Exploring Kyushu

“How are we going to visit Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Aso, Yufuin, Kagoshima, Sasebo (Huis Ten Bosch) and Nagasaki in five days?” I asked Pat Alberto of Ark Travel when she invited me to go on a trip to Kyushu in Japan. Pat explained to me how the Japan Rail Kyushu trains are so fast and efficient that the challenge of traveling to more than seven different locations in five days is doable. So, I packed my bags and hopped on a Philippine Airlines flight to see more of Japan, one of my favorite countries.

Kyushu is the third largest island of Japan and is nearer to Korea than to Tokyo. We arrived in Fukuoka and immediately went to the Hakata Station, a major railway station that is attached to a huge shopping mall. Being a foodie, I just went straight to the food shops to buy mentaiko (cod roe) and I was lucky as it was in season. I bought everything mentaiko: Dried cod roe, furikake (rice topping), fresh cod roe, cod roe salt, cod roe mayonnaise and mentaiko salad dressing.

After shopping for tons of food and other novelties from my favorite Tokyu Hands department store, we boarded our first Japan Rail train going to Kumamoto, a city famous for its impressive fortified Kumamoto Castle built in 1467.

Kumamoto’s famous cuisine is Hakata chicken soup, a boiled chicken dish spiced up with chili yuzu (a Japanese lemon) and spring onions. The remaining soup is cooked with a choice of rice or noodles. Our group enjoyed this specialty and chicken sashimi for dinner. Raw chicken is definitely something I would  not look for but this chicken sashimi was slightly cured, kind of tasted like chicken ham, but definitely raw.

Another site to see in Kumamoto is the Suizenji Jojuen Garden, a spacious Japanese-style landscape garden built by the Hosokawa family in 1636 as a tea retreat and a temple called Suizenji. The Izumi Shinto Shrine was added here in 1878.

Also in Kumamoto is Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan. It would have been far to access it if not for the  Kyushu Railway Company’s Aso Boy train, which goes directly to the city of Aso. This quaint family-friendly train is equipped with children’s play areas and huge picture windows to enjoy the beautiful scenery on the way.

Aso is a place known for onsen (Japanese bath). There are public onsens in most hotels in this area but there are private ones as well. The soothing, warm sulfuric water is reported to be medicinal as well.

Another short train ride from Aso brought us to the town of Yufuin where the picturesque Kinrin Lake is located. Yufuin also has the most charming little shopping village where one can buy and eat different delicacies. The chili and mushroom products are the best to bring back home. The shopping village also has amazing specialty shops (for dogs and even for owls!), a small petting zoo and an owl museum.

We also did a pit stop at Huis Ten Bosch (House in the Forrest), a theme park in Sasebo that recreates the Netherlands with its display of real size copies of old Dutch buildings. It was a stop I would have personally skipped but members of our group did enjoy it a lot, especially the (mostly Dutch) flowers grown in the area and the spectacular light show they had during the evening. Here, I managed to eat two kilos of grilled Japanese oysters at a ridiculously low price so it made the trip worth it.

Next in our itinerary was the port town of Nagasaki. Its charming sightseeing spots and fascinating historical sites are perfect for tourists to enjoy. The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum is also a must-see as it covers the history when an atomic bomb was dropped over the Urakami district that killed thousands. A life-size replica of an atomic bomb and everyday objects that were damaged that day are also housed in the museum.

Another place of interest in Nagasaki is the Oura Church. Built in the last years of the Edo Period in 1864, it is the oldest standing Christian church in Japan and the first Western building designated as a national treasure. Next to Oura Church is Glover Garden, a park that was the former house of Scotsman Thomas Glover who brought the railway to Nagasaki and built up Mitsubishi steelworks. The Glover Residence and Garden overlooks the magnificent Nagasaki Harbor and is considered an important cultural asset in Japan. Going down from this area, there were several shops selling Castella cake, a Nagasaki specialty brought in by the Portuguese who brought a lot of sugar when Nagasaki opened its ports for trade. The Castella cake is a light and sweet sponge cake that may or may not be covered in chocolate. We took another train to Kagoshima, our last city in this so far wonderful trip.

Kagoshima is a large city with lots of shopping malls and home to one of the best meats in the world — the Kagoshima beef. It also has the large and modern Kagoshima City Aquarium situated near a shopping district known as “Dolphin Port.” We visited a beautiful samurai’s garden called Sengan-En (www.senganen.com), built in 1658 as the villa of the Shimadzu family. Flowers bloom here during all four seasons and during the time we were there, the chrysanthemums were each about the size of my head! This is also the place where one can get the best view of Sakurajima (Cherry Blossom Island).

The last train we took was to go back to Fukuoka before heading to the airport. The trip may have been hectic but the efficiency and convenience of the Japan Kyushu Railway trains made it smoothly possible. Plan your trip ahead of time and get your itinerary ready. All one has to do is carry the JR Kyushu Rail Pass, which can take one to all these areas and more! 

Now the big question in my mind is: When can I go back to Kyushu and visit all the other places I have not discovered?

(For more information about JR Kyushu Railway, visit www.jrkyushu.co.jp/english/index.jsp. Philippine Airlines flies daily to Fukuoka.

Check out www.philippineairlines.com or call PAL Reservations at 855-8888. Ark Travel Express Inc. is located at L/G 3&4 Alfaro Place, 146 L.P. Leviste St. Salcedo Village, Makati City. For inquiries, call 816-199 and 815-2296, e-mail [email protected] and [email protected] or visit www.arktravelexpress.com.)

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