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Takachino no mine and Lake Miike, Kirishima Volcanic Range.  (Photo by T. Takano)  


Best time to Travel: Late May to early June or October
Best gateway city: Kagoshima, Japan (for arrival); Oita, Japan (for departure)
Explore the hiking trails of Japan's southern islands of Kyushu and Yakushima. Highlights include hikes in the Aso-Kuju National Park (where azaleas bloom in profusion from late May to June), the Kirishima Volcanic Highlands and the UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site of Yakushima, an island known for its ancient cedar forests and granite peaks. (Summer hiking on Kyushu and Yakushima is possible but can be hot, humid and rainy. Mid to late summer is the typhoon season.)

Kyushu & Yakushima Photo Gallery

Arrival day
Overnight in Kagoshima area
The southern Japanese city of Kagoshima serves as your gateway to Kyushu. Overnight accommodations at or near Kagoshima Airport are included.
 
Photograph ©Kagoshima Prefectural Tourist Federation/©JNTO Day 1
Overnight in Ibusuki
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
Travel by vehicle to Kagoshima city and visit the Iso-Teien Garden with its notable "borrowed" view of the smoking Sakurajima volcano. Continue to the seaside town of Ibusuki whose mild climate allows hibiscus to flourish. Warmed by geothermal activity, Ibusuki's steaming sands offer a unique bathing experience!
Day 2
Overnight in Ibusuki
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
 This morning, a short transfer brings you to the trailhead for the hike to the summit of Kaimon-dake. This lovely cone-shaped peak is number ninety nine on the Nihon Hyaku-meizan, a list of one hundred famous Japanese mountains compiled in the early 1960s by a Japanese mountaineer. Follow the trail as it spirals up the slopes of the volcano and enjoy sweeping views over land and sea from the summit. Return to Ibusuki for the evening.

Photograph ©Kagoshima Prefectural Tourist Federation/©JNTO
Kaimon-dake.

Photograph © Yasufumi Nishi/© JNTO
The waterfall known as Senpiro-no-taki on Yakushima.
Day 3
Overnight on Yakushima Island
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
Depart Ibusuki by jetfoil this morning bound for the island of Yakushima, a lush, sub-tropical paradise boasting primeval forests of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria), waterfalls and granite mountain peaks. Yakushima's wilderness treasures were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1993. Upon arrival, an island familiarization tour will lay the foundation for the next two days of hiking!
Photograph ©Kagoshima Prefectural Tourist Federation/©JNTO
An ancient yakusugi on Yakushima.		 Day 4
Overnight on Yakushima Island
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
 Follow trails and boardwalks through the vibrant greenery of Yakushima's ancient cedar forests where you'll discover several fine examples of the island's venerable yakusugi (the Japanese name given to cedars that are over a thousand years old). Energetic hikers might consider a push to the granite peak of Tachu-dake, if the weather permits.
Day 5
Overnight on Yakushima Island
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
If the weather is fine, enjoy a hike to the picturesque Hananoego moorlands. If you desire, continue to the granite top of Kuromi-dake for views over Yakushima's mountainous wilderness core. If weather conditions make the ascent into Yakushima's highlands unfeasible, explore the trails of the Shiratani-Unsuikyo gorge for a close encounter with Yakushima's classic forest landscapes.

Photograph ©Kagoshima Prefectural Tourist Federation/©JNTO
Streamside scene at Shiratani-Unsuikyo.
Day 6
Overnight at Kirishima
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
 Travel by jetfoil from Yakushima to Kagoshima. Upon arrival in Kagoshima, travel by vehicle to the Kirishima Mountains where a short walk will introduce you to this compact and beautiful volcanic mountain range. A visit to the nearby Kirishima Jingu Shrine may also be a possibility. Settle in for a two-night stay in the mountains.

Photograph ©Kagoshima Prefectural Tourist Federation/©JNTO
The crater of Shinmoe-dake (foreground) & the peak of Takachicho-dake in the Kirishima Mountains.
Day 7
Overnight at Kirishima
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
 Today, set off on the scenic hiking trail that traverses the Kirishima Range. This is one of the classic mountain hikes of Japan. From Ebino Kogen, the trail ascends by steps to the top of Karakuni-dake, the highest peak in the range from where you'll enjoy a marvelous view over southern Kyushu. The deep blue crater lake of Onami-ike lies directly below. The route continues in roller-coaster fashion along the main crest of the Kirishima Range passing through groves of trees and expanses of bamboo grass. You'll pass the large crater of Shinmoe-dake with its small lake and hissing thermal vents before descending to the pass at Takachiho-gawara.
 
Day 8
Overnight at Kuju-san
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
Travel by vehicle to the Aso-Kuju National Park in central Kyushu. The centerpiece of this national park is the active volcano, Mount Aso, whose fifteen-mile-wide caldera is among the world's largest. The picturesque, grassy highland plain of Kusasenri-ga-hama and the active crater of Naka-dake are highlights of a hike you'll enjoy in this area. Following the hike, continue by vehicle to your accommodations for the evening nestled on the slopes of Mount Kuju.

Photograph ©JNTO
Landscape in the Aso-Kuju National Park.

Day 9
Overnight at Kuju-san
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
 Today’s hike will take you from the Makinoto Pass up the slopes of Mount Kuju (Kuju-san), the highest peak on Kyushu. Bamboo grass and azalea bushes line the trail as you ascend the slopes of the volcano. Once you gain the open ridge, the views extend south over the Senomoto Plateau toward the Mount Aso peaks and caldera. Enjoy the “top of the world” views before descending the northern flanks of the volcano to return to the hotel. Overnight once again in comfortable accommodations near Mount Kuju.

Day 10
Overnight at Beppu
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
 Travel to Beppu, a city built on geothermal ground and well-known throughout Japan as a hot spring (onsen) resort. The town's ten jigoku ("hells") are thermal areas featuring bubbling mud pots and springs. Perhaps the most attractive of these are the Umi Jigoku ("Sea Hell") with its turquoise blue hot spring and the neighboring Oniishi Bozu Jigoku ("Shaved Head Hell"), a large pool of bubbling mud. En route to Beppu, hike up to the top of twin-peaked Yufu-dake which provides far-ranging views over a landscape of rolling hills toward the Kuju-san volcano. A farewell dinner this evening caps off your Kyushu hiking adventure. Your accommodations this evening, breakfast the following morning, and a transfer to the Oita Airport tomorrow morning are included.
 
Other Details about this Trip
Accommodations: Eleven nights in hotels and inns. On most evenings you can expect Western-style hotel rooms (i.e. with beds), but please note that Japanese-style rooms (i.e. with tatami mat floors and futon for sleeping) may be the only type of accommodation available. Most of the hotels have rooms with private, Western-style bathing and toilet facilities. Occasionally, bathing facilities will be communal (traditional Japanese-style). These will include separate bathing rooms for men and women with showers and a hot water tub (ofuro) intended for use only after showering. Most of the other hotels used on this trip also offer traditional Japanese bathing facilities, if you prefer to use them. At some inns, single rooms cannot be guaranteed for single travelers although we will try to secure single rooms whenever possible. Single travelers may need to “double up” on these evenings.
Meals: Eleven breakfasts, ten lunches (packed lunch or restaurant depending on the day), and ten dinners are included and will normally be Japanese-style. There are limited Western-style food options at some of the hotels.
 
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