Adventure in the Nine Provinces

Duration: 21 days/20 nights
Stages: Ôsaka (KIX) – Fukuoka – Nagasaki – Unzen – Kumamoto – Ibusuki – Aoshima – Takachiho – Usuki – Beppu – Kishiwada – Ôsaka (KIX)

from €3,650

Services & Rates  Option photo album

Day 1 – Ôsaka (airport) – Ôsaka

• You are welcomed at Ôsaka airport by your English-speaking tour guide
• Stroll through the city’s largest shopping arcade
• Evening meal at an izakaya
• Overnight stay at a traditional guest house/hotel

Day 2 – Ôsaka – Ferry terminal

• Journey to the town of Takarazuka
• Visit to the Osamu Tezuka museum, the father of manga
• Spiritual excursion to the revered site of Kiyoshikôjin
• Stroll through the old part of Ôsaka and sampling of local specialities
• Evening ferry departure to Kita-Kyushu, evening meal on-board

Day 3 – Kokura – Fukuoka

• Journey from Shinmoji to Kokura (Kita-Kyushu)
• Stroll through the city, visit to the castle
• Journey from Kokura to Fukuoka
• In the evening, tasting of small snacks from the food stalls (yatai)
• Overnight stay at a traditional guest house/hotel

Day 4 – Fukuoka – Yanagawa – Dazaifu – Fukuoka

• Journey from Fukuoka to Yanagawa, a beautiful town with 470 km of wide canals
• Gondole trip around the city and visit to the former house of the feudal lord
• Journey to Dazaifu, visit to the 1000 year old shrine of Tenmangu and its 6000 plum trees
• Return to Fukuoka, evening meal in the city
• Overnight stay at the same location as the previous day

Day 5 – Fukuoka – Nagasaki

• Journey from Fukuoka to Nagasaki
• Stroll through the city: Peace Park, Buddhist and Christian sites, Chinese and European districts
• Evening meal at an izakaya with delicious fish specialities
• Overnight stay at a traditional guest house/hotel

Day 6 – Nagasaki – Sasebo – Nagasaki

• Journey from Nagasaki to Sasebo
• Cruise through the archipelago with its 99 islands (Kujuku-Shima)
• Visit to an old merchant district in downtown of Sasebo
• Return to Nagasaki and evening meal in the city
• Overnight stay at the same location as the previous day

Day 7 – Nagasaki – Unzen

• Journey from Nagasaki to Unzen
• Stroll across the fields of solidified lava and sulphuric fumes (hells)
• Relaxation in a very traditional onsen
• Evening meal and overnight stay at a traditional guest house/hotel

Day 8 – Unzen

• Taxi ride to the Nita-Toge pass
• Journey by cable car to an observation platform with a stunning view all the way to Kumamoto
• Hiking along the ridge to Mount Fugendake (1359 m)
• Return to Unzen
• Evening meal and overnight stay at the same location as the previous day

Day 9 – Unzen – Shimabara – Kumamoto

• Journey to the harbour town of Shimabara
• Visit to the castle and its garden, stroll through a former Samurai district
• Ferry across the bay and journey to Kumamoto
• Evening meal and overnight stay at a traditional guest house/hotel

Day 10 – Kumamoto

• Visit to the castle of Kumamoto
• Stroll through the Suizenji garden that recreates the 53 stations of the Tokaido
• Visit to the former residences of a powerful samurai clan and to the residence of Lafcadio Hearn, an European author who emigrated to Japan und wrote several books about the country
• Evening meal and overnight stay at the same location as the previous day

Day 11 – Kumamoto – Kagoshima – Ibusuki

• Journey from Kumamoto to Kagoshima
• Ferry crossing to the volcanic island of Sakurajima
• Taxi ride around the island with short stops at the best panoramas
• Journey from Kagoshima to Ibusuki
• Relaxation in the warm sand baths
• Gastronomic evening meal and overnight stay at a traditional guest house/hotel

Day 12 – Ibusuki

• Stroll through a beautiful flower park among azalea and strelitzia
• Visit to a wildlife park
• Journey to the Nagasakibana cape, with a stunning view of Mount Kaimondake
• Return to Ibusuki
• Evening meal and overnight stay at the same location as the previous day

Day 13 – Kaimondake

• Journey to the foot of Mount Kaimondake
• Ascent of this extinct volcano, called the Fuji of Kyushu due to its shape
• Picnic at the summit
• Return to Ibusuki
• Evening meal and overnight stay at the same location as the previous day

Day 14 – Ibusuki – Aoshima

• Journey from Ibukuski to Aoshima via Kagoshima and Myazaki
• Stroll around Aoshima island, famous for its reefs and its lush vegetation, visit to a shrine in the middle of the jungle
• Evening meal and overnight stay at a traditional guest house/hotel

Day 15 – Nichinan seacoast

• Journey along the wild Nichinan coast
• Visit to the Udo-Jingu shrine (carved into a vertical cliff), short trek through the surrounding mountains
• Journey to Obi, a former fortress town
• Stroll through the old town, visit to the castle ruins
• Evening meal and overnight stay at the same location as the previous day

Day 16 – Aoshima – Takachiho

• Journey from Aoshima to Takachiho via Nobeoka
• Rowing boat trip along the river in the Takachiho Gorge
• Then, stroll along the river path to a shrine nestled in a grove of gigantic cedars (up to 55 m high)
• Evening meal and overnight stay at a traditional guest house/hotel in the heart of the mountains

Day 17 – Takachiho – Usuki

• Visit to Amano Iwato, one of the most sacred Shinto sites
• Stroll along a beautiful river to the Amano Yasukawara cave. The many little piles of stones stacked by visitors and pilgrims along the way give this place a unique atmosphere
• Journey from Takachiho to Usuki via Nobeoka
• Visit to a former Samurai district, with traditional houses and shops
• Evening meal and overnight stay at a traditional guest house/hotel

Day 18 – Usuki – Beppu

• Visit to the Usuki Stone Buddhas, sculpted directly into the cliff walls
• Journey from Usuki to Beppu
• Visit to the bath district of Kannawa, tasting of Jigogu-Mushi (dishes cooked using the steam from the hot springs)
• Evening meal and overnight stay at a traditional guest house/hotel

Day 19 – Beppu – Ferry

• Visit to the “Hells of Beppu” (extremely hot springs with vivid colours)
• Evening ferry departure to Ôsaka, evening meal on-board

Days 20 & 21 – Ôsaka – Kishiwada – Ôsaka (KIX)

• Arriving by ferry in Ôsaka
• Journey to Kishiwada, former fortress city south of Ôsaka
• Visit to the castle, historical jewel of the city
• Evening meal at a traditional sushi restaurant in the middle of a zen garden
• Overnight stay at an hotel in center of Kishiwada
• Journey to the KIX airport
• Return flight (not included in the tour)

Photo credits

All photos that appear in this description are the property of Fukuchan Ryoko Olivier Baubrand. All rights reserved.