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Island and region of Japan
Photo: Fg2, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Kyūshū (Japanese: 九州) is the southernmost of the four main islands of Japan. The climate is slightly warmer and more tropical than Honshu, and the southern and eastern coasts are regularly battered by typhoons each year. The terrain is generally mountainous with very fertile valleys much like the rest of Japan, except for the wide plain area at the top of the island - the location of the largest cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyushu.
By plane
Fukuoka (FUK) is Japan's busiest international hub after the trio of Tokyo, Chubu and Kansai and has excellent connections throughout Asia and Japan.
By train
The San'yō Shinkansen (山陽新幹線) line runs from Osaka to Fukuoka and many trains continue along the Kyushu Shinkansen line to Kagoshima.
By bus
Willer Express is a company which provides daily nighttime bus services from Nagoya, Tokyo, and Osaka to Kyushu. They offer online booking services in Japanese, English and Korean.
By boat
Fukuoka is also the gateway to South Korea via Busan by ferry, and a few ferry companies (including JR) operate the route.
By bus
Buses serve those parts of Kyushu outside the railway network, but schedules tend to be very limited.
By car
Renting a car in Kyushu is an interesting choice - While driving in large cities like Fukuoka or Kumamoto can be a pain because of traffic jams, getting into suburban tourist sites by cars, such as…
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one of the most famous hot spring towns in Japan: there are more here than anywhere else in the nation
the largest city and main transport hub. Lots of shopping, museums, unique architecture, and one of the three big sumo tournaments
The island's famous "sand bath" hot spring town
southern city in the shadow of the Sakurajima volcano
a coastal castle town known for its squid market
Kyushu's main port town has a castle, a preserved historical port, and a space theme park
castle town and hub to central Kyushu
beach resort area in southern Kyushu. Surfing, golf, and Aoshima
Japan's first port open to the West, home to the oldest continuous Chinatown, and the site of an atomic bombing at the end of World War II
three islands where many "Hidden Christians" practiced when Christianity was illegal, also known for dolphin watching
subtropical archipelago halfway to Okinawa
an active volcano
a mountainous national park chock full of volcanic craters and hot springs
a rural town known for its wild horses, the Misaki horse, and great surfing
a scenic gorge with deep ties to Shintoism
island home of Japan's space program
an island that used to be its own province known for its unique endangered cat species
subtropical island famous for its giant cedars
Articles and travel topics about Kyushu and Japan.
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