Vegetarian & Vegan Tour
A self-drive Kyushu journey planned around vegetarian and vegan dining, with hotels, routing and on-the-road support included.
- Vegetarian and vegan dining
- Welcome on arrival
- Ready to drive
- Support on the road
A Self-Drive Tour of Kyushu Planned Around Plant-Based Food
Eating vegetarian or vegan in Japan can be harder than you’d expect, with fish stock hiding in dishes that look meat-free. On this self-drive tour of Kyushu, we’ve done that work for you. Every stop comes with a restaurant we’ve checked ourselves, from a shojin ryori kaiseki dinner in Kumamoto to Hakata-style vegan ramen in Fukuoka.
In between meals, you’ll drive past Beppu’s steaming hot springs, through Takachiho Gorge and up to Mount Aso’s active crater, stopping wherever you like along the way. Your hotels, rental car and support on the road are all arranged, so all you need to do is drive.
Travel well taken care of
We handle the planning and bookings, so you can focus on the journey.
Itinerary
Tap any day for a quick look — or open the full day-by-day itinerary.
Arrive at Fukuoka Airport, where a member of our staff will meet you. Pick up your car and head to your first stop, Nanzoin Temple, home to the impressive Reclining Buddha statue. After a tofu lunch, visit a museum in Kitakyushu before continuing to Kokura Castle. After a full day of sightseeing, drive on to Mojiko, a charming retro port town, where you’ll stay overnight.
Leave Mojiko in the morning and travel to Usa Jingu, one of Japan’s most important and historic Shinto shrines, known for its grand architecture and peaceful grounds. Then head to Beppu for a lunch of soy sauce-based udon, followed by a sand bath experience at an onsen. In the afternoon, visit the colourful hot spring sites of Umi Jigoku (Cobalt Blue Hell) and Chinoike Jigoku (Blood Pond Hell). End the day with an overnight stay in Beppu.
Your day begins high above Beppu as the ropeway lifts you towards sweeping mountain views, before you wander the charming lanes of Yufuin with its craft shops. From there, you’ll walk the boardwalks of Tadewara Wetland, a peaceful contrast before the day’s crowning moment at Takachiho Gorge, where emerald waters cut beneath dramatic cliffs and cascading falls.
You’ll start the day at the edge of raw power, peering into the sulphurous depths of Nakadake, the active crater at the heart of Aso’s vast caldera. From there, the landscape softens into the golden grasslands of Kusasenri. After an organic lunch using produce grown in Aso’s volcanic soils, step into Aso Shrine, a place steeped in centuries of reverence, then continue on to Kumamoto. The evening brings a multi-course kaiseki dinner rooted in shojin ryori, Japan’s centuries-old tradition of Buddhist vegetarian cuisine.
The morning begins at Kumamoto Castle, one of Japan’s most celebrated fortresses, with over 400 years of history. After a kaiseki lunch built around seasonal soy-based ingredients, make your way north to Dazaifu Tenmangu, one of Kyushu’s most visited shrines. A final stop at the Kyushu National Museum rounds out the afternoon before you arrive in Fukuoka, return your car and finish the day with a bowl of Hakata-style vegan ramen.
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at your hotel before spending a free and easy day in Fukuoka city. Explore its vibrant shopping streets, discover local eats or simply soak in the laid-back urban charm at your own pace.
The tour is over but the memories remain. A designated taxi will pick you up at your hotel and take you to Fukuoka Airport or Hakata Station for your flight or train.
FAQ
Everything guests usually ask before booking. Anything else — just ask below.
Your trip starts with a meet and greet at Fukuoka Airport, and you’ll have a day-by-day itinerary with vegetarian and vegan restaurants for every stop. You’ll stay six nights in hotels with breakfast. Your rental car comes with English GPS and the rental company’s standard insurance. Extra cover is offered at the rental counter, but it’s optional. On your last day, a private taxi takes you to Fukuoka Airport or Hakata Station. Throughout the trip, you’ll have a WhatsApp helpline and 24-hour phone assistance.
Your car has English GPS, and we give you navigation coordinates for every stop, so you don’t need to type in Japanese addresses. There’s a Google Maps link for each stop too, as a backup. When you arrive, our staff meet you, take you to the car and show you how everything works, including the GPS.
Fuel, parking and toll road fees aren’t included. You’ll also pay separately for entrance fees, meals other than breakfast, and local city or onsen taxes, which are usually ¥500 or less per person and paid at check-out. Flights and travel insurance aren’t included either.
Yes, this tour was planned with vegetarians and vegans in mind. We’ve checked every restaurant on the route, so you know what’s on your plate. It works just as well for vegans, lacto-ovo vegetarians and pescatarians.
Most Japanese cooking starts with dashi, a stock usually made from bonito (dried, smoked fish), so miso soup, noodle broths and many sauces contain fish even when there’s none in sight. Bonito flakes are also sprinkled over dishes like okonomiyaki and cold tofu. Kyushu adds its own challenge, as Hakata ramen is made with pork-bone broth, and the region is known for its pork, chicken and even horse meat. Asking for “vegetarian” doesn’t always help either, because some restaurants don’t count fish stock or small amounts of meat. Outside the big cities, dedicated vegetarian restaurants are hard to find, which is why we’ve planned this route around places we’ve checked ourselves.
Send us a message through the website or on WhatsApp with your travel dates and the number of people in your group. We’ll come back with an itinerary and a quote for you to look over. A 20% deposit secures your booking.
Yes, but there are fewer vegetarian and vegan restaurants in some parts of Kyushu, so the route is planned around places we know you can eat well. If you’d like to make changes, tell us what you have in mind and we’ll let you know what works.
If the weather or road conditions affect your plans, message us on WhatsApp and we’ll help you find another route. We can also book restaurants for you and check that the places you plan to visit are open. For accidents or emergencies, there’s a 24-hour phone line.
Tour Pricing
This price is based on the itinerary above for 4 people travelling together (7 days / 6 nights, two twin rooms). Because costs are shared across your group, larger groups pay less per person. Each trip is planned around your group, so please contact us for a quotation.
Our Lifetime Payment Guarantee: We understand that travel plans can be affected by unforeseen circumstances. If you are unable to travel for any reason, your payments are protected as a Lifetime Credit. It will be held securely for you to use toward any of our future tours at a time that suits you.
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