April 13 - 24, 2009
$4,100 per person
(based on double occupancy)

Tour Includes:
• Tour Escort from Hawaii
• Hotel Accommodations as indicated
• Airfare from Honolulu to Kyushu roundtrip
• Ground Transportation as indicated by itinerary
• Daily Breakfast, Two Lunches, and Nine Dinners
• Admission to all sights, attractions, and tours as indicated by itinerary

A late morning flight will take us from Honolulu to Japan.

We arrive in Fukuoka in the afternoon and will head to our hotel once we have passed through customs and immigrations.  The rest of the day is free

Our first stop today is a visit to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, an imperial scholar unfairly exiled from Kyoto in the 9th century.  Also known as Tenjin, he is the guardian of scholars.  From there we leave Fukuoka for Imari to see the world class porcelain made there.  This area is noted for being the birthplace of porcelain production in Japan.  The local clay discovered by a Korean artisan proved to be excellent for this process.  From there we will go for a cruise amongst the Kujuku islands, a grouping of over 200 small islands that are part of a national park.

Our destination today is Nagasaki, where we will also visit the Glover House, home to Thomas Glover, a Scotsman who came to Nagasaki just as Japan’s doors re-opened to the world.  He was an enterprising gentleman who founded a coal mining company as well as a beer brewery, which would become known as Kirin Beer.  His home is said to have inspired the author of the book for the opera, Madame Butterfly. 

From there we will visit the Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Park.  Nagasaki is one of Japan’s most international cities and a visit to Dejima, Japan’s original Dutch Village, will show us why.  In 1638, all foreigners except the Dutch were expelled from Japan.  In 1641, the Dutch were ordered to contain their presence to a man-made island known as Dejima.  Today, the little island is no more as the city of Nagasaki filled in around the island.  But the original boundaries were marked and several buildings were preserved for historical posterity. 

We journey from the western side of Kyushu to its eastern side.  When we arrive in Beppu we will see Jigoku-meguri or Circuit of Hells.  They are a series of ponds with boiling water and mud in various colors.  The day comes to a close with a visit to the Japan Bamboo Museum that highlights the amazing uses that have been found for this versatile plant.

Today we head to Usuki to see a set of statues of Buddha.  Fifty Nine images were restored from the Heian and Kamakura eras and were designated national treasures.  Stone imagery is rare and to find them in the quantity and quality found here is exceptional.  For lunch we will have Seki Saba, which is a delicacy of the area.  From there we head to Mt. Takasaki and their wild monkeys, famous for taking advantage of the local hot water springs. 

We leave relaxing Beppu for Takachiho.  To get there, we will drive along the scenic Yamanami Highway.  Our first stop will be Amanoiwato Jinja.  Kyushu is considered to be the birthplace of Japan and Miyazaki specifically is known as the birth place and home of the gods.  As such there are many tales surrounding Amaterasu in the area.  This shrine has a cave that features in one of these stories. 

From there we will explore Takachiho Gorge, an area that has cliffs that are nearly 300 feet tall and the Gokase River running through it.  After we have stretched our legs, we will go to the hotel to check-in.  In the evening we will go to a local shrine to see Takachiho Yokagura Dances.  This style of dance is traditionally held after the harvests to celebrate a bountiful crop.

We now head for Kumamoto.  Along the way we will ride the Mt. Aso Ropeway to the summit of Mt. Aso, weather permitting.  For lunch, we will eat Takamori Dengaku, a local dish featuring local fish and vegetables cooked on skewers and seasoned with miso that has been aged a minimum of three years.  Mt. Aso sits atop the world’s largest caldera. 

Today, we will explore Kumamoto jo, the Hosokawa castle that withstood a siege by Saigo Takamori at the beginning of the Meiji period.  The Hosokawa clan ruled over Kumamoto for two hundred years.  We will then stroll through Suizenji-koen, a park built by the Hosokawa clan that took over 80 years to construct.  Its design recreates scenes from the road from Tokyo to Kyoto.  Miyamoto Musashi, one of Japan’s most famous samurai, spent his last years in Kumamoto.  We will visit the cave, Reigando, where he lived for two years writing his seminal work, The Book of Five Rings.

We head for Kagoshima, where we will visit the Atsuhime Museum.  Atsuhime was the wife of the thirteenth Tokugawa Shogun, Iesada, and her life story was recently made into an NHK Taiga Drama.  From there we will visit Senganen, a garden created by the Shimazu clan in 1658.  The garden faces Sakurajima and was designed to make it appear as though Sakurajima and Kinko Bay were part of the garden itself.  From the garden we will then go to Sakurajima, weather permitting.  On rainy days and eruption days, travel is limited.  Sakurajima is a volcanic island and possesses the most active volcanos in Japan.  It is noted for its Daikon which grow quite large, nearly a foot in a diameter. 

Ibusuki sand baths are the major attraction for Ibusuki.  The sand bath treatment’s highlight is a relaxing sunbath in warm sand on the beach, which you will have a chance to experience today.  Ibusuki has over 800 hot spring water sources, giving it a near tropical humidity.  In addition to the natural attractions, Ibusuki is also noted for its black ceramics.  We will also visit the Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots, a memorial to the 1026 pilots who flew from Chiran during World War II on their one way missions.  Then we will take in a few well preserved samurai homes and gardens.  These homes reflect the original owners’ tastes and sensibilities.  For our last stop we will visit a local shochu factory.  Shochu is Kyushu’s signature drink, being a distilled alcoholic beverage instead of being brewed like sake. 

We return to Hawaii on a late morning flight and will arrive back in Honolulu on the morning of the day we left.