphere of the springs are impeccable. The magnificent Yubuyue, the idyllic scenery of the English countryside, the trendy and characteristic cafes and dessert shops, the cultural and artistic galleries, boutiques and art galleries scattered everywhere, and the morning mist of the Golden Scale Lake are all reasons to linger.
Farewell to Yufuin, we will head towards Mount Aso. Mount Aso is a famous active volcano in Japan, famous for its complex volcano with a large caldera. Among them, there is still frequent volcanic activity in Nakadake, and the scenery is very spectacular.
If you are physically exclusive, you can climb the Daikan Peak in the north of Aso, which has an observation deck with a panoramic view of Mount Aso. The view in front of you is extremely open, with mountains and jungles, and different scenery throughout the year.
Experiencing the local cuisine of Takamorita Rakuri at the foot of Mt. Aso is also a local experience. Grilling local dishes such as local wagyu beef, brook fish, taro, etc. by simply skewering over a charcoal fire, watching the ingredients gradually change color and burn, and when the aroma is full, remove the sauce and take a large bite, which is the happiness of local cuisine around the hearth.
The Aso Boy between Oita and Aso is not only short (about 30 minutes), but also full of childlike design train cars, which is perfect for families with children or adults who love fairy tales.
When we miss Kyushu, the "hot spring paradise", we think not only of the high-end hot spring inns scattered among the mountains and valleys, but also of the tranquility, the service and the healing feeling of beautiful scenery everywhere we go.
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