Kyushu is Japan's southernmost main island and one of its most diverse travel destinations — a compact circuit of cities, volcanoes, hot springs and history that fits neatly into five to seven nights. For agents looking to move clients beyond the Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka golden route, Kyushu is the natural next step: it has its own international airports (Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima), strong airlift from across Asia, and a distinct local identity.
Fukuoka: Japan's most liveable city
Fukuoka is Kyushu's gateway and its most vibrant city. Known for Hakata ramen (the rich pork-bone tonkotsu broth that spawned a global trend) and its yatai street-food stalls along the canal, it is a city where eating and wandering are the programme.
Key experiences: - Yatai stalls at Nakasu — open-air food stalls; ramen, yakitori and offal hotpot with locals. - Dazaifu Tenmangu — a 1,100-year-old shrine in a forested hillside; one of Japan's most visited. - Hakata Machiya Folk Museum — Edo and Meiji-period merchant culture in an intact street block. - Fukuoka Castle ruins — maizuru park with city views.
Nagasaki: history and fusion culture
Nagasaki carries a unique duality: it is simultaneously one of Japan's most historically significant cities (atomic bomb, 1945) and its most internationally flavoured — centuries of Dutch, Portuguese and Chinese trade left behind a distinctive architecture and cuisine.
- Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum — essential, respectful and thoughtfully curated.
- Glover Garden — the hillside estate of Scottish merchant Thomas Glover, with views over the harbour.
- Dejima — the reconstructed Dutch trading post; Nagasaki's window on Edo-period foreign relations.
- Chinatown (Shinchi) — Japan's oldest; champon noodle soup is the signature dish.
Beppu and Aso: volcanoes and onsen
Beppu is Japan's most concentrated hot-spring city — over 2,800 individual springs producing more geothermal output than any other city in the world outside of Yellowstone. The Jigoku Meguri (Hells of Beppu) are dramatic boiling pools in vivid blues, reds and greys, used as sightseeing rather than bathing.
Mount Aso sits at the centre of one of the world's largest volcanic calderas. The active crater at Nakadake is accessible by road when volcanic activity permits — a genuinely extraordinary natural experience. The surrounding caldera rim offers farmland, ryokan and Kurokawa Onsen, one of Japan's finest hot-spring villages.
Kumamoto and Kagoshima
Kumamoto Castle is one of Japan's three great castles — a striking black fortress that suffered earthquake damage in 2016 and has been painstakingly restored. It is one of the most important ongoing reconstruction stories in modern Japan.
Кагосима faces Sakurajima, an actively erupting stratovolcano across the bay. The combination of ash-dusted streets and subtropical gardens (Senganen, a feudal lord's estate) creates a uniquely Kyushu atmosphere. Kagoshima is also the departure point for Yakushima Island (UNESCO World Heritage ancient cedar forest) and the Amami Islands.
How to build a Kyushu circuit
5 nights Kyushu standalone Fukuoka (2 nights) → Nagasaki (1 night) → Beppu/Aso (1 night) → Kumamoto or Kagoshima (1 night). Shinkansen and limited-express trains connect the main cities; private transfers for the volcanic areas.
Add-on to the golden route Fly into Tokyo, do the golden route, then fly Osaka–Fukuoka to begin the Kyushu circuit before flying home from Kagoshima or Fukuoka. A clean 10–14 night total.
Kyushu and Hiroshima Cross from Хиросима via the Shinkansen through the undersea Kanmon Tunnel — a seamless western Japan circuit.
Groups of 2 to 200 handled; net rates in 14 currencies; proposals within 24 hours. Send RFQs to b2b@explera.jp, WhatsApp +66 93 656 8090С. 270, 273, 274). B2B-порталIATA 96215733, член JATA.
