Kyushu Island in southern Japan 九州

Aso

Mount Aso

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The multifaceted island: hikes, onsen and exceptional scenery

Kyushu offers an endless variety of landscapes from cities to volcanoes, to hot springs and islands. Long considered to be "the end of the world" by the Japanese, Kyushu is now connected to Honshu by Shinkansen and several daily flights connect the island to other major cities in Japan. 

The Story Of Kyushu

Kyushu is the land of the first Shinto gods and the region of the founding myths of Shintoism, but it is also a land of encounters where the influence of neighboring countries and the West is found in many aspects.

Close to China and Korea, Kyushu has benefited from cultural and commercial exchanges with its Asian neighbors. It was via Kyushu that Buddhism and writing from China entered Japan while Korea brought the art of pottery and ceramics.

At the end of the thirteenth century, the Japanese had to defend Kyushu from a Mongol invasion who wanted to seize the island.

The Urakami Cathedral, north of Nagasaki.

Urakami Cathedral, north of Nagasaki.

663highland on Wikipedia (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

Fukuoka

View of Fukuoka at night

Flickr CC Steffen Flor https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Places to visit in Kyushu

  • Yakushima Island: an island where nature reigns supreme, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  • Amami-Oshima Island: dreamy beaches, bordering a turquoise blue sea.

  • Kujukushima National Park: a string of enchanting islands and islets.

  • Beppu: Kyushu's most famous hot spring resort. 

  • Jigoku Meguri: the Hells of Beppu

  • Itoshima: the seaside resort and little piece of paradise

Yakushima Forest

The forest on Yakushima Island looks just like Princess Mononoke's.

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