Konnichiwa Kyushu (16 to 28 November 2015)

We are back in the land of the rising sun again after our honeymoon in Hokkaido in 2014! Over 13 days in November 2015, we travelled the length and breadth of this beautiful yet underrated part of Japan, traversing five out of the seven prefectures on the island (Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Kumamoto and Oita)! Despite spending close to two weeks here, there are still a lot of places left unexplored! 

(The stars shows the various places of attractions that we were looking to visit – we did not make it to all of them, especially those on the west coast. Reason to go back again next time!)

As with our previous holiday, we rented a car on this trip which allowed us to journey to the more remote parts of Kyushu. I loved the freedom and flexibility of having our own ride. We went where we wanted to and we could stop anywhere we liked (as long as traffic rules permit). We explored places well beyond the usual tourist traps and into ulu mountain villages and small towns not found in the typical guidebooks.

This really paid off because we were rewarded with a rich cultural experience of living like locals. What left the deepest impression for me was how warm and friendly the people are. Throughout this entire trip, we had a lot of chance encounters and interactions with the locals due to the places we stayed at and it is these human connections that made this a very special trip for us.

Kyushu! We’ll be back!