Your English speaking guide for this trip, Ken Takenaga, will meet you at your hotel and travel with you to Fukuoka. Depart Tokyo Haneda Airport for a short flight to Fukuoka, You’re in for a day of cultural immersion and uniquely Japanese entertainment.

Dazaifu Tenman-gū – As far back as the 7th century, this shrine promoted learning, sincerity and protection from evil. The approach to Dazaifu Tenman-gū is lined with 80 shops, including a uniquely beautiful Starbucks fashioned from 2,000 cedar beams and no nails!

Lunch: We’ll have lunch at a local restaurant, where you can enjoy a variety of traditional dishes, after which we depart for Yamaga City, just an hour away.

Yachiyoza Kabuki Theater – In its heyday, Yamaga was a bustling commerce center and onsen (hot springs bathing) destination. To entice travelers, local merchants built the Yachiyoza (“Eternal Place”) Kabuki Theatre in a beautiful, Edo-style, now a National Important Asset. Here, you’ll sit on tatami mats and marvel at the costumes as well as stage, which features trapdoors and a rotating panel for scene changes.

Dinner: Gourmet experience at one of Kumamoto’s favourite restaurants.

You are in for a full day of nature, culture, historical attractions and enjoyable shopping.

• Suizenji Japanese Garden – A magical tour in miniature of the 53 post stations of the Tokaido is arrayed in this beautifully blossomed, storybook garden. Here you will be dressed in exquisite Japanese Kimono.
• Jyosai En Cultural Center – Experience Kumamoto’s remarkable history through a unique “virtual reality” exhibit that brings to life the castle, clans and conflict of the region.
• Lunch: Satisfy your craving for local fare at the popular buffet at Ginnan in Kumamoto.
• Kumamoto Castle – – Built by Lord Kato Kiyomasa in 1607, the castle was heavily damaged in the April 2016 earthquakes. Fortunately the main part of the castle is recently opened for the public viewing. We’ll stroll to the grounds and learn about the castle’s prominence in Kumamoto’s history as well as ongoing reconstruction efforts.
• We wrap up the day with more shopping at the renowned Tsuruya Department Store for exceptional housewares, clothing and gift items.

Today you will see first-hand why Kumamoto is referred to as The Land of Fire and Water. Stunning views and refreshing spring waters will quench your spirits.

• Daikanbou Observation Point – From this unique observation point, you will not only enjoy a spectacular, 360-degree view of the Aso Valley and the Five Mountains of Aso (which resemble a sleeping Buddha), but also the world’s largest caldera at Mt. Aso, which measures 120km around.
• Local hotplate lunch – We’re in for a treat unique to the Aso region: Higo steak, which is tender, low-fat beef grilled over charcoal.
• Aso Shrine – Dating from 2,200 years ago, this ancient Shinto shrine lost two key artifacts during the April 2016 quakes: its 2-story high Romon Gate and the Haiden offering hall, which is estimated to take several years to repair. Twelve deities are enshrined here, and a special pine tree is believed to bestow good luck in marriage. After touring the shrine area, we’ll stroll the nearby streets, tasting a range of refreshing spring waters offered by several shops.
• Dinner: Tonight, we’ll enjoy more local tastes of the region.

Today we travel into the past to Gokanosho, the very cauldron of conflict between warring samurai clans.

• Gokanosho – Dubbed “Land of the Last Samurai”, Gokanosho is hidden in the secluded forests of Kumamoto Prefecture. Villages here are home to the Heike clan’s fugitive legend. Redolent with roaring waterfalls, dramatic suspension bridges and mysterious forests, the beauty of Gokanosho is an experience that will pierce your soul and fill your senses with indelible memories! Far off the beaten path of typical tours, Gokanosho is a rare treat for tourists, with breathtaking views enjoyed by a privileged few.
• Sendan Totodo Waterfall and Suspension Bridges – We take a walk in the lush forest to the Sendan Totodo Waterfall, which cascades down steep ravines and gushes into rocky coves below. We then cross a few suspension bridges that link remote pockets of forest villages, each one offering a stunning view into deep ravines and streambeds far below.
• Heike-so Minshuku – Your life may be forever changed spending just a single night at this traditional, remote inn. The Heike-so transports you back to an era in which travelers trekked from outpost to outpost, luxuriating at rustic inns that provided elaborate meals and a relaxing bath at the end of the day. Your room here will be in the traditional Japanese style, but the hospitality and culinary experience is unforgettably world-class.
• Kaiseki Dinner – Expect a sumptuous feast around open fire pits; the local “moonshine” is not to be missed!

We leave Gokanosho after a traditional Japanese breakfast, before embarking on a beautiful drive to Japan’s pearl enclave. We then visit a site rich with religious history and unspoken secrets, before ending the day with an amazing seafood dinner at our hotel.

• Amakusa – Crossing five scenic bridges strung out like a necklace to this city renowned for Japan’s most beautiful pearls.
• Amakusa Christian Museum – The ultra-modern architecture of this museum belies the long history of Christianity in Amakusa, which dates from 1566. Exhibits include the secret, sacred objects carried for hundreds of years by Amakusa’s “hidden Christians” to avoid persecution.
• Sakitsu Church – Rebuilt three times since the Meiji period, the latest design is a striking Gothic style, commissioned by Father Harubu in 1934. Located in a picturesque harbor, the area around the church and Cliffside statue of St. Mary has been designated one of Japan’s Most Beautiful Beaches and 100 Best Sceneries.
• Local Ceramic Factory – At the Jyoho pottery factory, we’ll see how typical pottery is made in Japan, with an opportunity to buy some of the wares.
• Oe Cathedral Church – The personal funds of Father Frédéric Louis Garnier were used to construct this Romanesque-style church in 1933, as a testament to the faith of Christians. The chapel displays rare, sacred paintings as well as statues of Father Garnier and the Virgin Mary.
• Dinner at local restaurant

After breakfast, we take a short ferry to Shimabara, where you’ll enjoy an exciting day of castles and conflict, tales of explosive volcanology, topped off with a good hot soak in a historic spa.

• Hara Castle Ruins – Here, a fierce battle took place in 1637, in which tens of thousands of Christians were slaughtered under royal decree, after they rebelled against draconian laws.
• Mt. Fugen (Unzen) Volcanic Museum – When this volcano erupted unexpectedly in 1991, it took the lives of 43 scientists, journalists, film makers and photographers. We learn more about the underlying geology in the exhibits here.
• Shimabara Castle – Resembling a beautiful wedding cake, this castle required exorbitant taxes for its completion, leading to the Shimabara Rebellion in the 17th century, followed by mass executions, beheadings and the prohibition of Christianity. Today, this major tourist attraction offers multiple floors with fascinating exhibits, stunning views at the top, and the opportunity to don either a warrior’s armor or lovely kimono for a memorable photo keepsake!
• Hot Spring Spa – Relax at day’s end with a long, contemplative soak in hot spring bath at our destination in Takeo Onsen, renowned for its 1,300-year-old hot spring spa, reputed to leave one’s skin soft and supple.

hands-on creativity today, as we wrap up a memorable tour with a genuine, hand-crafted article to remember the trip by.

• Takeo Shrine and Camphor Tree – This ancient Shinto Shrine, reputed to be 1,200 years old, is also the location of a unique treasure: a magnificent, 3,000-year-old camphor tree and shrine, located in a serene bamboo forest.
• Indigo Dyeing Workshop – After a local lunch, you’re in for a real treat! We meet Master Ogata, indigo specialist, at his Akane Indigo Studio. Here, you’ll learn traditional Japanese indigo dying techniques, which you’ll employ to make your own unique indigo scarf.
• Kaiseki dinner – We return to the hotel to relax in the spa before indulging in a fabulous, multi-course kaiseki dinner.

After breakfast at the hotel, depart Takeo City for Shin Tosu and connect with the Shinkansen to Hiroshima, Osaka or Tokyo for your connecting flights home