Tour Duration: 6 days
Price: USD 1,890 (price per person, based on twin/triple room occupancy)
Tour start and end place is Fukuoka
Day 1- Meeting place at Fukuoka City
Today, we will each meet at a hotel in Fukuoka. Upon your request, we can arrange a transfer from Fukuoka International Airport. Fukuoka is Kyushu’s largest city, and if you arrive early, you can enjoy exploring this bustling metropolis.
Day 2 – Temple and Castle Tour
At the reception area, you will be warmly welcomed by an English-speaking guide. In the morning, we go over to Yabakei, which is believed to be one of the three most beautiful places in Japan, with a fantastic view of oddly shaped rocks. We take a chair lift up the mountain to see the incredible Rakanji Temple, which seems to have 3,700 stone Rakan (Buddha’s disciples) statues.
Afterward, we make the journey to Nakatsu, an ancient castle town. Because they brought sea water into its moat, Nakatsu Castle is also renowned as ‘Ocean Castle.’ We’ll also go for a walk through the lovely Teramachi district.
Day 3 – Visiting renowned Shrines in Japan
Usa is situated near the entrance to the Kunisaki Peninsula, where we will visit one of Japan’s most significant Shinto shrines, the Usa Jingu. It is the administrative headquarters for Japan’s 40,000 Hachiman Shrines. The shrine building’s vermilion color scheme is simply breathtaking.
Then we venture deep into the mountain ranges of the Kunisaki Peninsula. Shugendo (mountain worshiping) evolved in these mountains, where the worshipers did receive ascetic training. There are nevertheless old temples and ruins in the hills, with only stone Buddhas. We will visit Fukiji Temple, the Sentoji ruins, and have a delicious vegetarian lunch at Futagoji Temple.
Day 4 – Visit Ocean Hell
In the morning, we visit the castle town of Kitsuki, which is located in the southern section of the Kunisaki Peninsula and has a community of 30,000 people. The townscape is eye-catching due to the numerous slopes. We take a leisurely stroll through the Kitadai Samurai district and stop to visit one of the old Samurai dwellings. The view from Kitsuki Castle is jaw-dropping.
Beppu, Japan’s largest hot spring town, is our next visit. There are innumerable spring water sources with individual additives that give each hot spring pond a distinct color. This is acknowledged as the ‘Tour of Hell.’ One pond is blue, hence the name ‘Ocean Hell,’ while the other is red, thus the name ‘Blood Hell. We spend the night in this town and relax in the hotel’s hot spring.
Day 5 – Agri-tourism in Ajimu
You will have a one-of-a-kind experience in Ajimu today. Ajimu was the first town in Japan to pioneer agritourism. A farmer’s family will greet us and demonstrate how they grow vegetables or rice. Rice transplanting season is in the spring. The agricultural products we will deal with will be determined by the timing. After work, they will invite us to their home and serve us lunch made primarily from their own agricultural products. We will spend the evening in the old town of Hita at the end of the day.
Day 6 – Strolling old town districts
In the morning, we’ll go for a walk through Hita’s old district, including a stop at the Gion Yamahoko Kaikan, which displays festival floats from the local festival. Onta, a small pottery village, is next on the itinerary. It’s fascinating to walk around the village because they still use antique machinery to make materials for their pottery. If you are interested, you can visit some of the kilns and, of course, purchase their products.
We will then return to Fukuoka, where our tour will conclude at Hakata Station. You can take the shinkansen train to your next destination from here. Thank you for visiting Kyushu; we hope to see you again!
