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from Yashima is the small island of Megi-jima (population 250), also known as Oni-ga-shima (Demon Island). It was here that Momotarō, the legendary Peach Boy (see boxed text), met and conquered the mythical demons. You can tour the impressive caves (087-873-0728; admission ¥500; 8.30am-5pm) where the demons are said to have hidden. Today the caves are inhabited by large multicoloured plastic demons pulling scary faces at each other. Five or six boats a day run to Megi-jima from Takamatsu (¥720 return, 20 minutes), departing from the docks on the northern edge of the city. A shuttle bus meets the boat and whisks you straight to the cave (¥600). You’ll be on and off the island in not much more than an hour. There are some good views from the hillside by the caves, and if it’s a nice day the ferry ride is quite pleasant, too – but this is not an island for which it’s worth going far out of your way.

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Kyūshū

* * *

FUKUOKA-KEN

FUKUOKA (HAKATA)

DAZAIFU

FUTSUKAICHI ONSEN

TACHIARAI

KURUME

SAGA-KEN

KARATSU

YOBUKO

IMARI

ARITA

NORTHWEST ISLANDS

IKI

HIRADO-SHIMA

GOTŌ-RETTŌ

NAGASAKI-KEN

NAGASAKI

AROUND NAGASAKI

SHIMABARA PENINSULA

UNZEN

SHIMABARA

KUMAMOTO-KEN

KUMAMOTO

YAMAGA & KIKUCHI ONSEN

ASO-SAN AREA

KUROKAWA ONSEN

AMAKUSA ARCHIPELAGO

KAGOSHIMA-KEN

KIRISHIMA-YAKU NATIONAL PARK

KIRISHIMA-SHI KOKUBU

KAGOSHIMA

SAKURAJIMA

SATSUMA PENINSULA

AROUND SATSUMA PENINSULA

ŌSUMI PENINSULA

MIYAZAKI-KEN

MIYAZAKI

AOSHIMA & KAEDA

UDO-JINGŪ

OBI

NICHINAN-KAIGAN & CAPE TOI

SAITOBARU

TAKACHIHO

ŌITA-KEN

USUKI

BEPPU

KUNISAKI PENINSULA

YUFUIN

YUFUIN TO ASO-SAN

* * *

Kyūshū has long been internationally aware. It was from here that young intellectuals of the Meiji Restoration carried a resistant Japan towards modernity, closing a long chapter of feudal history and ending the way of the Samurai. Today, burgeoning Fukuoka is a multicultural, street-chic metropolis and significant Asian hub. To the west, picturesque Nagasaki, Japan’s original gateway to the world beyond, offers a message of hope from a tragic story.

Kyūshū’s geothermal core warms a fertile terrain. Rolling hills of lush grasses give way to rugged peaks and the craters of several active volcanoes. Hiking and photographic opportunities abound in Kyūshū’s four national parks. If the otherworldly landscape of the Aso caldera doesn’t tempt, smouldering Sakurajima, looming over Kagoshima, probably will – frequently showering the city with the kind of fine ash put to good use in the pottery towns of Karatsu and Arita.

Coastal Beppu is Japan’s hot-spring mecca, but Yufuin, Kurokawa Onsen and Unzen also promise tranquil forests and a chance to soak. The southern cities of Kagoshima and Miyazaki have a vibe of their own, with glimpses of alternative lifestyles in otherwise structured Japan.

Sadly, Kyūshū’s smaller cities are depopulating rapidly. Young people are drawn to the bright lights of Fukuoka, Osaka and Tokyo, and the risk of losing traditional ways of living in this ancient region is increasing. Some foresight, however, has led to the establishment of galleries and museums in most large towns, sharing centuries of culture and storytelling.

Nationally, Kyūshū is known for its warm climate, friendly people and the quality of the local brew, shō-chū.

* * *

HIGHLIGHTS

Join the night owls for beer and yakitori at a Fukuoka yatai (hawker-style food stall)

Let the volcanic antics of Sakurajima put life in perspective

Soak in a Beppu hillside onsen au naturale

Hike among rare azaleas and stunning vistas in the Kirishima-Yaku National Park

Allow Nagasaki to touch your heart and open your mind

Recharge your batteries in tranquil Unzen

Get buried in warm volcanic sand in Ibusuki

Chill out in Aoshima and the Nichinan coast

Drink distilled sweet-potato shō-chū in Kagoshima

* * *

History

Excavations near Kagoshima dating to around 10,000 BC indicate southern Kyūshū was the likely entry point of the Jōmon culture, which gradually crept north.

Japan’s centuries-old trade with