Where is Kyushu?
Kyushu is one of the main islands of Japan located in the southwest area. It takes a shorter time to go to South Korea than to Tokyo. The direct flights to South Korea take only 1 hour and a half, while the ones to Tokyo take about 2 hours.
What is it like?
Kyushu is a Japanese island located far from the capital, Tokyo. Despite its distance, the region boasts a diverse range of natural and cultural attractions that are highly regarded both within and outside of Japan.
Its urban centers, such as Fukuoka, offer all the necessary amenities for business and leisure, while its mountainous regions, including Aso, Kuju, Sakurajima, and Unzen, provide ample opportunities for outdoor recreation.
The island is also home to beautiful seas, including Amakusa, Itoshima, and Aoshima, as well as renowned hot springs, such as Beppu and Yufuin.
Kyushu also has Nagasaki, where the atomic bomb was dropped during World War II, and Kumamoto Castle, a 400-year-old historical site. Additionally, the region boasts a number of charming historical cities, including Karatsu, Kitsuki, and Yanagawa, which feature traditional castle towns.
Moreover, the island is renowned for its fresh produce, meats, and seafood, as well as its highly reputed shochu, a Japanese distilled spirit. The island can be easily explored by car or by taking the Shinkansen or trains from Fukuoka, and it truly embodies the essence of Japan in one compact region.
An overview of each prefecture within Kyushu is provided below.
Fukuoka
Fukuoka is the biggest city in Kyushu and has excellent access to the airport, so it is still expected to grow as a business hub in Asia. While the city center is well known for the tasty street food, it is also blessed with the nature, including the sea both in the east and the west.
The city is friendly to entrepreneurs that it has implemented the Start-up Visa for the first time in Japan to incentivize foreigners to become entrepreneurs in Fukuoka.
Kagoshima
Kagoshima is located in the south of Kyushu, with an active volcano called Sakurajima and a unique ancient forest called Yakushima. It is also famous for shochu, a distilled spirit, and visitors can enjoy a tour of its breweries and tasting it.
Easily accessible from Fukuoka by bullet train, Kagoshima would be the next destination after visiting Fukuoka.
Kumamoto
Kumamoto is located in the center of Kyushu, with one of the three premier castles in Japan and one of the largest calderas called Mt. Aso.
Due to the abundance of water resources and geopolitical advantages, TSMC and other semiconductor-related companies have been moving into the region in recent years.
Miyazaki
Miyazaki is warmer than other prefectures in Kyushu, attracting surfers from all over Japan, and its high-end mangoes with overwhelming sugar content are very popular.
Boat rentals at the mystical Takachiho Gorge are also recommended.
Nagasaki
Nagasaki is a place of historical interest, with a history of trade with Europe between the 16th and the 19th century, which Japan almost banned, and the atomic bombing during World War II, which claimed many victims.
Furthermore, it has over 900 islands and the landscape from the ropeway on Mt. Unzen is stunning.
Oita
The huge volcano stretching from Kuju, Oita to Aso, Kumamoto provides you with high-quality hot springs such as Beppu and Yufuin.
Both the largest number of hot springs and the largest amount of hot spring water in Japan are Oita.
There are also ferries to Shikoku region, which is another main island of Japan.
Saga
Saga offers many opportunities to experience ancient Japan. Yoshinogari, a reconstructed ruin of Japan between the 3rd century B.C. and the 3rd century A.D., and the over 3000-year-old sacred giant trees are highlights.
In addition, porcelain from Arita and Imari and ceramics from Karatsu are pretty popular both in Japan and abroad.