A mix of our story and encounters during our trip in and around Kumamoto, combined with our recommended spots, restaurants, and hotels.
This article will cover three prefectures in the central part of Kyushu, including Kumamoto, Oita, and Miyazaki, and it will focus on nature and the countryside of Japan. We will take you through some places we recommend visiting, as well as additional places to go if you have some free time left—a mix of both popular spots and some of our personal favourites.
Dear Travellers,
After more than twenty visits to Japan for both of us, what struck us by the end of our trip to Kumamoto and the neighboring prefectures was how nice it felt to be there. What about other places in Japan? Do those places not feel nice? You may be questioning.
Well, it is nice, but a different kind of niceness. Kumamoto gave us the feeling of an undisturbed blend into Japan, a way that does not feel overwhelming in any way, and a feeling of travelling that did not feel much like we were travellers. You might not be able to get what we mean right now, but we hope you will by the end of this short read and itinerary for Kyushu.
Trip Overview (Our Route)
First, a little summary of our travel route/itinerary.
This trip, we are spending eight days driving around the central part of Kyushu, including Kumamoto, Oita, and Miyazaki. The stops we made are as follows:
Kumamoto → Mount Aso National Park → Yufuin → Beppu → Takachiho → Kumamoto
Recommended mode of transportation: Rental Car
Note: We flew in from Hong Kong, originally departing from Bangkok, on our trip. Now, however, the flight we found to land in Kumamoto from outside the country is only from Taipei and Korea. Other ones will require a stop in Japan first, like Haneda, Tokyo, or Osaka (Kansai) international Airports.
Therefore, if you are planning to visit Kumamoto, we would suggest that you land in Fukuoka for the most efficiency.
Kumamoto
Kumamoto was a place we would describe as a city friendlier than places like Tokyo or Kyoto, especially if you know a little Japanese. Many of the shops we visited were around the Shimotori Shopping Arcade, and other locations around our accommodation were very welcoming to receive us.
The kind of friendliness I am mentioning is not the usual impeccable corporate practice of customer hospitality, as you would find in any big city and major brand stores, but one that you find in the countryside of Japan.
Our Recommendation in Kumamoto
Our Restaurant Top Pick:
- Kawashima: An older local Japanese restaurant, serving soba and donburi
- ダディーズカレー: A curry place we randomly found, cozy restaurant design, and great curries.
Shopping/walking around:
- Kamitori Shopping Arcade
- Tsuboi Riverside: Nakatojinmachi / Nishitojinmachi (walkable from Shinshigai, 新市街):
The area around Nakatojinmachi and Nishitojinmachi seems to be promoted as a kind of tourist destination a few years ago, and many attractive cafes and shops emerged along the road. It is a very attractive road to take a stroll along. There are not that many things to do, but we enjoyed grabbing some coffee from a specialty shop, browsing through the store, and visiting interesting places that sell Japanese local produce like Root’s Purely.
Our Favourites: Root’s Purely, Coffee gallery
Hotels:
- RESTERS BED＆CO.: A great budget deal, clean, simple, modern place to stay (close to Toyota Rent-a-Car Daikobashi Branch).
- Sotetsu Grand Fresa Kumamoto (Mid-end hotel price range): Chances are, you have seen this chain of hotels if you have been to Japan before; it is one of our top picks when we are staying in the city.
Aso ( Mount Aso)
Aso is the first destination we headed to, after spending a day in the Kumamoto Prefecture city center area.
The city offers beautiful scenery from the Aso Mountain and a clean-looking cityscape. The first thing we noticed was how far we could see, how wide the street and sidewalks are on some roads, and how quiet it was.
For someone who prefers an area that seems to have nothing much, this was the place for us. No busy shopping area, no crowds, just houses, trees, and the mountains on the horizon. It was the time we could truly feel relaxed among the local eateries and small shops.
Our Day in Aso
We stayed at Fairfield by Marriott Kumamoto Aso, which is often our go-to place to stay in Japan when we are exploring new areas. It is the kind of comfort stay that lifts the burden from your shoulders, knowing fully what to expect. We also featured another stay at Fairfied Kyotamba with an itinerary of our travel there.
We spent our day exploring the Aso mountain and the national park area. Autumn was beginning during our stay, and the leaves on the trees were just beginning to change their color and prepare for hibernation later when winter comes. Honestly, we had wished we were here a little later to witness the autumn in full at Aso, which is also quite a famous destination for the autumn leaves, and we could clearly see why.
The seasons aside, places like Kami-komezuka and Daikanbō Lookout look great all year round. Observation deck and shelter on Mount Aso is also a nice place to visit, the Nakadake Crater is an interesting sight; however, it is closed during certain times when the volcanic gas in the area is high, which is unpredictable. During our visit, there was also a moment when there was a warning alarm that sounded to tell the visitor to back off from the viewing zone.
You can still visit around Mount Aso, though, even if the crater is closed; it is still worth driving up there.
Our Recommendation in Aso
Hotel/Airbnb:
- Fairfield by Marriott Kumamoto Aso (right opposite Aso Station)
- Airbnb near Korukawa Onsen (more below)
Restaurants/Desserts:
- Nakata なか田~看板のない定食屋~: Syokudo and Teishoku restaurant: the Aka Ushi (Red Cow) dish we ordered from Nakata exceeded all our expectations and made us fall in love with the Aso-bred cow.
- Aso Natural Ice Cream: Highly recommended place (one of the best ice creams)
View Points
- Observation Deck and Shelter
- Kami-komezuka
- Daikanbō Lookout
Aka Ushi (Red Cow)
Another thing that you cannot miss when coming to Aso is trying the Aka-Ushi beef, a famous rare breed of cow, bred here in Aso. Aka Ushi beef is different from your usual Japanese Wagyu; instead of the nicely marbled and incredibly fatty beef, Aka Ushi has a rich, lean, and tender taste and texture profile.
As someone who is not the biggest fan of A4-A5 meat, the fat content makes it hard to eat a lot of it. We feel Aka Ushi is the perfect balance, and it has become one of our all-time favourite choices of beef. It is as tender as they say, while also not being too oily or fatty. We really encourage you to try.
A small house near Kurokawa Onsen, Aso district
After leaving our hotel in Aso city, we came out a little to our Airbnb near Kurokawa Onsen, a highlight of our stay this trip.
This Airbnb is an entire small house tucked away in the mountains at the end of a quiet neighborhood. Kitchen, balcony, Smart TV, the small house has all you need for a multiple-night stay, and to top it off, a private onsen. The highlight of our stay here is an outdoor private onsen hot tub, connected to an indoor bathing area and another bathtub.
Note: Coming here requires a car
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here, and also our little cooking session in their kitchen. Something we love to do when traveling is to cook, visit the local supermarket, and buy whatever ingredients we like. It is a great way to experience a place and a little different style of travel we have come to enjoy, an opportunity to get a glimpse of what it is like to live there.
Things to see nearby
- Takenokuma Cafe
- Nabegataki Falls (a waterfall you can walk behind)
- あじさい通り (a scenic road)
- Kurokawa Onsen
- Tadewara Wetlands
Tadewara Wetlands
A short stop before we continue to Yufuin. Tadewara Wetlands is located in Oita Prefecture near the Kuju Mountains; it offers a boardwalk through the field. Easily accessible by car and an easy walk along a path covered with silver grass or susuki, autumn is a high time for a visit here as the grass turns into a golden brown color, creating a scenic route to walk around.
A group of students from a tour bus and many elderly people were among the people we walked past, many of whom greeted us as we passed by each other. It was a relaxing walk in the morning and a very easy one, manageable by all ages; we would recommend taking a short walk at this place.
You do not have to complete the whole loop; simply walk back the same way when you feel like you have seen enough.
Yufuin, Oita
A hot spring resort town, ryokan, and Japanese-style accommodation and architecture. Expect quite a lot of tourists around here, but with a lot of tourists also means there are a lot of restaurants and shops around to keep you busy.
Yufuin lives up to being a hot spring resort town. Walking around the town, you can see steam shooting up from the ground.
Lake Kirin, a small lake in Yufuin, is a great place to walk around. It offers beautiful scenery, and you can also stay at one of the lakeside accommodations there.
Our Stay in Yufuin
We stay at a Ryokan called Yufuryochiku located in a small alley from Yunotubo street, which is lined with shops and restaurants.
If you are also looking for exceptional places to stay in other parts of Japan, we also recommend checking out our review of the Yao-Kumagawa old town stay and the fishing village stay at Sea-auberge Shitsumi.
Note: If you consider staying at a ryokan, we think getting only one day of meal-included stay–breakfast and dinner–is a good balance if you are staying 2 nights at a ryokan, in case you want to explore the local cuisine around the town.
Beppu
We chose Beppu as a day trip during our stay in Yufuin. For those looking for an onsen experience, you may want to stay here for a night or two.
For us, walking around and visiting the famous onsen spots was enough. It is the perfect opportunity to try some onsen egg when you are here.
Places to Visit (Optional):
- Beppu Jigoku (Hells of Beppu)
- Chinoike Jigoku
Takachiho
The famous spot around here, Takachiho Gorge, which you may have seen on social media. We chose to visit this place, and it looked wonderful in the videos we have seen online. Seeing it with our own eyes, we would say that it is not the level of a can’t-miss, but it was very nice. Getting a boat ride might be best to enjoy the scenery, as the view from above is a little underwhelming in comparison.
With that said, we do enjoy the walk along the path, and the waterfall is an unusual sight, different from the normal waterfall spots we have gone to, quite a unique scenery.
The famous Three Bridges of Takachiho, towards the end of the path, is also a very interesting sight, each one of them are built with different material during different times.
Kunimigaoka
One of the rare finds during this trip, a very beautiful spot atop one of the mountains in the area, the park offers an incredible view of the area below. It is also very quiet there; we met no more than five people when we went there during the evening.
If you are planning to visit Takachiho Gorge, we also recommend stopping by for a short walk here, and if you are lucky, there is a chance of seeing an incredible view of the sea of clouds that forms in the area.
Returned to Kumamoto
For our last few nights’ stay to catch the plane home. Basically, the time to buy all the souvenirs and shopping list items you may have before departing. The Shopping Arcade and Tsuruya Shopping Mall in Kumamoto will likely have all the everyday items you are looking for.
Reminder: Don’t forget to check the souvenir store at the airport, they often have the local limited food and snacks there; we really enjoyed the savoury items in particular.
The people in Kumamoto City
Let’s share with you a couple of good interactions we had in Kumamoto that made us feel welcome. If you had read our blog before, we also shared similar feel-good stories from the time we went to Narai-Juku and Magome-Juku.
One tea shop we visited in the main shopping street, run by an older lady, was very welcoming and informative. I was looking to buy some Sencha (a kind of Japanese tea), and when we entered, speaking only a little Japanese, only enough to ask for the type of tea I was looking for, the owner was so eager to brew us so many different kinds of tea to try.
Inside the small shop, the elder lady was casually having a tea time with some other people around her age when we walked in, and from the amount of conversation (mainly from her side doing the talking) and the tea we tried, I would say we might have been invited to join them on their tea time if we spoke better Japanese.
（株）辻野新商店 (tea shop)
She was also not trying to sell us her most expensive products, and recommended the mid-grade ones even when I specifically inquired about the top-grade selections on display. We ended up buying some of her recommendations and left.
On the way here, we also met a very kind older gentleman, the driver of the taxi we hailed. He was talking to us in Japanese, carefully choosing his words and speaking slowly so that we could understand him throughout the whole ride. We had a good chat on the way, and he even asked for a photo together with us at the end: he apparently had a tripod in the trunk ready for that purpose and would often post about his encounters on his Facebook page.
Closing Thoughts
Our trip to Kyushu, around Kumamoto, Oita, and Miyazaki, for us was an experience filled with pleasant stories and things to tell. Beyond the interactions we shared earlier, other encounters were also ones that felt welcoming. The small towns and small cities we visited evoke a sense of tranquility, and the overall environment felt unbothered.
There is nothing much to say, but for you to experience it yourself. We encourage you to travel in Japan outside of big cities, and if you adhere to their rules, even if it feels like something trivial, blend in with the people and try not to disturb their norms and respect their culture, you will find how nice their people can be.
This itinerary is for the purpose of helping you visualize and plan your trip. We hope you explore beyond what we recommend, search the map, walk along a random street, and visit a small town somewhere. Explore more places outside of big attractions, dine and shop in locally-run shops and stores; by doing that, you may find a new way of traveling that you may enjoy more than you think.
For more like this, visit our itinerary for Okinawa
We hope you will enjoy,
Travel Tegami