8 DAYS KYUSHU INDULGENCE & NATURE IMMERSION WITH FINEST RYOKANS

Car Transfer: Airport to Hotel with en route Sightseeing 
Meet your driver at the airport and transfer to hotel with en route sightseeing. Upon check in, enjoy the evening at leisure.

Fukuoka Half Day Tour 
Explore Fukuoka as your stepping stone into Kyushu and learn about Fukuoka’s distinctive local culture.  Begin in Gion for its historical shrines and Buddhist temples, including Shofukuji, Japan’s first Zen temple.  In April, Maizuru Park would be a prime spot for Cherry Blossom viewing.  While you’re in the park, do not miss Fukuoka Castle Ruins.

Optional Craft Experience: Make Yame Tesuki Paper and Lacquer Chopsticks 
Crafting with Yame Tesuki Japanese paper is one of the oldest cultural traditions in Kyushu. Apply this ancient method to make your own, one-of-a-kind postcards. In addition, you will create your own pair of chopsticks by applying a lacquer coating technique used on Japanese Buddhist altars.

Car Transfer: Fukuoka to Takachiho 
Meet your driver at the hotel lobby for transfer to Takachiho hotel (approx 2hr 40min). Upon check in, enjoy the day at leisure.  

Car Transfer: Hotel – Takachiho 
Meet your driver, who will be at your disposal for the day, at the hotel lobby for transfer to Takachiho. After today’s activities, your driver will ensure your safe return to the hotel.

Takachiho Day Trip 
The highlight of this day trip is Takachiho Gorge, formed over 100,000 years ago after eruptions from Mount Aso. It is an area rich with nature, scenery, adventure and mystical legends. There are a few ways to admire the gorge and Manai Falls, you can rent a rowboat or hike. As part of this tour, 2 hiking options are available for you to choose from.

• Hiking Option 1 (Easy): Gokase River Course 
  The Gokase River course (1km, approx 45min) is an easy hike, suitable for the entire family, which winds through flowing water and greenery. At the end of this course, you will arrive at the gorge and Manai Waterfall.
• Hiking Option 2 (Intermediate): Takachiho Course 
  Avid and experienced hikers can choose Takachiho Course (12.3km, elevation gain 200m, approx 5-6hr). This course first will pass Takachiho Shrine, draping branches and huge trees. The mid-point is the gorge and Manai Falls, where you may take a break on a rowboat. Continue to Mukaiyama Shrine, where green tea fields grow and quench your thirst with a cup of Maruono green tea. End off in Kamadase Market, where you can reward yourself with a good meal and local delicacies of Takachiho.

Optional: Takachiho Packrafting Tour (3hr) 
In this packrafting tour with an expert guide, you will paddle an inflatable packraft along the Gokase River to a hidden waterfall. On the way, you will also visit Hattai-Ryugu Shrine. All equipment will be provided (wet pants, aqua boots, life jackets and helmet) and no prior water sport experience is required. Please bring a change all clothes. This activity is suitable for guests above 13 years.

Ya-kagura Performance (1hr) 
Ya-kagura simply means “night kagura” in Japanese. Kagura is a sacred dance rooted in shamanism, which celebrates the gods of Shinto. Kagura dances are performed across Kyushu Island, where the gods of Shinto were believed to initially have descended from the heavens. In Takachiho, Ya-kagura has been performed for over 800 years. 

Optional: Private Visit to Kagura Mask Studio 
If you appreciate the arts, you will enjoy this private visit to the Wood Carving Artisan, where you will observe how the wooden masks used in the Ya-kagura performance are carved. In Takachiho, only two craftsmen, who are father and son, are skilled in this craft, which has been passed down from generation to generation.

Car Transfer: Takachiho – Kirishima with en route Sightseeing in Miyazaki 
Meet your driver at the hotel lobby for transfer to Kirishima with en route sightseeing in Miyazaki. 
Takachiho – Miyazaki (approx 2hr) 
Miyazaki – Kirishima (approx 1hr 30min)

Half Day Miyazaki Tour 
Begin this tour in Mochio Park. In April, this park is famous for its amazing show of Cherry Blossoms and is listed as one of Japan’s top 100 Cherry Blossom viewing sites. Head further into the park and you’ll arrive at the observation deck, where you can see the magnificent Kirishima mountain range. The park’s shrine is well known for bestowing blessings for matchmaking and safe childbirth. Proceed to the nearby Sekinoo Falls to get a close-up view of the roaring drop and be bathed in its spray. 
 
Sochu is the regional liquor of Miyazaki so a visit to Yanagita Distillery for a Sochu Masterclass is a fitting experience. At Nichinan Suisan (own expense), you can select your choice of Ise-Ebi, a local Miyazaki lobster and the chef will prepare it expertly so you can enjoy its natural, sweet flavour.

Full Day Kirishima Tour 
Meet your driver, who will be at your disposal for the day, at the hotel lobby. 
 
Begin this tour in Takachiho Farm, with the Kirishima mountain range in the background. In April, Cherry Blossom reach full boom here. For families, Takachiho Farm is a working dairy farm where you can observe milk from the dairy’s own cows being pasteurised and processed. Children should not miss the opportunity to pet and feed the farm animals. Kirishima Shine, on the slope of Mount Kirishima is another excellent Cherry Blossom viewing spot, where you can also admire the stunning decorations throughout the shrine complex. A unique way to explore Kirishima is by hiking. As part of this tour, 3 hiking options are available for you to choose from. 
 
After today’s tour concludes, your driver will ensure your safe return to the hotel. 

• Hiking Option 1 (Easy): Karakuni Leisurely Hike 
  This easy hike (approx 1.5 hours round trip) will take you around three ponds of Byakushi, Rokannon-Miike and Fudo. On this trail, you might be lucky to spot native deer and be rewarded with a good view of Mount Karakuni. 
• Hiking Option 2 (Intermediate): Hike Up Mount Karakuni 
  Challenge yourself by hiking up Mount Karakuni (6km/2hr 30min, elevation gain 760m). On Mount Karakuni, each season brings different colours and you’ll see many incredible crater lakes along the way.  
• Hiking Option 3 (Advanced): Kirishima Ridge Trail 
  Avid hikers will appreciate the Kirishima Ridge Trail (12km/6hr elevation gain 1700m), which follows Kirishima’s entire mountain chain from the small town of Ebino Kogen to the Takachiho-gawara Visitor Centre. Along this trail, you will pass rolling peaks of Mount Karakunidake and Mount Shimondake. If the weather permits, you might be able to see Korea along this trail.

Car Transfer: Krishima – Kagoshima Minami-futo Port 
Meet your driver at the hotel lobby for transfer to Kagoshima Minami-futo Port (approx 50min) to catch the ferry to Yakushima. 

Ferry Transfer: Kagoshima – Yakushima Island 
Sit back and enjoy the high-speed jetfoil ferry ride (approx 2hr 30min) to Yakushima Island.  

Car Transfer: Yakushima Port – Hotel 
Meet your driver at the port for transfer to hotel (approx 50min). Upon check in, enjoy your evening at leisure.  

Full Day Yakushima Tour 
Begin this tour with a drive to Okawa Waterfall, which is a double waterfall that ends in a shimmering emerald basin. Proceed to Seibu Forest Road, a World Heritage Road where native Macaques and Deer live and roam freely. 
 
Next, embark on some hiking, which can be customised to your desired intensity, distance and duration. You can choose the Jomon Sugi trail to reach the Jomon cedar trees unique to Yakushima, which are said to be several thousand years old. Another option is the Shiratani Unsuikuo trail, which is the forest that served as the inspiration for the Studio Ghibli animated film Princess Mononoke. Yakusugi Land has family friendly easy trails, where you can still be immersed in virgin forest, rivers, mountainsides and the must-see Jomon cedar trees. 

Car Transfer: Hotel – Airport  
Meet your driver at the hotel lobby for transfer to Yakushima Airport (approx 35min).