The southwesternmost of Japan’s four main islands, Kyushu receives relatively few foreign visitors, but it is rich in history and lush natural beauty. It was through here that early travellers from China and Korea usually arrived in Japan, bringing Confucian thought, Buddhism, writing, tea and, later, Zen teachings.
Still later, Portuguese and Dutch merchants arrived (in 1543 and 1600, respectively), staying on in the ports of Hirado and Nagasaki – which during the closed Edo period were Japan’s only gateways to the outside world. Their influence can be seen in the region’s food, architecture, and more, says Christopher P. Hill on DestinAsian – which adds an extra layer of interest to a tour of this western corner of the island, such as Walk Japan’s 10-day group walking trip.
One of the more easygoing of Walk Japan’s options, our tour only involved about five kilometres of walking per day, with other travel by coach, train and ferry. We stayed in a mix of hotels and traditional inns, or ryokans, often in towns centred around onsens (natural hot springs). My favourite was Yoyokaku, an “elegant” family-owned ryokan in the town of Karatsu, with a garden of “meticulously pruned” pines.
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The food on the trip was “outstanding”, from meals in simple izakayas (taverns) to multi-course kaiseki dinners with “seasonal dishes almost too pretty to eat”. We saw the “luminous”, Korean-influenced pottery produced in the “picturesque” towns of Okawachiyama and Arita, and visited the Takatori Residence in Karatsu, a fin-de-siècle industrialist’s house with a “sublime” Noh theatre and Western conveniences including electric lights and a grand piano.
Nagasaki was “fascinating”, but I particularly loved the smaller port of Hirado. Its attractions include the Matsura Historical Museum (which preserves 17th-century tea traditions), and the breathtaking views afforded of the “island-studded” Genkai Sea from the Kawachi Pass.
The trip costs from £3,140pp, excluding international flights, walkjapan.com
