Green farmland inside the Aso caldera, seen from the Daikanbo lookout
九州

Kyushu Road Trip 2027

15 – 23 May · volcanoes, hot springs, too much food

Never been? Start here

Kyushu in 30 seconds

Japan's southern main island: warm, green and volcanic.

火

A live volcano

Mt Aso's crater is 25 km wide. People farm inside it.

湯

Hot spring country

More hot springs than anywhere else in Japan.

麺

Ramen's home

Creamy tonkotsu ramen was born in Fukuoka.

神

Land of myths

Where Japan's sun goddess legends are set.

The route

One loop around the island

Sat 15 May · Fukuoka

Landing in Hakata

AM: Ling, Sean & MamaPM: Liang, Perzy & Kian
Glowing yatai food stalls along the river at night

Nakasu yatai

  • Tiny open-air food stalls by the river
  • Eight stools each, so squeeze in

Cash only at most stalls

A bowl of creamy Hakata tonkotsu ramen
EAT THIS

Hakata ramen

  • Milky pork-bone broth, thin noodles
  • Say kaedama for a noodle refill
  • Also try: mentaiko (spicy cod roe)
Sun 16 May · Day trip by train

Shrines & canals

Nishitetsu combo ticket
Dazaifu Tenmangu main hall with plum trees in bloom

Dazaifu Tenmangu

  • Shrine to the god of learning
  • Rub the bronze ox's head for brains
A boatman steering a punt full of passengers under a very low stone bridge in Yanagawa

Yanagawa boat ride

  • 70 min punt through willow canals
  • Boatmen hop over the low bridges (the viral video!)

Floor seating, so bring a cushion for Mama

Three grilled umegae mochi on a plate
EAT THIS ×2

Umegae mochi & steamed eel

  • Dazaifu: hot grilled rice cakes with red bean
  • Yanagawa: eel steamed on rice in a lacquer box
Kelvin lands · pick up cars · 2h to Aso
Mon 17 May · Aso

Into the volcano

Kelvin joins~2h drive
Wide green caldera floor below the Daikanbo lookout

Daikanbo lookout

  • Best view over the whole caldera
  • Spot the "Sleeping Buddha" in the peaks
Horses grazing on the Kusasenri meadow

Kusasenri

  • Meadow inside an old crater
  • Horses, a pond and a smoking volcano behind
A light brown akaushi cow at an agricultural show
Akaushi cattle
A plate of takana-meshi fried rice topped with shredded egg
Takana-meshi
A bowl of dagojiru soup with flat dumplings lifted by chopsticks
Dagojiru
EAT THIS

Akaushi-don

  • Aso's own red cattle, seared rare on rice
  • Leaner than wagyu (yes, that's the cow)
Also consider: Takana-meshi 高菜めし, fried rice with Aso's tangy pickled mustard greens. Or dagojiru, a hearty miso soup with chewy flat dumplings.
Tue 18 May

A full day in Aso

Day trip to Takachiho

Option AOption B No long drives~1.2h each way
Steaming turquoise acid lake inside Nakadake crater

Nakadake crater

  • Peer into an active crater
  • Steaming turquoise acid lake

Closes when gas is high, so check that morning

Wooden gate of Aso Shrine with its name plaque

Aso Shrine

  • One of Kyushu's oldest shrines
  • Free spring-water taps on the street outside
Plate of basashi horse sashimi with garlic and ginger
EAT THIS (IF BRAVE)

Basashi

  • Horse sashimi, Kumamoto's famous dish
  • Sweet soy, ginger, garlic
Manai Falls dropping into Takachiho Gorge with rowing boats below

Takachiho Gorge

  • Row a boat up to a 17 m waterfall
  • Cliffs made of old Aso lava

Book boats online, they sell out

Steaming turquoise acid lake inside Nakadake crater

Crater on the way back

  • Nakadake or Aso Shrine if there's time
A man catching noodles from a flowing bamboo chute
EAT THIS (CATCH IT)

Nagashi somen

  • Noodles race down a bamboo chute
  • Grab them with chopsticks
Wed 19 May · Slow onsen day

Lazy day in Kurokawa

Scenic drive to Yufuin

Option AOption B ~45 min drive~2h scenic driveRyokan night
Kurokawa river at night lit by round paper lanterns

Kurokawa Onsen

  • Tiny village of 30 inns by a river
  • Lanterns, steam, stroll in yukata
Round wooden onsen pass stamped with bath seals

Wooden bath pass

  • One cedar pass = 3 outdoor baths
  • Get it stamped, keep it as a souvenir
Wooden ryokan buildings in Kurokawa with guests in yukata
EAT THIS

Kaiseki dinner

  • Many small courses at the ryokan
  • Breakfast is a feast too
Road winding through rolling green hills on the Yamanami Highway

Yamanami Highway

  • Rolling green highland road
  • The drive is the sightseeing
Kokonoe Yume suspension bridge over a forested valley

"Dream" Suspension Bridge

  • 173 m above a gorge
  • Japan's highest footbridge. It wobbles
Lake Kinrin reflecting trees and mountains in Yufuin

Yufuin & Lake Kinrin

  • Snack street below Mt Yufu
  • Misty lake warmed by hot springs
A plate of toriten chicken tempura with salad
EAT THIS

Toriten

  • Crispy chicken tempura, dipped in ponzu
  • Then kaiseki dinner at the ryokan
Thu 20 May · to Miyazaki

Gorge, then the coast

Hells, then the coast

Option AOption B ~3.5h driving~3.5h driving
Manai Falls dropping into Takachiho Gorge with rowing boats below

Takachiho Gorge

  • Row a boat up to a 17 m waterfall
  • Sun goddess cave shrine nearby

Book boats online, they sell out

A man catching noodles from a flowing bamboo chute
EAT THIS ×2

Flowing noodles & chicken nanban

  • Lunch: catch noodles from a bamboo chute
  • Dinner: fried chicken + tartar sauce, born in Miyazaki
Cobalt-blue steaming pond at Umi Jigoku in Beppu

Sea Hell

  • Boiling cobalt-blue pond, 98°C
  • For looking, not bathing
Red steaming pond at Chinoike Jigoku

Blood Pond Hell

  • Bright red, steaming clay pond
  • Geyser next door erupts every ~30 min
Ancient Buddha figures carved into a rock face at Usuki

Usuki Stone Buddhas

  • 900-year-old Buddhas carved in rock
  • Calmer swap, right on the way
Steam vents with lidded pots for jigoku-mushi cooking
EAT THIS (YOU COOK IT)

Jigoku-mushi

  • Lunch: steam your food over a hot spring vent
  • Dinner: chicken nanban in Miyazaki
18–20 May

Option A or Option B?

A

Kurokawa: easy pace

  • Two full days in Aso
  • Short drive on the slow day
  • Takachiho on the way south
  • Harder to book rooms for 7
B

Yufuin: see more

  • Adds Beppu & the scenic highway
  • Bigger town, more inns
  • Less time in Aso
  • Longer drive on the 20th
Fri 21 May · Nichinan coast

Palm trees & sea shrines

Coastal drive
Cottage living room with sofas, dining table and a terrace facing pine trees Cottage lounge with a kitchen corner and a dining table for six
OUR POTENTIAL BASE? · 20–21 MAY

Seagaia Forest Cottage

  • All 7 of us in one cottage: 117 m² family room
  • Big living room, dining table, kitchen corner
  • Ground floor: BBQ on the terrace (ask when booking)
  • Free hot spring baths, pools and beach at the resort
  • ~30 min to Aoshima, ~20 min to the city

Photos: Phoenix Seagaia Resort

Rippled rock ridges called the Devil's Washboard leading to a torii on Aoshima

Aoshima

  • Tiny jungle island with a shrine
  • Ringed by "Devil's Washboard" rocks
Vermilion stairs leading down the cliffs to Udo Shrine

Udo Shrine

  • Shrine inside a sea cave
  • Toss clay luck balls at a turtle rock
Seven moai statues on a green hill above the ocean

Sun Messe Nichinan

  • Seven moai above the Pacific
  • The only replicas Easter Island approved
A ripe red-skinned Miyazaki mango cut open
EAT THIS (PERFECT TIMING)

Miyazaki mango

  • Season starts in May
  • Top grade: "Egg of the Sun"
  • Dinner: smoky charcoal-grilled chicken
4h back north · castle stop on the way
Sat 22 May · back to Fukuoka

Castle & farewell hotpot

~4h driveReturn cars
Black-and-white keep of Kumamoto Castle above tall curved stone walls

Kumamoto Castle

  • Rebuilt after the 2016 earthquake
  • Curved walls built to stop climbers
A pot of mizutaki chicken hotpot with cabbage
LAST SUPPER

Mizutaki

  • Hakata's creamy chicken hotpot
  • Sip the broth first, then dip in ponzu
  • Ends with rice porridge in the pot
Sun 23 May

Sayonara, Kyushu

Ling, Sean & Mama fly home in the morning.

Before we go

Good to know

Driving

  • Bring an International Driving Permit
  • Japan drives on the left
  • Rent an ETC card for tolls

Onsen manners

  • Shower before you soak
  • No swimwear
  • Towel stays out of the water
  • Tattoos: book a private bath

Weather

  • About 15–25°C
  • Jacket for Aso, sunscreen for Miyazaki

Money

  • Cards mostly work
  • Carry cash for stalls and shrines
Photo credits (Wikimedia Commons)

Plan v1 · still being decided · made with love and noodles