{"id":100790,"date":"2024-03-04T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-04T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=100790"},"modified":"2024-03-04T11:33:04","modified_gmt":"2024-03-04T02:33:04","slug":"explore-kyushu-the-adventure-wonderland-of-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/explore-kyushu-the-adventure-wonderland-of-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Explore Kyushu: The Adventure Wonderland of Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Between you and me, if I had to pick only one island in Japan to visit for the rest of my days, it would be Kyushu<\/strong><\/a>. It is an island with pristine nature, outstanding cuisine, vivid daily and cultural life, and a deep history tied to the first phase of Japan’s encounter with Western culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kyushu is also Japan’s outdoor adventure wonderland with a mild climate, mountainous terrain, small islands, and an endless coastline, all adequate for outdoor activities. Offering the best of all worlds to its visitors, the island, with its well-established tourism infrastructure, is home to an array of outdoor experiences that blend the island’s nature, culture, and history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, I will introduce you to two multi-day experiences in Hirosaki Island and the Kunisaki Peninsula of Kyushu, opening the door for you to enjoy the unique culture, nature, and history of the island not only as observers but as active participants. These trips will take you to mountaintops where you will be greeted by shrines, down to UNESCO Heritage villages, onto a paddle board in the ocean, and will allow you to experience the calming yet still thrilling allure of rural life in Kyushu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The historical Hirado Island holds a very important place in Japan’s history. The harbor of the island was one of the places where the Portuguese ships arrived in the 16th century, kicking off the first phase of interaction between Japanese and Western cultures. <\/p>\n\n\n As a result, the highly intriguing and mystical island is one of those unique places in Japan where the traces of Western culture, such as churches, are as noticeable as traditional Japanese architecture and sites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this three-night, four-day tour, you will get the opportunity to encounter what makes this island a unique destination. While Hirado Island is connected to the mainland Kyushu by a suspension bridge, the tour starts with a boat trip, allowing visitors to appreciate the island’s topography from sea level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Soon after arriving at the port, you will get on your bikes to explore Hirado town. The first stop is Hirado Castle, <\/strong>which offers panoramic views of the town. It was originally built right before the start of the Edo Period, although the current castle tower was restored in 1962. The first day includes stops at a mix of sites related to both Japanese and Western culture and history, from a museum dedicated to the ruling samurai clan of the island to churches located next to Buddhist temples.<\/p>\n\n\n After a relatively easy first day, the second day will take you deep into the mountains. The hike to UNESCO Heritage Yasuman-dake<\/strong> offers a glimpse into a side of Japan that I greatly admire: how any outdoor experience also profoundly relates to the country’s culture. You will be greeted by stone steps leading up to the mountaintop, leading the way to a shrine frequently visited by locals. The mountain, seen as a sacred place by Shintoists, was also designated as such, although secretly, by the Hidden Christians of Japan<\/strong><\/a>, who had to practice their faith in secret during a period when Christianity was banned in the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The descent from the mountain will take you down to Kasuga Village<\/strong>, also listed as a UNESCO Heritage Site. With scenery dominated by rice fields, the village offers the perfect, and visually delicious, representation of the rural and agricultural life on the island. Kasuga is also among the places in coastal Kyushu that had once been a gracious host of the Hidden Christians.<\/p>\n\n\n On the third day, prepare to be out on the sea on a fishing boat operated by locals! The breakfast will consist of freshly caught fish that you will (hopefully) catch. The marina outing will be followed by a relaxing biking trip on the neighboring Ikitsu Island<\/strong>, where you will ride on a road with dramatic cliffs on one side and the sea on the other. You will take a lunch break at Ohbae Lighthouse<\/strong>. The afternoon will involve more cycling, this time taking you through the island’s villages to observe the local island life. <\/p>\n\n\n The remainder of the tour focuses more on culinary experiences with a night out in a local izakaya (Japanese pub) with locals, as well as trying your hand at making Hirado’s local specialty, casdoce<\/em> \u2013 a confection inspired by western cuisine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To arrange the tour, please contact the Hirado Tourism Association:<\/p>\n\n\n\nFrom the mountains down to the sea, explore Hirado Island<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n