Japan is made up of four main islands, Honshu, Kyushu (九州) and Shikoku and Hokkaido. Today, we will be going on a free and easy trip around Fukuoka (福岡) located in Kyushu. The city of Fukuoka is also known as Hakata.
For this self drive trip, I took roughly a circular route starting from Fukuoka, then headed south to Kumamoto. Next on the destination was the Aso area before taking the Yamanami scenic route to Oita/Beppu. On the way back to Fukuoka, I also made a detour to the Tosu factory outlet (Premium outlets) for some shopping.
Fukuoka became the staging point for me in this free and easy journey. Our very first stop was the Aeon Mall in Fukuoka to stock up on supplies plus dinner in the shopping complex. Then it was time to get some rest at the hotel before taking the drive south to Kumamoto the next morning.
1. Kumamoto city and Kumamoto Castle
Kumamoto is located roughly in the centre of Kyushu. It is a major city with a population of around 750,000. It is also called a “City of Forests” since green forests cover about 60% of the entire prefecture.
It also houses one of the largest-scale shopping arcade in Japan. The arcade is in the city centre, housing a huge variety of shops. We stayed in the city area and was able to walk around town and explore the shopping arcade.
Kumamoto Castle (熊本城), one of the great castles in Japan, is a big tourist magnet located in centre of the city area. Unfortunately, there was heavy damage to the castle in the April 2016 earthquake and it is now closed to the public.
2. Fruit picking in Kumamoto fruit farms
Kumamoto is also known as the land of fruits. There are various farms which you could visit for fruit picking. Kichijien (吉次園, Tel: 096-273-2544) is one of the tourist farms which you can visit. It is located in the more remote farm areas quite a distance away from the city. You will need a rental car to get there.
Do take note of the fruit picking season. While they are open most of the year, June is when it is closed to visitors.
3. Aso Farm Land
Next on the route was Aso Farm Land (阿蘇ファームランド, Tel: 0967-67-2100). This is a rather interesting and unique place, which combines Experience, Sports, Healing, Gourmet, Stay and Shopping in one huge expansive location. There is some impact from the April 2016 earthquake and the resort will be reopened in August 2016.
One of the things that catches your eye would be the unique accommodation facilities. There are a few clusters of dome huts very much like igloos against the Aso mountain range backdrop. These are the hotel rooms that you will be staying in. This would be the “Stay” zone.
Hot springs can be found in the “Healing” zone. There are different options available, such as the open air spa, hot spring with scenic view, the mineral water bath and the herbal water bath.
There are different sporting activities available in the “Sports” zone which is in the Forest Vitality area. There are different interactive equipment here to get a fun workout in a nature setting.
In the “Experience” zone, you will be able to get close up to some farm animals. There is also a feeding area where some animals are roaming around. You can buy animal feed from a dispenser and have fun feeding these animals in the enclosure.
4. Mount Aso
Near to Aso Farm Land is Mt. Aso. (阿蘇山), located within the Aso-Kuju National Park. It is an active volcano with a massive caldera housing a range of five peaks including Mt. Nakadake and its crater.
Due the increased volcanic activity, probably due to the April 2016 earthquake, access to the Nakadake crater has been closed. There is a level 2 eruption warning and all area within 1km of the carter is off limits. Previously, you could either take the Mt. Aso ropeway (Tel: 0967-34-0411) to the visit the crater or even drive up via a toll road.
5. Yamanami scenic route and Kokonoe Yume Suspension Bridge
The Yamanami Highway or Route 11 in the maps takes you through the rolling, grass covered hills of Kyushu. It roughly stretches from Beppu City/Oita to Aso City/Kumamoto. It is a popular drive with many great hot spring spots along the way. There are also many scenic viewing spots as well as trails for hiking and walking.
One of the key attractions along the route is the Kokonoe Yume Suspension Bridge (九重”夢”大吊橋, Tel: 0973-73-3800). Standing at 173m tall and spanning 390m long, it is the highest pedestrian walkway bridge in Japan. From the bridge, you would be able to see Shindonotaki falls (震動の滝), which is among the top 100 waterfalls in Japan.
6. Chojabaru Visitor Centre
Another place to visit along the Yamanami Highway would be the Chojabaru Visitor Centre (Tel: 0973-79-2154) which is within the Aso Kuju National Park, midway between Aso and Yufuin. From the Visitor Centre, you will be able to catch of view of the Mt Io and the three domed Mt. Mimata.
The key feature would be the Tadawara Marsh on the north west side of the Kuju mountain range. It is a basin shaped wetland caused by historical volcanic activity. There are 3 walking courses to choose from, the Marsh Boardwalk, the Marsh and Grassland trail and the Forest trail. The shortest course would be the Marsh Boardwalk, taking about 20 to 30 minutes at a very leisurely pace. The entrance to the boardwalk is near to the Visitor Centre.
7. Mt. Takasaki Wild Monkey Park
As we continue driving east, we reached Oita (大分), which is where the Mt. Takasaki Wild Monkey Park (高崎山自然動物園, Tel: 097-532-5010) is located. It is a monkey reserve at the base of Mount Takasaki, housing around 1400 wild monkeys that roam freely on the mountain slopes. Yes, these are wild monkey and visitors must keep their distance, neither tease nor feed them and not to look them in the eye.
The park was opened as a way to solve the human-monkey conflict. These monkeys are feed regularly so that not encroach into residential areas nor farming areas. You can see the huge hordes of monkeys running for the food when it’s feeding time.
With that, we headed back to Fukuoka, but made a detour to Tosu, location of the nearest Premium Outlets.
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