We went for pre-congress self driving tour around Taipei and Taichung when I was attending the Asian Oceanic Child Neurology Congress 2 years ago.The congress was held in Fukuoka, Japan this year. As usual, we embarked on our pre-congress self driving tour of Kyushu Island!
Airline tickets booked, itinerary planned... but alas, all the popular hotels in major tourist spots were fully booked when I tried to make reservation via Booking.com. one week before departure. It was only then that I realized that the first week of our tour clashed with "golden week" (aka long holiday week) in Japan. Left with no other options, I "grabbed" whichever hotels that were available (these were small hotels located some distance away from popular tourist spots).
My itinerary for Kyushu Island trip was:
Day 1 (3 May) (Wed): Reach
Fukuoka Airport à Beppu 别府 (2 小时) à1/2 hour à Nakatsu
-Ryumon Falls+81 973-76-3312
-别府地狱巡礼+81-977-66-1577
Overnight stay at Super Hotel Oita Nakatsu-Ekimae
+81-979-239-000
Day 2 (4 May) (Thu): Nakatsu
àKokonoe à Mount Aso à Taketa
-Kokonoe 九重町: 九重梦大吊桥 tel :
+81-973-73-3800
-Mount Aso 阿苏: tel: 0967-34-0411 (ropeway)
阿苏火山博物馆，草千里 (in front of museum)，中岳活口(active volcano)，米塚 Komezuka
Overnight @ Farmer Stay Sun & Wind
Day 3 (5 May) (Fri): Taketa
à Takochiho 高千穗 à Miyazaki (@ Richmond Hotel Miyazakiekimae)
-Takochiho高千穗: 高千穗峡，高千穗神社。tel: +81-982-73-1213 (GPS – 0982-72-2269)
-Hyuga 日向市 à
马之背（海景悬崖）à愿望灵验的悬崖（叶字海）+81-982-54-6177 à
大御神社 Omi Shrine (旁边小路，沿着崖边的楼梯走的崖底，便会看到很高的洞穴与鸟居) +81-982-52-3406
Day 4 (6 May) (Sat): Miyazaki
宫崎à Aoshima 青岛à Nichinan 日南à Miyakonozo 都城
-青岛 Aoshima: 鬼之洗衣板+81-985-65-1262à经凤凰休息站（观洗衣板景，买手信）+81-985-65-2773
-日南人面像 Sun Messe Nichinan +81-987-29-1900 à 鹈户神宫 Udo Jingu Shrine (壮丽景色，丢“运玉”游戏) +81-987-29-1001
- Sekinoono Falls 関之尾瀑布（east of Miyakonozo）+81-986-37-3405
Stay at Kirishima Royal
Hotel (Tel: +81 995 57 2111) (north of Miyakonozo, with
onsen)
Day 5 (7 May) (Sun): Miyakonozo
à Sakurajima à ferry à Kagoshima 鹿儿岛à Hitoyoshi 人吉
Tour Sakurajima 桵岛： 有村展望所 (步道1公里), 埋没鸟居
stay at Ryokan Ayu No Sato
stay at Ryokan Ayu No Sato
Day 6 (8 May) (Mon): Hitoyoshi
àfukuoka
**球磨川急流 (清流)+81-96622-5555
(2hours) （Kuma
gawa river cruise）
Day 7 (9 May) (Tue): Hakata
Station à新干线1小时抵Hiroshima , visit Hiroshima Peace Park
Overnight at Hotel Park Side Hiroshima Peace Park
Overnight at Hotel Park Side Hiroshima Peace Park
Day 8 (10 May) (Wed): Hiroshima à Fukuoka (visit Miyajima shrine)--> back to Fukuoka
Day 9-13 (11-15 May): conference & tour around Fukuoka / Dazaifu
Day 9-13 (11-15 May): conference & tour around Fukuoka / Dazaifu
Day 1
Took early morning flight (somehow the flight to Japan tends to be in middle of the night) from Singapore to Fukuoka. Reached around 8 am. Took sometime to clear immigration (only a few counters were open) and retrieve luggage. Called car rental agent (with assistance of airport personnel) to pick us up from airport. Collected our compact rental car and off we went to the direction of Beppu (onsen village).
First stop at Ryumon Falls (enroute to Beppu) - apparently a local favourite, with water flowing down the slippery slope, ideal for water sliding! Only a handful of visitors were there.
After the waterfall, we drove towards Beppu... slow traffics/jam when approaching our destination, Hells of Beppu（别府地狱谷). Bumper to bumper driving... took nearly 1 hour to clear the traffics.
Hells of Beppu consists of 8 hot springs, 6 of them are within walking distance from one another. The other two are about 5-10 minutes' drive away.
The hotsprings are not as big as those in Hokkaido. Each has its own special characteristics. Bought tickets that covered all the hotsprings. Ate steamed egg (with tinge of sulphur smell).
First stop at Ryumon Falls (enroute to Beppu) - apparently a local favourite, with water flowing down the slippery slope, ideal for water sliding! Only a handful of visitors were there.
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| Not too crowded, serene waterfalls |
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| kids sliding down the slope |
Hells of Beppu consists of 8 hot springs, 6 of them are within walking distance from one another. The other two are about 5-10 minutes' drive away.
The hotsprings are not as big as those in Hokkaido. Each has its own special characteristics. Bought tickets that covered all the hotsprings. Ate steamed egg (with tinge of sulphur smell).
Shiraike Jigoku 白池
(milky looking hot spring)
Oniyama Jigoku
Umi Jigoku "Sea Hell”
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| a pond of boiling blue water |
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| orange coloured "hells" |
Kamado Jigoku (Cooking Pot Hell)
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| Garden/pond before reaching the main attraction |
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| cooking pot hell |
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| drink hotspring water |
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| warming feet @ hot marbles |
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| walking from one Jigoku to another... |
Oniishibozu Jigoku
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| Mud bubbles emerging from boiling mud pools (which look like the shaven heads of monks) |
Chinoike Jigoku and Taksumaki Jigoku (next to each other) are located about 5-10 minutes drive away from the other Jigoku.
Chinoike Jigoku (Blood Pond Hell)
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| hot, red water |
Tatsumaki Jigoku (Spout Hell)
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| boiling hot geyser, which erupts every 30-40 minutes stone plate above the geyser hinders it to reach its full height |
Quite tired from the long day of driving/walking... checked into a hotel @ Nakatsu. Had a simple but delicious dinner at local ramen restaurant.
The onsen in the hotel was rather small, and can only accomodate 4 adults at most.
Day 2:
Drove to Kokonoe to visit the "hanging bridge" 吊桥. It rained quite heavily as we were driving there. Fortunately the rain stopped when we reached our destination. The bridge was crowded, particularly from the opposite end of the bridge. It bounced up and down quite a bit as people stepped on it. Might just drop your handphone accidentally if you were not careful.
Spectacular view of the bridge from afar and the bridge.
After visiting the bridge, we drove to our next destination, Mt Aso.
Chance up on a stunning rest station, which offered unobstructed view of the landscape far and beyond!
大观峰
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| car park at far corner |
Mount Aso: 草千里，Mount Aso Ropeway 中岳火口，米塚
Sakura on the way to Mt Aso
草千里
Spacious grazing grassland. Horse riding at a fee, or just walked around to enjoy the scenery.
火口 (ropeway not operating for sometime)
有点凄凉落寞的感觉
(the place is only starting to recover after its latest volcanic eruption in Oct 2016)
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| Road to 草千里 |
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| mountain opposite Mt Aso ropeway |
米塚
（亚苏地标）
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| Legend has it that the volcani hill is formed when God piled up rice and distributed the rice from the summit to the poor villagers, hence the "depression" noted in the summit |
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| Our compact rental car |
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| Lonely sakura tree |
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| The farm next door... own by the host of our B&B |
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| View from our room |
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| View from our room |
The host guided us to a local bath house for onsen (a 20 minutes drive away).
Day 3:
Visited local tourist spots around Taketa (recommendation from our host), before embarking on the long, tedious, winding drive through mountainous terrains to Takochiho Gorge.
Fukoji temple Cliff-carved Buddha
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| walking towards the temple |
Harajiri Falls @ Bungo-ono City
(reminded me of Niagara Falls)
(reminded me of Niagara Falls)
It was a 2-hour drive from Taketa to Takochiho. The tourist spots were crowded, as expected because of long holidays. We drove passed Takochiho Shrine (no parking lots available), and was fortunate to park our car about 5 km further up. This happened to be another entrance point to the famed Takochiho Gorge.
Walked down the slope to reach the Gorge. Gorgeous scenery!
We took our lunch at the restaurant selling 流水缅. Long queue, but quite an experience.
Exhilarting view of the ocean, coastline, and tonnes of free fresh air...
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| walking towards 马之背 |
马之背
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| Umagase (the colour of vertical columns of the cliff resembles that of horses, hence the name "horse back 马背山" |
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| Walking towards the end of Hyuga Cape |
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| coastline |
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| Hyuga Cape |
叶字海 Cruss Sea
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| Rock eroded by waves, creating the word 叶 (@cross like appearance) |
大御神社 Omi Shrine
*white sands, grey bricks, white clouds* somehow, it seems greyish white is the theme of the shrine
Walking down the slope, next to the Omi Shrine 大御神社
The beef restaurant was fully booked. Walked around looking for dinner and chanced upon a Teppanyaki boutique restaurant. What a pleasant surprise!
Overnight at Richmond Hotel Miyazakeikimae @ Miyazaki
Day 4:
Impromptu visit to Miyazaki Heiwadai Park 平和台公园 (@Peace Tower Park) with its adjacent Haniwa Garden (collection of replica of Haniwa, burial statues).
Drove to Aoshima 青岛 - highlights of the trip: "Devil's Washboard" （鬼之洗衣板）and Aoshima shrine （青岛神社）
Walking towards Aoshima Shrine, we walked pass natural rock formation "Devil's Washboard". Fascinating natural wonder, not to be missed!
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| walking towards the Aoshima Shrine in the island |
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| Rows and rows of natural rock formation (from centuries of erosion), creating "washboard" appearance |
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| Aoshima Shrine |
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| Fresh sea food. Delicious! |
Visited Sun Messe Nichinan 日南人面像 - probably an overrated tourist destination... can be missed if one is in a hurry.
Udo Jingu Shrine 鹈户神宫 (tried our luck at throwing pebbles into a ear-marked sacred spot on a rock opposite the shrine; all your wishes would be granted if the pebbles landed successfully within the marked boundary)
A brightly coloured shrine set in a cave on a side of a cliff overlooking the ocean.
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| try to land your pebbles within the circle (marked by a rope) |
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| walking to the car park |
Journeyed on for another 2 hours - visiting Sekinoono Falls, and then to our hotel, Kirishima Royal Hotel.
SEKINOONO FALLS
(spectacular views)
Drove out for simple dinner at local family restaurant, and bought some bread/food at Family Mart for breakfast the next day.
Day 5:
Visited Kirishima Shrine, then drove all the way to Sakurajima (active volcano still spewing thick smoke on-off).
Kirishima Shrine
On the way to Sakurajima.
The active volcano is still spewing out smoke on-off. In fact, there was a fairly big eruption just 2 weeks earlier.
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| Sakurajima from afar... |
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| Safe hideout in the event of volcanic eruption |
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| Partially buried Tori from volcanic eruptions many years ago, We walked pass the tori without realizing it (thought it was some kind of gate before entrance into nearby shrine). |
Jetty travelling between Sakurajima and Kagoshima
Took ferry across the straits to Kagoshima 鹿儿岛, then drove all the way to Hitoyoshi.
LARGE portion of food for dinner
Overnight at Ryokan Ayu no Sato.
View from hotel
Went for onsen in the early morning, before we checked out. No other visitors around, hence managed to snap a few photos of the facilities there. This is one of the more luxurious onsen we have seen throughout our trip.
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| Indoor Onsen |
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| Outdoor onsen |
Day 6:
River cruise (rafting along the rapids of Kuma Gawa River).
Rafting through river with rapids. Only the shorter and calmer route is available at this time of the year. Smooth ride. Greenery along the river, some turtle, birds....
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| Rapids .... |
摇呀摇，摇到外婆桥。。。
Drove to 柳川, brief stop over, before driving all the way to Sea Hawk Hilton Hotel @ Fukuoka.
Returned rented car at airport, and took a bus ride to Hakata. Brief walking tour around Hakata --> Canal City, before taking a bus back to Hotel.
Day 7:
Checked out from hotel, and took Shinkansen from Hakata to Hiroshima.
Buying tickets for Shinkansen travel was a breeze. Had some hard time trying to locate the platform to board the train to Hiroshima... some kind soul guided us to the right spot!
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| Spacious Seats |
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| First time riding Shinkansen |
On the way to Hiroshima
Walking tour of Hiroshima (visited castle, Hiroshima Peace Park, and shopping street near our hotel). Drizzling.... walked wearning disposable raincoat.
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| Hiroshima |
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| Hiroshima |
HIROSHIMA CASTLE
the castle was destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945; it was restored 13 years later
PEACE MEMORIAL PARK
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| A-BOMB DOME the remain of former Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, one of the buildings remains standing after the bomb |
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| Peach Memorial Museum |
Our hotel was located very near to the shopping street and jetty (to catch speed boat to Miyajima).
Day 8:
Half day tour of Miyajima Shrine, then back to Fukuoka.
Miyajima 宫岛 - famed for its Tori which is partially submerged in the sea during high tide. Its shrine is build above the sea water. Dears roaming around the park.
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| Speed boat to Miyajima |
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| Tori floating on the water. |
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| tourists can walk all the way to the tori during low tide |
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| Receding tide |
Walking trails towards Mt Misen 弥山 (can access the peak via ropeway)
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| Ropeway to Mt Misen |
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| Peak of Mt Misen |
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| Pagoda in the island |
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| Senjokaku 千叠阁 |
Day 9-12:
Random visit of Tianjin shopping street, Fukuoka Tower and nearby beaches, and Dazaifu (took a train there). Travel by bus, trains....like locals.
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| taking bus from airport to Hakata, after returning the rental car |
HAKATA
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| Enquiring about shinkanshen ticket to Hiroshima |
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| Canal City |
Yatai 烟台路边小吃
Shopping district
Chanced up some religious ceremony, with men in traditional costume
Fresh seafood... the fish tail was still wagging
I thought it would be a run of the mills attractions. But the vicinity carries its own charm. The view from the top of Fukuoka Tower was quite worth the trip, comparable to that from Eifel Tower.
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| Hilton Sea Hawk Fukuoka |
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| Fukuoka Tower |
Views from Fukuoka Tower
Short trip (by trains) to Dazaifu (the temple of wisdom)
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| In the tourist train |
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| Touching the sacred cow. Hopefully its wisdom will rub on us. |
We have visited many shrines in this trip. Each shrine has its own characteristics and never fails to inspire us.
Shinkansen experience was rather pleasant. Apart from initial confusion on locating the departure platform, the ride was smooth and comfortable.
We didn't have to specifically look out for particular restaurants - most of the food served was quite authentic, and reasonable priced.
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