Entry Level
Cultural
7 Nights
2 - 12
Group size
Leaders
A fabulous journey around the third largest Japanese island, Kyushu, with its sub-tropical climate, natural hot springs, volcanoes and striking history.
This is largely a self-guided adventure with the culturally immersive experience of using the efficient Japanese rail system to travel and explore, making use of the JR All Kyushu Rail Pass and a pre-loaded Suica card for public transport in the cities. We have however arranged an English speaking travel assistant to meet you on arrival in Fukuoka, to ensure your smooth journey to the start hotel, and to provide you with all the travel documents and tickets you need throughout your trip.
On Days 3 & 4 also, in Dazaifu & Nagasaki, and on Day 8 in Kagoshima, you will enjoy a fully guided itinerary with an English speaking local guide, to provide information, help you get your bearings, and assist you in understanding some of the historical and cultural significance of the places you visit.
This adventure can also be combined with the Lost Islands of Japan itinerary starting from Kagoshima, on the South-West coast of Kyushu. This itinerary allows you to travel around this much lesser-visited the island, before taking a bullet train (included) south to Kagoshima where you can meet up with the group to then continue exploring the mysterious Ryukyu Islands of Japan.
Train
3 star hotel
Our journey begins in the bustling coastal city of Fukuoka on the northern shore of Japan’s southern Kyushu Island (one of the four main islands of Japan). It has long been the gateway to Japan, being the nearest point to the Asian mainland.
On arrival at Fukuoka International Airport, you will be met by an English-speaking Assistant Guide who will provide you with your travel documents and vouchers and accompany you to your hotel using public transport. We provide you with a local IC Card that is preloaded with 1500 JPY and usable on most local public transport nationwide. This gives you flexibility throughout the trip to travel independently. Your assistant can advise you of suitable places to eat near to the hotel, or further afield, as you wish.
You have the rest of your day and evening at leisure, to explore, and recover from your travel. We can recommend visiting the observation deck of Fukuoka Tower - a 234m tall triangular tower covered in 8000 1-way mirrors! Alternatively, if you need a bit of calm, then Rakusui-en is an urban oasis; a Japanese-style garden with a delightful pond at the former villa (dating back to 1906) of a Hakata merchant. Both can be easily reached from your hotel, and reception can advise you regarding transport.
For those arriving early, please note that you will be able to leave your luggage at the start hotel, but room check-in is only available after 15:00.
Stay at: Hakata Tokyu Rei
Train
Breakfast
3 star hotel
Your English-speaking guide will meet you at the hotel after breakfast, to accompany you today by train (Nishitetsu rail ticket is included) to Dazaifu, a town first established in the late 7th Century as an administrative centre for Kyushu. Today it is a small and quiet city in the hills, best known for the Tenmangu Shrine which we will visit today.
It is probably the most important Tenmangu Shrines in Japan, all of which are dedicated to the spirit of Sugawara Michizane, a scholar and politician of the Heian Period. Political rivalries resulted in Michizane being exiled to Dazaifu, where he passed away a few years later. A series of natural disasters followed which were linked to his 'unjust treatment' and offerings began to be made to appease his 'wrathful spirit'! Michizane was fond of plum trees and there are as many as 6000 on the grounds of Dazaifu Tenmangu.
We also enjoy a visit to the serene Komyozenji Temple, belonging to the Tofukuji school of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. Particularly noteworthy are its tranquil zen rock gardens including one where the rocks have been strategically placed to form the Japanese character for 'light'.
You have some free time in Dazaifu to explore at your leisure before taking the local train back to Fukuoka for an evening at leisure.
Stay at: Hakata Tokyu Rei
Train
Breakfast
3 star hotel
Your destination today is Nagasaki, an attractively situated port city infamous of course for being the second city, after Hiroshima, to be destroyed by an atomic bomb towards the end of World War 11. Travelling independently by train from Hakata Station in Fukuoka, direct to Nagasaki (approx 2 hr train journey), and using your JR All Kyushu pass, you will be met in Nagasaki by your English-speaking guide.
You will be accompanied to your hotel to leave your luggage before heading out to explore Dejima, once a man-made island in Nagasaki port, but since joined to the main city by reclaimed land. It has been preserved as a historic area with reconstructed warehouses, merchant homes, walls & gates and work is afoot to try and re-create its island status by digging canals around its sides.
Other areas you will visit today include Shinchi, Nagasaki's Chinatown and Oranda-zaka; a scenic sloping street in Higashiyamatea area, where Dutch merchants settled in the second half of the 19th Century. Your guide will also accompany you to Glover Garden, an open-air museum and the former residence of Thomas Glover, a Scottish merchant who moved to Nagasaki in 1859 and was a leading figure in the early history of Japan's industrialisation.
Stay at: New Nagasaki
Boat/Ferry
Breakfast
3 star hotel
Wander independently to the pier after breakfast this morning for your cruise to Hashima island, aka 'Gunkanjima', or 'Battleship' island. A 20-minute ferry ride from Nagasaki, the island was, until 1974, a coal mine, with accommodation built to house 5000 workers & families. Now abandoned, and damaged over the years by typhoons, it has an eerie and haunting atmosphere. A new docking area for boats has been created to safely allow visitors onto the island via 3 observation decks. The risk of a building collapse limits how close visitors are able to get to the disused mine or residential areas. You may recognise the island from the external shots used in the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall.
You have the rest of your day to yourself in Nagasaki, to explore in a little more depth. We have several recommendations.
You may want to visit the Peace Park & Atomic Bomb Museum, a tranquil and sobering commemorative space built for the tens of thousands of people killed on August 9th 1945. The monolith is built at the blast epicentre alongside a museum where the mission is to inform future generations of the horrors of war.
Oura Cathedral and Museum, a Catholic Church built in 1864 for foreign merchants, and the oldest Christian church in Japan is worth a visit, or perhaps you would like to enjoy the Ropeway ride to Mount Inasa (333m), bizarrely close to the city centre. The views are fantastic, especially at night, and help explain why Nagasaki is also known as 'Crane Port', with the silhouette of a crane, with its wings spread, clear to see.
Stay at: New Nagasaki
Train
Breakfast
Dinner
3 star hotel
We have plenty of recommendations for your self-guided day in Yufuin Onsen, a popular hot spring resort that is delightful to explore, with its art museums, cafes and boutiques. Although fairly lengthy (your train journey, using your JR All Kyushu Rail Pass will take around 4hours) it is a wonderful opportunity to relax and enjoy the scenery. The route will take you through rice paddies and beautiful rural landscapes to Yufuin, set on a flat river basin surrounded by mountains, more specifically, with a backdrop of the twin peaks of Mount Yufu.
At one end of town is Lake Kinrinko, just 1.5km from the station, and a lovely place to wander, and visit the shrine at the lake's southern end. The town boasts several public bathhouses, some only for local residents, though the Shitanyu is open for visitors. There are options to enjoy an onsen tour if you would like hot spring bathing to be the focus of your day!
You stay tonight in Yufuin at a traditional ryokan, where you will enjoy a delicious traditional Japanese dinner, before continuing your journey to Kumamoto tomorrow afternoon.
Stay at: Yufuin Sansuikan
Train
Breakfast
3 star hotel
Spend a relaxed morning for as long as you would like, before catching a train from Yufuin Onsen to Kumamoto, via Kurume, a total journey of around 2 hours. Regular departures enable you to choose where you would like to spend your time, as long as you arrive in Kumamoto in time to spend the night at your hotel there. There is much to see in Kumamoto so you can split your itinerary between today and tomorrow (see Day 8 itinerary for details).
Stay at: Mitsui Garden Kumamoto
Train
Breakfast
3 star hotel
Enjoy a self-guided tour of Kumamoto city encompassing some favourite spots:
Kumamoto Castle: one of Japan's largest and most complete castles, with magnificent and extensive grounds. Constructed in 1607, only a few original structures have survived its turbulent history of sieges, uprisings and fires, not helped by the more recent 2016 earthquake which caused some serious damage. The castle keep had already been a high-quality modern reconstruction, and has been further restored since 2016.
The picturesque Uto Turret is one of the original buildings that has survived since its construction. Worth seeing is the reconstructed Honamaru Goten Palace, now housing accurate recreations of the opulent surroundings in which the daimyo (local feudal lord) would live. There are over 800 cherry trees in the grounds, pretty at most times of year, but obviously striking in the spring (15min tram ride from Kumamoto Station).
Suizenji Garden: Find some peace and quiet wondering around the spacious Suizenji Garden, a traditional Japanese-style space built by the Hosokawa family in the 17th Century to represent the 53 post stations of the Tokaido (the road that connected Edo with Kyoto during the Edo Period) including a mini Mt Fuji! (15min tram ride from Kumamoto Station.)
Lafcadio Hearn's former residence: Known in Japan under his Japanese name 'Koizumi Yakumo', Lafcadio Hearn was one of the first Western authors to write books about Japan, including 'Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan' and 'Kwaidan: Stories & Studies of Strange Things'. Hearn lived in Kumamoto City from 1891 to 1894 and his former home is open to the public, with a small museum about his life & works.
This afternoon you jump on a Shinkansen Bullet Train (included) which departs at regular and frequent intervals to Kagoshima. Make your way to your comfortable 3* hotel using public transport or grabbing a taxi (not included).
Stay at: Sunflex Kagoshima
Boat/Ferry
Breakfast
3 star hotel
Kagoshima is Kyushu's southernmost city and enjoys a mild climate, symbolised by palm tree-lined avenues. The iconic symbol of the city is the just offshore (3.5km), still active and constantly smoking, Sakurajima volcano (1117m) in Kagoshima Bay, which periodically experiences minor eruptions. Although a larger-than-usual eruption in 1914 connected the volcanic island to the Osumi Peninsula in the east, the best way to access the island is still by ferry. You are joined by an English-speaking local guide today, to help you to make the most of your short time in the city.
Sakurajima has 3 main peaks (north, middle & southern) with the latter being the most active. For obvious reasons, visitors are not able to approach within 2km of the volcano's craters, but you can access several observation points to witness the mini eruptions and rising plumes of smoke. There is also an onsen, numerous long foot baths along a stretch of land offering views onto the bay and across the water to Kagoshima City, plus hiking trails that start at the information centre close to the Ferry Terminal . You will follow the Nagisa Lava trail; 3km of walking along the water and through a lava flow, where you can see how nature is recovering (and flourishing) post-eruption.
Taking the return ferry to Kagoshima, Senganen Gardens (aka Isoteien) is not to be missed. The landscaped gardens, built in 1658 by the wealthy Shimazu clan who ruled the Satusma domain for almost 700 years, offer striking views of Kagoshima Bay and Sakurajima. The centrally situated residence (Iso Residence) was reconstructed in the 1880s and its rooms have been preserved to show life as it was around the time of the reconstruction. Many of the buildings here are classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites; particularly those relating to Japan's earliest Western-style machinery factories and the use of charcoal and hydropower as a power source.
Enjoy an evening of leisure before the group arrives tomorrow for the Lost Islands of Japan adventure, if you are joining this also: You will join the itinerary on Day 2 of the tour, as your fellow travellers will have been journeying to Japan during Day 1. If this is a separate trip we will arrange your onward travel from here.
Single rooms are available on a first come, first served basis. We will charge on a pro-rata basis if a single room is only available for part of the trip.
Carbon Compensation is not the perfect solution, and it is important to first reduce our carbon emissions as much as we can, yet trees remain an excellent natural technology to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to slow global warming.
For every client and guide who attends a YellowWood Adventure, we donate £30 to our partner charity WeForest to plant 15 trees to (over) compensate for the carbon footprint of the tour.
We also invite our clients to match this with an optional additional £30 for another 15 trees to be planted to help compensate for the carbon footprint of their international flights.
WeForest run many tree planting and tree maintenance projects such as this seedling nursery in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil and many other projects in other countries including Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania & India.
Click Here to find out more about their amazing projects around the world.
We fully believe in, and practice, Responsible Tourism and recognise the value of using hotels run by locals. The accommodation on this adventure really accentuates your experience and the mixture of hotels you will be staying in is very representative of the contrasts found in Japan. We feel that using different types of hotels helps deliver to you the complexity of Japan. It is a crazy patchwork of ancient & modern, corporate & family businesses, nature and urban, all of which coexist peacefully side by side. To authentically represent Japan, we have included as many of these as we can!
Having said that, there are themes with the various types of accommodation, and they will all be chosen for cleanliness, comfort, safety, proximity to our route (to avoid unnecessary extra travel which in Japan can be very expensive) and a warm client welcome, as well as reliability in their service to us.
Please be aware that in areas where tourism is still developing, and in more rural or remote areas, we may not have a wide range of options. An aspect of our adventures is to escape the ‘trappings’ of familiar culture and to experience new things with are exciting and memorable and reflect the country we are visiting.
The list below gives information on our first choice of accommodation for this adventure. Where hotels are fully booked or unavailable, we will use an alternative of a similar standard, and equally well situated. We will provide you with an accurate list of accommodation, with contact information to leave with relatives, prior to departure on your adventure.
Fukuoka (Day 2 & 3): Hokke Club. Modern 3* hotel with ensuite rooms, wi-fi and a small spa pool. Located conveniently just 10mins walk from JR Hakata Station in a lively street.
Nagasaki (Day 4 & 5): Monterey Nagasaki. Comfortable 3* hotel with attractive decor and modern amenities, including a restaurant / bar.
Yufuin Onsen (Day 6): Japanese style hotel with Onsen spa bath, and restaurant serving traditional dinner & breakfast.
Kumamoto (Day 7): Mitsui Garden Kumamoto. 3* modern hotel with characterful interior. Ensuite rooms and wifi. Japanese & Western cuisine offered for breakfast.
Kagoshima (Day 8): Sunflex Kagoshima. 3* modern hotel (tower) with all expected amenities. Western & Japanese cuisine offered.
Unless you have booked a single room (where they are available) and paid the single room supplement for those nights, you will be sharing a twin room with another client (of the same gender).
It may be that you only visit Japan once; for reasons of economy, time, or environmental considerations relating to long haul travel. So you need to make this visit count, and try to enjoy what cultural experiences you have on offer. One such experience is to visit an onsen: a geothermally heated spring with water that contains multiple minerals believed to have health and well-being benefits.
Japanese onsen have been used for centuries and are commonplace in some family homes, or attached to a hotel or ryokan. On this adventure, you will periodically be offered the option of enjoying an onsen and we highly recommend that you do! The hot-spring bath is a wonderful place to relax, meditate and immerse yourself in Japanese tradition.
As you might expect, there is a strict etiquette to follow (they are not 'water play' areas):
This trip is a mixture of guided and self guided experiences. You will be greeted on arrival at Fukuoka International Airport and accompanied to your hotel using public transport. Your English speaking guide assistant will ensure you have your travel documents and vouchers and help orientate you (where you can eat etc).
On Day 3, 4 and 8, you will enjoy services of an experienced, local, English speaking Japanese guide with a good knowledge of the areas visited. Other days of the adventure will be self guided, but with assistance to plan your days as required, from the YellowWood office, and with provision of travel vouchers / tickets.
We work closely with our Japanese Tour Operator partners both before and during your adventure to ensure that they understand your needs and the standard that YellowWood Adventures expects. We believe that it is a very important positive aspect of Responsible Tourism, to employ the expertise of local suppliers, as well as offering you a much more informative and authentic experience.
Our trips operate from 4 people to a maximum group number of 12.
We get clients booking alone, as couples and in small groups of friends. If you have a group of friends or family who are interested in having their own customised trip, then please let us know and we can cost it for you. We can also looking at adding this trip on to one of our other Japan itineraries.
This adventure is a fabulous mix of sightseeing using public transport, and exploring on foot.
To get the most of out of this adventure, you need to be in good physical health, and enjoy walking as a way of exploring an area. You do not need to be an experienced hiker as the gentle walks on the itinerary are taken at a leisurely pace on well trodden paths, for short periods of time (max distance of around 3km). You need to be strong enough to manage transporting your luggage on and off public transport, and walking with it for short distances to hotels (or you can use taxis if you prefer, but these are not included in the cost of your holiday).
Walking shoes or comfortable trainers with decent grip are suitable footwear for this adventure.
Please note that you need to have an open mind to adventure travel, and experiencing different cultures to your own, first hand. You need to be happy using local buses and trains, as well as bullet trains (tickets included). We believe this gives you a far more immersive adventure, as well as a much better value one.
Your YellowWood adventure starts at Fukuoka International Airport on Kyushu Island. We understand that arriving into an unfamiliar airport can be daunting, so we aim to give you as much information here as possible to help you prepare. If you would like us to get you a quote for a private airport transfer then do contact us, however, included in the cost of your adventure, is a Meet & Greet from a local, English speaking, Japanese travel assistant who will accompany you, on public transport, to your hotel.
Finding flights
Flights are not included in the cost of your holiday, and whilst we are happy to help advise you, responsibility for booking the correct flights rests with you. We recommend that you use a comparison tool such as www.momondo.co.uk or www.skyscanner.net when searching for flights.
It is worth noting, if you are going to be using domestic flights before or after your YellowWood adventure, that Japanese Airlines (JAL) and ANA offer discounted domestic fares to foreign visitors. These have to be e-booked directly via their websites.
On your plane into Japan you will be asked to complete landing cards (disembarkation cards) and a custom form to declare goods/cash you are bringing with you. These are then handed in at immigration / custom control. At the border control you will receive a passport stamp with landing date and allowed stay period.
Please ensure you check with your airline, the procedures you need to follow regarding checking luggage if you are transiting.
Foreign Travel Advice
For the latest travel advice from the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) including security and local laws, plus passport and visa information, check www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. We also receive notifications direct from the FCDO so we are always aware of the ‘status’ in our destination countries.
Meet & Greet from a local, English speaking, Japanese travel assistant who will accompany you, on public transport, to your start hotel in Fukuoka.
Receive a 15% discount off Water-to-Go filtration water-bottles to help reduce plastic waste.
All adventures can be tailored as private bespoke trips.
Please contact us for more information:
+44 207 846 0197
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Make Booking: Click on "Make Booking." If you're booking more than 56 days before your adventure, you'll be redirected to secure WorldPay to make your deposit. If it's 56 days or less before your adventure, you'll need to make full payment. Rest assured, your money is held securely by the Travel Trust Association.
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Confirmation: We'll be in touch as soon as possible to confirm your booking or discuss any availability limitations. Please refrain from booking transport or flights until we've emailed you to confirm your booking. (Note: Receipt of your booking form is not confirmation.)
Making payment: Once your booking is confirmed, we'll change the status of your final invoice from 'Pending Approval' to 'Outstanding,' indicating that it's ready for payment online.
You will receive a reminder email for your final payment 56 days before the departure date.
Feel free to contact us with any questions about your adventure or booking, we're here to help!
To help you choose the right adventure for you, we have given each itinerary a grading that relates to the level of Walking / Trekking you will experience during the trip. This grading can be found on the Yellow map on the adventure page of the website.
All of our trips involve a level of general activity so are designed for people who are in good health, enjoy the outdoors, and have a taste for adventure and some level of fitness. As will be clear from our destinations, the climate (and altitude) may be different to that which you are used to, so please take this into consideration when choosing the most suitable holiday.
Please read our Adventure Itinerary & Essential Information for more information and don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to chat through whether you have found a suitable adventure for you.
You need to be in good physical health to enjoy your active holiday, but you don’t need to be an experienced hiker. These itineraries offer a mix of sightseeing and easier walking for around 2-4hrs a day, with the emphasis on sights and cultural experiences.
Walks will be well marked or on defined pathways, and often around sites of interest. The expected amount of descent/ascent will depend on the landscapes of the destination, but will not exceed 400m/day, and will often be much less. Walks are at low altitude (below 3000m).
You will not be required to carry more than a day sack with water and essentials. Ensure you are aware of the weather conditions likely in the destination you are visiting and have a pair of comfortable and worn in walking shoes/boots.
You need to have a good level of fitness and be a regular walker for these adventures, with ideally some trekking experience. You can expect to be walking for 3-6 hours per day, not including rest stops, normally on good trail paths but with some uneven surfaces at times.
You will not be required to carry more than a day sack. You may be walking in more challenging temperatures. You will generally be walking at low altitude (below 3000m) but may walk at altitudes up to 4000m. The amount of ascent could be up to 800m in a day but will frequently be less. You may walk on consecutive days.
Ensure you are aware of the weather conditions likely in the destination you are visiting and have suitable clothing for this adventure.
You need to have a good level of fitness with previous experience of trekking. Extra training before your trip will ensure that you get the most out of your adventure. Areas will be remote and terrain uneven.
Expect to walk for 5 – 8 hours a day, not including breaks, with some very steep ascents and descents. You will be walking at altitude (over 3000m but not higher than 5000m).
Ensure you are aware of the weather conditions likely in the destination you are visiting and have suitable equipment/clothing for this adventure (see the packing list for your adventure).
Please check individual itineraries for details of what you will need to be carrying with you.
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