Four days with your own private vehicle, built around Kyushu's best-loved hot springs: Yufuin Onsen, Akamizu Onsen on the slopes of Mt. Aso and Kurokawa Onsen, with time for Yunotsubo Street and Lake Kinrin. The pace and stops flex around your group, ideal for travellers who want to explore Japan in comfort and depth.
Overview
This four-day, three-night charter takes you deep into Kyushu's hot-spring country and its quieter natural corners, visiting three celebrated onsen destinations: Yufuin Onsen, Kurokawa Onsen and Akamizu Onsen at Mt. Aso. Stroll Yunotsubo Street and linger over the mirror-still waters of Lake Kinrin; brave the Kokonoe Yume Suspension Bridge and walk behind the curtain of Nabegataki Falls; climb to the Daikanbo Lookout for sweeping views of the Aso volcano and step into the mysterious Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine. Each night you stay at a hot-spring ryokan, with kaiseki dinners and a long soak to end the day. Made for slow travellers who love restorative scenery and local culture.
Highlights
Itinerary
Your driver meets you at Fukuoka Airport and heads straight for Yufuin, one of Kyushu's most popular destinations. First stop is Yunotsubo Street, a charming lane of Japanese character lined with speciality shops and dessert cafes, perfect for a wander and a little shopping. From there it is a short hop to the serene Lake Kinrin, whose surface mirrors the changing seasons like a painted scroll. In the late afternoon you check in to the hot-spring inn Yufuin Baien Garden Resort, where a natural onsen and a generous kaiseki dinner wash away the journey in true Japanese style.
After breakfast, head to the Kokonoe Yume Suspension Bridge, Japan's highest pedestrian suspension bridge, with a dramatic view over the gorge and its waterfalls and a superb photo spot. Next is Nabegataki Falls Park, where a path leads right behind the waterfall for a perspective you will not find elsewhere. For lunch we suggest Yaoyorozu Seiniku Honpo Fujimoto, a well-known local horse-meat specialist. In the afternoon you continue to Kurokawa Onsen, celebrated as a 'village of hidden hot springs', and settle in at the popular inn Yamamizuki to enjoy the open-air baths and a first-class onsen dinner amid quiet mountain woodland.
After breakfast, a day of nature and culture in the Aso region begins. First comes the Daikanbo Lookout (Aso), with a vast panorama over the five peaks of Aso and the grasslands below. You then visit the atmospheric Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine, where hushed stone steps and towering old trees create a profound sense of history. Lunch is at Takamori Dengaku Village for authentic country cooking. In the afternoon you reach Shirakawa Springs, whose crystal-clear water is a gift of the Aso volcano. Tonight you stay at Aso Hakuun Sanso, relaxing in the waters of Akamizu Onsen over a nourishing dinner.
After breakfast and check-out, you set off for Tosu Premium Outlets, the largest outlet mall in Kyushu, where international and Japanese brands sit side by side for a final round of shopping, souvenirs and fashion finds. Lunch is yours to choose from the mall's wide range of dining. Your driver then takes you to Fukuoka Airport for the flight home, closing four days and three nights of hot springs and natural beauty with a bag full of memories.
Inclusions
Quoted per trip. Tell us your dates and group size and a travel consultant will send a tailored quote within 24 hours.
Japan charter packages include 10 hours of vehicle use per day (between 08:00 and 20:00); overtime is charged in 60-minute units. One-way transfers between different cities need to allow for the driver's return journey. Japanese regulations recommend a child safety seat for children under 5 or below 120 cm in height; please tell us how many you need when booking. If you are travelling with a lot of luggage, we recommend booking a suitably larger vehicle. The final plan and quote are confirmed by your travel consultant.
Stops
One of Japan's best-known hot-spring destinations, famed for the quality of its waters and its natural scenery. Most of the inns are small onsen ryokan offering private baths and refined kaiseki cuisine. With a lively shopping quarter close at hand, it blends relaxation with cultural experience and is a wonderful place to unwind properly.
Yufuin's most popular strolling street, lined on both sides with characterful boutiques, dessert cafes and artisan workshops in a setting that mixes nature with an artistic air. Only a few hundred metres long, it packs in the charm of Kyushu and is perfect for a leisurely walk with camera in hand, a must on any visit to Yufuin.
A tranquil little lake in Yufuin, named for the fish-scale shimmer on its surface. On autumn and winter mornings mist often rises from the water in a dreamlike haze. Cafes and footpaths line the shore, and a walk around the lake reveals the changing seasons, making it Yufuin's signature natural sight.
Ranked among Japan's three great hidden hot springs, this village sits in a valley full of nostalgic timber inns. Its many bathhouses each have their own character, from open-air rotenburo to herbal baths. The Nyuto Tegata bathing pass lets visitors sample several inns' baths in a single day, making it a pilgrimage site for onsen lovers.
A 390-metre pedestrian suspension bridge standing 173 metres high, the loftiest skywalk in Japan. From the deck you look out over the magnificent Kyusuikei Gorge and Shindo Falls, with cherry blossom in spring and fiery foliage in autumn. Crossing is a test of nerve and a superb photo opportunity.
Known for its unusual view from behind the waterfall. The fine curtain of water and dreamlike setting make it a favourite hidden spot for photographers. The park's paths are gentle, so families and casual visitors alike can explore its quiet natural beauty with ease.
Perched on the northern rim of the Aso caldera, this lookout commands a view over all five peaks of Aso and the Kusasenri grasslands, a picture-perfect panorama on a clear day. Seas of cloud at dawn and glowing sunsets are both spectacular, making it one of the most iconic viewpoints in the Aso region.
A mysterious, hushed old shrine reached by stone steps that climb through towering cedars in an atmosphere of solemn, otherworldly calm. It is said to hold the power to ward off evil and misfortune, and the giant rock and legends within its grounds add to the mystique of this spiritual power spot.
Takamori Dengaku Village is a rustic hamlet in Takamori, in Kumamoto's Aso region, that combines dining with cultural experience and is famed for traditional charcoal-grilled dengaku. Fresh local vegetables, tofu and miso are threaded onto bamboo skewers and slow-grilled over charcoal, served with a fragrant miso glaze. The whole meal is simple and traditional, as if you had stepped back into village life of old. Seating is in old farmhouses around sunken hearths, a wonderful way to taste Kyushu's local character and slow-food culture, a feast for both the senses and the spirit.
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