Winter in Kyushu, Japan: 17 Day Roadtrip
Kyushu is Japan’s third largest island, positioned southwest of Honshu. It has a sub-tropical climate that is mild in the winter… and it’s just a 90 minute flight from Seoul, South Korea, where we were living in 2024. When the brutal winter wind in Seoul chilled me to the bone, I knew it was time for a get-away. We spent 17 days road tripping around Kyushu, hiking in diverse national parks and pampering ourselves with leisurely kaiseki meals and hot spring pools.
Budget
We spent USD $5,140.00, which is a little over USD$300.00/day for two people, with transportation and lodging comprising 80% of the cost. We rented a car and primarily stayed in resorts, hotels, or local inns for just a night or two — and kaiseki meals or breakfast were often part of the lodging cost. We are usually a proponent of slow budget travel, but this trip was fast and furious. We covered a lot of ground in a short period of time, but with a nice balance of site-seeing, hiking, and relaxing.
Our (Rather Busy) Itinerary
We landed in Fukuoka, where we enjoyed two nights at a Caribbean-style “love” motel, complete with an in-room casino and spa. We traveled by train to Nagasaki, where we explored the city for two nights. Then a short train ride took us to nearby Shimabara, where we rented a car and hiked around the steaming hills of Unzen National Park and Mt. Fugen for a few days. Then we drove east across Kyushu to Yufuin and met C’s sister and brother-in-law in Beppu, known for its hot spring resorts. After C’s family returned to Seoul, we drove to Aso-Kuju National Park to hike the (very active!) live volcano. We spent the evening in Takachio, where we caught the evening traditional mask dance performance. After snapping some photos at the scenic gorge area the next morning, we drove to Kagoshima and boarded a ferry to Yakushima Island. We spent several days communing with the giant ancient sequoia trees and monkeys before returning to Kyushu and driving to Kirishimi Kinkowan National Park for more hiking. Returning the car in Kagoshima, we rode the high speed train back to Fukuoka and returned to Seoul the following the day. Phew! Whirlwind tour of Kyushu, fueled by lots of kaiseki meals, okinomiyaka, sushi and sake!
