Kyushu Private Tour with Driver and Local Guide: 8 Days

Your guide and driver will meet you in the arrival halls at Fukuoka Airport. Then, with your bags loaded, you’ll drive inland through the mountains towards Oita.

The first stop is Hita. In the Edo period, most of Kyushu had local lords, but Hita answered directly to the Shogun. You’ll have time to explore its historic streets in Mameda-machi, where you’ll visit Kuncho, a sake brewery in an Edo-period storehouse. Tastings are recommended and part of the visit!

A short stroll away is a geta (wooden sandal) shop, where Japan’s largest geta is on show, made from local cedar. After, you’ll get to try Hita’s local speciality eel for lunch.

In the afternoon, you’ll continue to Beppu. At Umi Jigoku, or ‘Sea Hell’, the water is bright blue and around 98°C (208°F), with smaller red-orange ponds beside it. A minute’s walk away, grey mud bubbles up at Oniishibozu Jigoku.

Tonight’s hotel near Beppu Station has its own onsen (natural hot-spring bath), so you can enjoy your first hot-spring soak. Dinner is fresh local seafood at a restaurant in town.

After breakfast, you’ll leave Beppu and head up into the hills to Myoban. Inside its thatched huts, hot-spring steam rises through blue clay and slowly forms Yunohana, which are crystals used as bath salts. While you’re there, try an onsen egg cooked in the steam for a mid-morning snack.

Next, you’ll head to Kokonoe ‘Yume’ Otsurihashi. The bridge stands 173 metres high above the river, with views of Shindo Falls and the valley, which are exceptional in November for the autumn leaves.

In the afternoon, you’ll reach Takachiho. A 10-minute riverside walk leads to Amano Yasukawara, a cave where according to legend, the gods met to try to lure the sun goddess Amaterasu out of hiding.

Dinner will be local Takachiho beef. After, at 8pm, you’ll watch Kagura, a sacred dance performed every night at Takachiho Shrine. The first dances are serious, but the last is a comic scene between a husband-and-wife pair of gods. As the dancers usually throw treats into the audience, keep your hands ready!

Your morning starts with a stroll along the river through Takachiho Gorge. Its cliffs, up to 100 metres high, were formed from lava that flowed here from Mount Aso and cooled into tall columns. The path leads to the much-photographed Manai Falls, one of Japan’s top waterfalls.

From there, it’s up into the hills to Mount Aso, which is an active volcano. Your guide will check the gas levels and crater access the day before, and again on the morning to see how close you can get. If the rim is open, it’s a short walk up to look into the steaming crater. If not, you’ll still get close enough to smell the sulphur!

Next, you’ll head out to Kusasenri, a grassy plain. This is one of our guides’ favourite views in Kyushu, with Mount Eboshi rising behind and horses often grazing.

Then it’s on to Kumamoto, whose castle is counted among Japan’s three great castles. From the top of its black main keep, you can look out across the city. Dinner is a Kumamoto speciality, chosen by our team.

Leaving Kumamoto in the morning, you’ll board the ferry across the Ariake Sea. During the one-hour crossing, you’ll pass nori seaweed farms, and from November to March you can even feed the seagulls from the deck.

The ferry lands at Shimabara, known as the ‘City of Water’, where you’ll see colourful koi swimming in the clear roadside channels. You can also watch the koi at Shimeiso, a traditional Japanese house with its own spring-fed garden pond.

Nearby are the old samurai houses. It doesn’t always happen, but if you’re lucky, a descendant of the samurai families will show you around, with your guide translating.

Later, on the way to Nagasaki, you’ll stop at Unzen Jigoku. Unlike the colourful ponds in Beppu, clouds of steam rise from the vents and make for a great photo stop.

Then in the evening, you’ll head up Mount Inasa for the night view over Nagasaki and its harbour. In 2021, it was named one of the world’s three great night views, alongside Monaco and Shanghai.

Few cities have a story like Nagasaki’s, so you’ll plan the morning with your guide, choosing from three themes.

Up on the hillside, Glover Garden is home to Japan’s oldest surviving wooden Western-style building, once the house of Scottish merchant Thomas Glover. Right next door is Oura Cathedral, Japan’s oldest surviving church, which became part of a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2018.

To learn what happened in August 1945, you can visit the Atomic Bomb Museum, then walk past the hypocentre to the Peace Park.

Or head to Dejima, a small fan-shaped island. For about 200 years, it was the only place in Japan where trade with the West was allowed.

In the afternoon, you’ll drive to Ureshino, one of Japan’s three great hot springs for beautiful skin, thanks to its silky water. Then in the evening, it’s on to your ryokan (traditional inn) stay. After a soak in its onsen, dinner is kaiseki, a meal of many small seasonal courses. Ask your guide about anything on your plate, as there’s always a reason why each ingredient is chosen.

Your last full day of touring with your guide starts with a hands-on green tea class in Ureshino. You’ll brew the tea yourself, then taste some of Japan’s best green tea.

After you’ll head to Okawachiyama, known as the ‘Village of Secret Kilns’. In the Edo period, potters here made porcelain for the Shogun and lords, and their methods were kept secret. The main street is lined with small pottery shops, so take your time as you might find a piece to take home.

Lunch is in Arita, often called the birthplace of Japanese porcelain. The restaurant also acts as a gallery of local porcelain, so when you order a coffee or tea, you’ll pick your cup from a wall of over 2,500 cups. After lunch, there’s time to wander the back streets, where some of the walls are made from old kiln bricks and bits of pottery.

Later, you’ll drive back to Fukuoka for a free evening. Your guide can suggest places to go, such as the riverside yatai (open-air food stalls) or a street full of ramen shops.

After breakfast at your hotel, the day is yours. Tenjin is the place for shopping, or you can take the train to Dazaifu, home to a famous shrine with a street of snack shops on the way. Many of these shops sell Umegae Mochi, a tasty rice cake baked golden brown and filled with sweet red bean paste. As the shrine honours the god of learning, you’ll often see students who come to pray for good exam results. Your guide will suggest places that really match your interests, including where to eat in the evening.

After breakfast and checkout, your guide and driver will take you to Fukuoka Airport for your flight home. The airport is a great spot for last-minute souvenirs. Mentaiko (spicy cod roe) is a Fukuoka speciality and is sold on its own or in snacks like rice crackers or prawn crackers. Another popular option is Hakata Torimon, a small baked bun filled with buttery bean paste. Your guide can suggest others worth taking a look at too.

For those staying longer in Kyushu, our team will be happy to arrange onward transport. We can also provide suggestions on how to make your trip smoother.