Kyushu, Off the Main Road
First-hand guides to the waterfalls, wineries, and cliffside shrines most itineraries drive right past — all across Kyushu, all visited and photographed by us.
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Every guide here comes from a trip we actually took — real driving times, real parking situations, real opening hours we checked ourselves.
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Oita’s Best Waterfalls: Four Falls Worth Renting a Car For
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Oita Airport to Beppu, Yufuin, or Oita City: Bus, Taxi, or Rental Car?
You’ve landed at Oita Airport — now what? It’s a small regional airport with no train station of its own,…
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How Much Does a Week in Kyushu Actually Cost?
How much does a trip to Kyushu actually cost? Most generic Japan budget guides are written for Tokyo and Kyoto,…
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The Best Time to Visit Kyushu (A Season-by-Season Honest Guide)
“When’s the best time to visit Kyushu?” depends a lot on what you’re willing to trade off — crowds, heat,…
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Can You See Kyushu’s Hidden Gems Without a Rental Car?
Short answer: mostly, no. We checked every place we’ve written up on this site against its actual public transit access,…
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Fukuoka or Oita: Which Should You Base Yourself In for Kyushu?
If you’re flying into Kyushu, the real question usually isn’t Fukuoka or Oita — it’s which one becomes your base…
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How Many Days Do You Need in Kyushu? A Realistic First-Timer’s Itinerary
How many days do you need in Kyushu? It’s the first question almost every first-time visitor asks, and the honest…
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Ryumon Falls: Kokonoe’s Dragon Gate and Its Suspended Water Slide
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Mount Tsurumi: Beppu’s Active Volcano, Ten Minutes by Ropeway
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Tsurumisaki: Kyushu’s Easternmost Point, a Bridge to Nowhere, and a Hidden WWII Ruin
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Tsukahara Onsen: Bathing on the Slopes of an Active Volcano Near Yufuin
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Yufugawa Ravine: A Hidden Gorge Near Yufuin You Can Actually Walk Into
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Kokonoe Yume Otsurihashi: Walking Japan’s Highest Suspension Bridge
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Usa Jingu: The Head Shrine of Japan’s 44,000 Hachiman Shrines
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Yomoyama: Hearth-Grilled Dining by Kinrinko Lake
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Fukino Falls: The Quieter of Usa’s Three Waterfalls
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Kikusuke: Hidden Sansho Curry Udon Above Yufuin
This is the first restaurant we’re writing up on Kyushu Wanderer, and it’s a good one to start with: 山椒カレーうどん…
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Crane Yufuin: A First Horseback Lesson Under Mt. Yufu
I’d never been on a horse before I booked a beginner lesson at Crane Yufuin (乗馬クラブ クレイン湯布院), a riding club…
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Matama Coast: The Tidal Channels of Bungotakada
Matama Coast doesn’t look like much on a map — a stretch of tidal flat on the Kunisaki Peninsula’s west…
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Amano Yasukawara: Inside the Cave Where Japan’s Gods Once Met
Most people who come to this part of Miyazaki are here for Takachiho Gorge — the cliffs, the rowboats, the…
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Fukoji Magaibutsu: The Cliff-Carved Buddha Almost No One Visits
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Chinda Falls: Oita’s Other Niagara and Its Ruined Power Plant
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Horseback Riding and a Hidden Winery in the Kuju Highlands
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Higashi Shiiya Falls: Kyushu’s Answer to Nikko’s Kegon Falls
Everyone who’s been to Nikko has heard of Kegon Falls — the 97-meter curtain of water that draws crowds by…
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Beppu to Aso: The Scenic Yamanami Highway Route (And Why You Need a Car)
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