Upon arrival at Fukuoka Airport, you will meet your local guide and head into central Fukuoka. As the sun sets for the evening, yatai food stalls begin to pop up all over the city streets with their bright lights and shop curtains for a lively, dynamic sight you will only find in Fukuoka. Concentrated primarily in the Tenjin, Nakasu, and Nagahama areas, you can find yatai offering a wide variety of cuisines and alcoholic beverages, such as Hakata’s famous tonkotsu (pork-bone broth) ramen, oden (variety of foods in hot broth often consumed in winter), gyoza (Chinese dumplings), tempura, as well as original dishes. Yatai create the perfect atmosphere for socializing with shopkeepers, regular customers, and fellow travelers alike. After dinner, head to your hotel for the night.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Dinner

Today explore the city with your guide. Begin the day by getting dressed up in a kimono and exploring local temples of importance. Start with a visit to Jotenji Temple, founded in 1242 and offering a stunning Zen garden, before moving on to Tochoji Temple, where you’ll find the biggest wooden Buddha in Japan and a beautiful five-storied Pagoda. After lunch, take part in a calligraphy class where you can learn new techniques and how to express a theme through your work.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Leave Fukuoka with your guide and head to Nagasaki. Visit the former Dutch trading port of Dejima to learn about one of the first points of contact between Japan and European countries, then visit Glover Garden and Oura Cathedral to see where these first visitors to Japan set up residence and influenced the local area. End the day with a trip up the ropeway to the observation deck of Mt. Inasa, known as one of the three most beautiful night views in Japan. After, have dinner and then spend the night in Nagasaki.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Today you will leave Nagasaki and head to Kumamoto. Upon arrival, visit the beautiful Suizenji Jojuen garden where you can stroll around a pond fed by springs from Mount Aso, before heading to the former residence and museum of Lafcadio Hearn, one of the first foreign authors to write about Japan whilst living in the country. Explore the reconstruction of Josaien, a former castle town and then visit Kumamoto Castle. The construction of Kumamoto Castle in the early 1600s took seven years, and it was designed by Kato Kiyomasa, the local feudal lord (daimyo). Kato was well known for his castle design skills, and his fortifications were highly regarded for their strategic effectiveness. After visiting the castle, have dinner and then spend the night in Kumamoto.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Head to your final destination, the hot spring town of Beppu. See some of the various hot spring “hells”. The name, Jigoku (hell), was derived from the fact that the site is unapproachable, because of the 100 degree fumarolic gas. Its onsen eggs (eggs boiled in the hot spring) and steamed vegetables are particularly popular with visitors. Spend the afternoon relaxing in the sand baths, where visitors are covered in sand that is said to have healing properties. Spend the evening having dinner and then staying in Beppu.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today you will visit the beautiful town of Yufuin, where you can spend a free day exploring the area. This is a charming hot spring town with plenty of cafes, boutique shops and museums to visit. Take a stroll down the town and to Lake Kinrinko, a welcome nature spot where you can take a relaxing break. Yufuin Floral Village is an English-inspired village with each shop dedicated to a cartoon character. After finishing in Yufuin, you will return to Fukuoka and spend the night.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, you will say goodbye to your guide at Hakata Station before heading on the train to Kansai International Airport where you can catch your plane home.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast