Gaijinpot: 5 Historical and Quirky Places to Visit in Kyushu

Above, the Peace Statue at Nagaski Peace Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Now that Japan will be welcoming foreign tourists again in four days, it is now the time to take a look at what places to visit while there.

Gaijinpot has posted five historical and quirky places to visit in Kyushu. I visited Kyushu back in 2007 and enjoyed the trek there.

For daikaiju eiga fans, Kyushu was prominent in Rodan (1956), including Mt. Aso, Sasebo City and Fukuoka. Fukuoka was featured in Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995). While visiting the seven on the list, side trips to other sites are worth one's while. They are covered in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

They begin with:

Kyushu is Japan’s southernmost main island and the third largest after Hokkaido. There are seven prefectures that make up the island: Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Oita, Kumamoto, Miyazaki and Kagoshima. These prefectures are home to a handful of active volcanoes (26 to be exact), world-class hot spring towns and great local cuisine.

While not as popular as Okinawa or Kyoto there’s an undeniable charm to each prefecture that make up this island. From Kokura Castle in Kita-Kyushu down to Sakurajima in Kagoshima, many other destinations await the eager explorer.

Here are our top five spots to get you started on planning your Kyushu adventure.

 To read more, go here.