Kyushu

Mount Aso

Best Season: Spring to Autumn

Boasting one of the world’s largest volcanic calderas, Mount Aso is a breathtaking wonder. At its center sits Mount Nakadake, an active volcano where visitors can peer directly into a dynamic crater filled with a steaming, acidic turquoise pool, surrounded by the sweeping, majestic grasslands of Kusasenri.

Beppu Onsen

Best Season: Autumn and Winter

Discharging more hot spring water than any other site in Japan, Beppu is the ultimate onsen kingdom. Beyond its therapeutic baths, it is globally famous for the “Hells of Beppu” (Jigoku Meguri)—a spectacular collection of geothermal hot springs featuring boiling blue waters, bubbling mud, and natural geysers.

Takachiho Gorge

Best Season: Summer and Autumn

Formed by ancient volcanic basaltic columns from Mount Aso, Takachiho Gorge is a deeply spiritual ravine steeped in Japanese Shinto mythology. Visitors can rent a rowboat to glide along the tranquil, emerald green Gokase River, drifting directly beneath the spectacular 17-meter-tall Manai Falls cascading down the sheer cliffs.

Yakushima Island

Best Season: Spring to Autumn

Registered as Japan’s very first UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, Yakushima is a magical island covered in a primeval rainforest. It is home to ancient “Yaku-sugi” cedar trees aged over 1,000 years, including the legendary Jomon Sugi. Its thick, vibrant green moss blankets served as the core landscape inspiration for Studio Ghibli’s “Princess Mononoke.”

Nagasaki Peace Park & Glover Garden

Best Season: Spring and Autumn

Nagasaki is a historic port city uniquely blended with Western and Chinese cultural heritage due to its exclusive global trade history during Japan’s isolation era. Visitors can pay respects at the moving Peace Park, and then explore Glover Garden, a hillside open-air museum showcasing elegant 19th-century European merchant mansions.

Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine

Best Season: Spring

Perched high on Mount Katsuyama, this is one of Japan’s twelve remaining original castles. Completed in 1627, the complex features a formidable multi-tiered keep and highly sophisticated defense systems. Visitors can take a scenic ropeway up the mountain and explore the authentic wooden interiors of the samurai fortress.

Kamishikimi Kumanoza Shrine

Best Season: Year-round

Tucked away in the cedar forests near Mount Aso, this ancient Shinto shrine feels like a portal into a mythical fantasy world. The approach features nearly 100 moss-covered stone lanterns standing like silent guardians, climbing gracefully up the mountain slope toward a rustic wooden sanctuary. It achieved global fame as the core visual inspiration for acclaimed anime films.

Nabegataki Falls

Best Season: Spring

Formed by a massive volcanic eruption of Mount Aso over 90,000 years ago, Nabegataki is a spectacular 10-meter-high, 20-meter-wide waterfall. What makes it incredibly unique is that a large hollow space behind the water column allows visitors to walk entirely behind the falls, offering a mesmerizing look through a natural “water curtain.”

Ogawa Falls

Best Season: Summer

Hidden deep inside a rugged mountain valley at the southern tip of Kagoshima, Ogawa Falls is a breathtaking 46-meter-high waterfall. Rushing water filters gracefully through a massive, layered wall of crystalline rock pillars into a giant, perfectly calm basin that glows with an intense, magical emerald green color.

Inazumi Underwater Cave

Best Season: Year-round

Submerged completely by a massive volcanic eruption around 300,000 years ago, Inazumi is Japan’s largest and most spectacular underwater limestone cave network. Visitors walk along well-illuminated steel pathways constructed directly above mysterious, bottomless underground rivers glowing with a deep blue light, showcasing ancient stalactites frozen inside the water.

Rakan-ji Temple

Best Season: Autumn

Carved directly into the sheer, jagged rock faces of the scenic Yabakei Valley, this ancient temple was founded in 1343. It serves as Japan’s premier head sanctuary for Rakan worship, housing over 3,700 historic stone Buddhist statues placed hidden inside various caves and rocky crevices, connected by an old-fashioned cliffside chairlift.

Nanatsugama Caves

Best Season: Spring to Autumn

Sculpted over millennia by the rough, crashing waves of the Genkai Sea, Nanatsugama translates literally to “Seven Cauldrons.” It features a dramatic coastal cliff formed of sharp, volcanic basaltic columns, into which the ocean has masterfully carved seven spectacular, deep sea caves. Small excursion boats take visitors directly inside these narrow portals.

Hakata Mizutaki

A historic and elegant chicken hot pot from Fukuoka. The rich, cloudy broth is created by slowly simmering chicken bones and meat, served with fresh vegetables and citrus ponzu sauce. It offers a deeply comforting, nutritious, and umami-packed alternative to pork-based ramen.

Saga Gyu

Ranked among Japan’s absolute top premium wagyu brands, Saga Beef is globally celebrated for its magnificent glossy marbling, incredibly soft texture, and rich, sweet flavor. Raised in a mild climate with clean water, it is perfect for luxurious steaks or Japanese sukiyaki.

Miyazaki Chicken Nanban

Invented in Miyazaki Prefecture, Chicken Nanban is a highly comforting soul food. Tender chicken pieces are lightly battered, fried to a golden crisp, dipped immediately into a sweet, tangy vinegar glaze (nanban sauce), and then generously topped with a rich, creamy homemade tartar sauce.

Oita Seki Saba

Caught in the rough, fast currents of the Hoyo Strait off the coast of Oita, Seki Saba is a legendary premium mackerel brand. Unlike typical mackerel, it is eaten incredibly fresh as sashimi, offering a unique firm, crunchy texture and a clean, sophisticated fat profile.

Hakata Amaou Strawberry Desserts

Fukuoka Prefecture is globally legendary for cultivating the “Amaou” strawberry, widely regarded as the king of Japanese berries. Local pastry chefs creatively incorporate these massive, intensely sweet, and juicy strawberries into decadent modern parfaits, refreshing soft-serve ice cream, and traditional sweets.

Yanagawa Unagi no Seiromushi

While typical Japanese unagi is simply grilled and served over rice, Yanagawa’s historic style involves cooking inside a traditional bamboo steaming box. Charcoal-grilled, sweet-glazed eel fillets are placed atop savory rice and bright yellow shredded egg, then steamed together. This creates an incredibly fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth texture and keeps the entire dish piping hot.