Journey to the Land of Fire

Day 1 Hiroshima to Beppu    
Leave Hiroshima behind this morning and catch the train across to volcanic Kyushu, Japan’s ‘Land of Fire’. Head to Beppu, which with over 2,500 hot springs is the second largest source of thermal spring water on the planet. Visit the famous ‘Hells of Beppu’, boiling hot multi-coloured pools emitting sulphurous gases, some with regularly erupting geysers which can spout up to 50m high!      

Day 2 Beppu to Fukuoka    
Enjoy a dip in one of the town’s many onsen before taking the train to the vibrant port city of Fukuoka. In the evening, why not head to some of the city’s 250 open air food stalls to try out some local delicacies?    

Day 3 Fukuoka    
Explore the city at your leisure. Highlights include the bustling fish market, the serenely beautiful Ohori Park and the Fukuoka Art Museum. Later this afternoon meet with your guide for a fantastic food tour sampling the city’s famous delectable cuisine.    

Day 4 Fukuoka to Kumamoto    
Enjoy some retail therapy at the popular shopping and entertainment complex of Canal City, complete with dancing fountains, before catching your train to Kumamoto. On a clear day you might catch a glimpse of Japan’s largest active volcano, Mount Aso, towering behind the city.      

Day 5 Kumamoto to Nagasaki    
Take a stroll past impressive Kumamoto Castle, arguably Japan’s finest, before heading to the beautifully landscaped Suizen-ji Joju-en Gardens. In the afternoon take the train to Nagasaki.

Day 6 Nagasaki    
Uncover Nagasaki’s varied, and at times tragic, history on a full day tour with a private guide. Visit historic Dejima, an island enclave used to isolate the ‘barbarian’ western traders of old, and the Museum of History and Culture to learn about the prominent role Nagasaki has played in foreign trade relations over the centuries. Later visit the sobering Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and Nagasaki Peace Park, where a monolith draped with flower garlands marks the exact spot where the atomic bomb exploded on 9 Aug 1945.      

Day 7 Nagasaki to Kyoto    
Cross back to Japan’s main island of Honshu before continuing to Kyoto by train for your onward arrangements.