A road trip across Kyushu, Japan takes in panoramic views, volcanoes and hot-spring baths

Post-Covid-19 “revenge travel” and the weakest yen in decades have fuelled a tourism boom in Japan, with visitor numbers for 2024 looking certain to exceed 2019’s record of 31.9 million. While good news for the economy, it means tourist hubs such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto are more packed than ever – which was enough to inspire this traveller to choose a lesser-known part of the country for his latest visit. A trans-Kyushu road trip, in part along the Yamanami Highway, was the perfect option. The road, known for being among Japan’s most scenic, weaves through the mountainous interior of its third-largest island, offering breathtaking volcanic views and passing atmospheric hot-spring – onsen – towns along the way. This family adventure was to begin in Kumamoto in western Kyushu, from where I, guided by my wife and with our two young children in tow, would drive 130km (80 miles) east to Beppu on the opposite side of the island in one day. From there we would backtrack along the Yamanami Highway over the subsequent three days, staying overnight in onsen towns, before arriving back in Kumamoto for the final leg. After touching down at Kumamoto’s airport and arriving in the city in the early evening, we ventured out in search of food and found an izakaya serving basashi, a Kumamoto delicacy of thinly sliced horsemeat, eaten with soy sauce much like sashimi. While horsemeat isn’t something I usually go out of my way to eat, it was delicious, with a texture similar to beef and a surprisingly gentle flavour. When in Rome … The next morning we woke to sunshine; perfect weather for the 20-minute walk to the car rental outlet where our transport was waiting. A couple of things to note about driving in Japan: the Japanese drive on the left, and tend to be considerate, which helped this nervy British driver – who hadn’t held a steering wheel in five years – navigate the city streets until the road opened up and urban sprawl gave way to fields. Our road trip had begun, and half an hour outside Kumamoto we reached Mount Aso, Japan’s largest active volcano, which last erupted in 2021. When conditions are safe – as they are currently – it is possible to hike to the crater, but we thought it best to admire the mountain from afar with our two young travel companions, and settled for an animal park in the foothills for a quick stop. As out of place as a menagerie with capybara, beavers and flamingos may seem deep in the Japanese countryside, we imagined it perfect for a two-year-old Hongkonger to stretch her legs and interact with exciting, unfamiliar creatures. She was terrified and stayed glued to our legs – but at least we adults enjoyed it. Back on the road, the landscape began to change as we drove through Aso’s caldera basin, where vast expanses of farmland gave way to hulking mountains on both sides of the highway. The road wound up into the hills and past the Shiroyama Scenic Overlook, a viewpoint 750 metres (2,460ft) above sea level and a great spot to stop and take in panoramic views of the area. About half an hour’s drive further east, the Makinoto Pass, with an elevation of 1,330 metres, is the highest point on the Yamanami Highway, and marked the beginning of its most impressive section for my money. The Kuju Mountains, Kyushu’s highest, appear to bear down on the road in these parts, and in their shadows lie the Tadewara Wetlands, where we would make our final stop before Beppu. The wetlands cover 38 hectares (93 acres), and an elevated boardwalk allows visitors to get as close to the otherworldly peaks as is possible without climbing them. The early-autumn pampas grass covering the area swayed gently in the wind on our visit, making this high-altitude gem feel particularly serene. A stay at a ryokan, a traditional inn, is highly recommended when travelling in Japan, and ours in Beppu did not disappoint. I got a great night’s sleep on the soft futons laid out in our tatami room, especially after a day on the road. The next morning, I took in the views of Beppu Bay from our room’s window, then headed downstairs for a traditional Japanese breakfast with grilled flatfish and jakoten fishcake, miso soup and tsukemono pickles. Before heading back to the room I managed to steal a few minutes in the ryokan’s onsen bath – my first of the trip. It was blissful. Beppu is a heavyweight among Japanese hot-spring towns, with the highest output of onsen water in the country. So abundant are the springs here that some are enjoyed for viewing rather than bathing. After checking out of the ryokan, our first stop of the day was at one of the viewing onsens, or jikoku (“hells”) as they’re called. Umi Jikoku (Sea Hell) – is a large, bubbling blue pool from which rises a perpetual cloud of thick steam. Set among well-manicured gardens, it was pleasant enough, but served only to reinforce my belief that looking at hot water isn’t as fun as sitting in it. It was time to wander further into town in search of a bathhouse. The health benefits of Beppu’s mineral-rich water – which include promoting circulation, detoxifying the body and moisturising the skin – are believed to have been discovered by monks who bathed here during the Kamakura period (1185–1333). Although none of the town’s extant bathhouses date back that far, some list their ages in triple digits, including Hyotan Onsen. Built in 1911 by a man to heal his wife of arthritis, Hyotan has since grown to feature multiple indoor and outdoor baths, steam and sand baths, and even “waterfalls” where water smashes the back and shoulders after falling a considerable height from bamboo chutes. Who knew water torture could be considered therapeutic? Refreshed and slightly sore following that mix of pleasure and pain, it was time to get back on the Yamanami Highway for a 40-minute drive to Yufuin Onsen, where we would be spending the third night of our trip. Yufuin, while not as famous as Beppu, is a more typical Japanese tourist town, its main drag lined with souvenir shops and food vendors serving everything from ice cream to sugar-coated fried sweet potato. The penultimate night of our cross-Kyushu road trip was to be spent in Kurokawa Onsen, an idyllic town nestled in a verdant valley 50km southwest of Yufuin along winding mountain roads. Kurokawa is characterised by its beautiful, understated wooden buildings painted in earthy colours that line the river running through the town, and draws visitors with its nearly 30 hot spring baths that can be hopped between using a pass allowing access to all for 1,300 yen (US$8.44). Ryokan stays in town can be expensive, especially for a family of four, so we opted to stay a five-minute drive outside the main town in a rustic cottage. We checked in at dusk and that night enjoyed our own private outdoor onsen bath before bed. Speaking of outdoor onsen baths, or rotenburo, Kurokawa is known for its abundance of them, and the next morning we were back in town to try a few. My favourite was at the Yamabiko Ryokan, where I whiled away a good 45 minutes soaking among rocks and trees as the stresses of life evaporated with the steam from the water’s surface. The last leg of the trip was the drive back towards Kumamoto. Passing Mount Aso for the second time we felt a tinge of sadness, but I was excited to visit Kumamoto’s top tourist attraction before our return flight to Hong Kong. Kumamoto Castle was originally built in 1607, and although today most of its buildings are reconstructions, it remains one of Japan’s most impressive castles. The main keep, painted a menacing black and white, towers over the grounds and inside, a museum on the castle’s construction sprawls over several floors. The castle played an important role in the Seinan War, also known as the Satsuma Rebellion, a few years after the 1868 Meiji Restoration took Japan from a feudal society to a modern nation under one government. Back then, the castle served as a garrison for troops of the new national government, and in 1877, Saigo Takamori, known as Japan’s “last samurai”, led an army of rebels to lay siege to the castle. Although outnumbered, the government forces held out, forcing the rebels to retreat after two months of attacks. More recently, the castle made headlines for the damage it sustained during the deadly 2016 Kyushu earthquake. At every turn, scars on the stone walls and wooden buildings illustrated the might of mother nature in this seismically active part of the country. They also reminded me of the resilience and ingenuity of Kyushu’s people, who have rebuilt castles from rubble, carved roads through mountains, and who pump boiling water up from deep beneath the Earth’s surface in the name of healing and enjoyment. I’ll be sure to return to this special island in the future for both those things.

A road trip across Kyushu, Japan takes in panoramic views, volcanoes and hot-spring baths

Driving along the Yamanami Highway from Kumamoto to Beppu and back brings beautiful views and chances to relax in hot-spring baths