Tag: kyushu
Glover Garden, Nagasaki’s Foreign Settlement
Perched atop a hill in the Minami-Yamate district, Glover Garden is one of Nagasaki’s most popular attractions. Part garden, part open-air museum, this charming spot offers great insight into the early western settlers who made Japan their...
WeBase Hakata: The Fukuoka Hostel With The Giant Cat Statue
As one of Japan’s oldest port cities, Fukuoka has long been an ideal spot for a hostel. Think about it; you’ve got sailors from China, Korea and beyond hanging around at night, jolly on sake, looking to swap language and culture. All...
Road Trippin’ through Kumamoto Prefecture
With summer creeping in and three friends staying with us, the call of the wild echoed through our stuffy, overcrowded Tokyo apartment. Lucky for us, Japan is full of great nature escapes, so we decided to plan a road trip. In our...
Our Guide To How To Catch The Tram In Nagasaki
Nagasaki is a fairly compact city, but some of its best attractions can be found at complete opposite ends. While walking may be possible, public transport saves time, energy and ultimately allows you to cover more ground....
One of Japan’s Best Night Views in Nagasaki: Mount Inasa Observatory
Known as the place to see one of Japan’s three best night views, the Mount Inasa Observatory should feature on any Nagasaki itinerary. Often accessed by the Nagasaki Ropeway, it’s a relatively short journey to see a...
High Risk Touristing: Visiting Kumamoto’s Active Volcano, Mount Aso
Driving through the Kumamoto countryside, the rolling green hills slowly deteriorate into a barren moonscape as we ascend Mount Aso. The Jurassic Park soundtrack matches the sense of foreboding in the grey afternoon air. The weather is certainly not ideal. But, it’s...
Takachiho Gorge: Rowing through Southern Japan
An hour and a half from Kumamoto, the Takachiho Gorge cuts deep through Southern Kyushuu. Shifting volcanic basalt formed the striated gorge aeons ago, causing early visitors to drawn comparisons with the scales of a dragon. A trip to the gorge allows...
Riding the Isaburo-Shinpei : Tokyo to Okinawa Day 12
Our last day of train travel didn’t disappoint. On the way down to Kagoshima, we rode the Isaburo-Shinpei line, which takes passengers on a trek through the forests and mountains of Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures. The dark wooden interior and primarily rural...
The Healing Waters of Hitoyoshi: Tokyo to Okinawa Day 11
On day 11 of our trip, we left Fukuoka and after a brief and unexpected ramen lunch, found ourselves in the small town of Hitoyoshi. Owing to its rich history and culture, Hitoyoshi touts itself as the “Little Kyoto” of Kyushu. The...
Frittering About in Fukuoka: Tokyo to Okinawa Day 10
Sometimes, the best days of a vacation are the ones where things fail to go as planned. When an amusement park turned out to be defunct, and an art gallery closed, we ended up on a self-guided tour of Fukuoka. Instead of...
