Fukuoka and Kyūshū: The Southern Japan Travelers Forget

Kyūshū, the great southern island, remains largely off Western radars. Yet this is the Japan of smoking volcanoes, the country’s best ramen, its most spectacular hot springs — and a warmth of welcome that even Kansai residents happily acknowledge.

Fukuoka, the city you eat

The island’s laid-back capital is famous for its yatai: street stalls where you dine shoulder to shoulder with locals over tonkotsu ramen or skewers, washed down with conversation. It’s one of Japan’s easiest, warmest social experiences — even better with someone who knows the stall owners.

Volcanoes and hells

Beppu lines up its “hells” (jigoku) — bubbling pools of blood red and cobalt blue — plus a choice of onsen unique in the world, sand baths and mud baths included. Mount Aso, one of the world’s largest calderas, offers breathtaking volcanic grassland scenery. Sakurajima, facing Kagoshima, smokes continuously above the bay.

Nagasaki, the other city of memory

Japan’s door to the world during the country’s isolation, Nagasaki blends Christian heritage, a Chinatown, tram-lined hills and a painful history told with dignity. Less visited than Hiroshima, it touches differently.

Practical notes

Fukuoka is 5 hours from Tokyo by shinkansen — but 2 hours by cheap flight, and well served by direct flights from across Asia. Allow 4-5 days for a Fukuoka-Beppu-Aso-Kumamoto or Fukuoka-Nagasaki circuit. JR Kyūshū has its own very advantageous regional passes — see our transport guide.