Fukuoka, Aso, Kurokawa, Yufuin, Beppu. Three of the four hotels are multi-night stays, with architecture by Kengo Kuma and Shigeru Ban along the way, and the Sunflower ferry to Osaka on the last day.
Project Information
Group size
Private (self-drive)
Duration
8 days, 7 nights
Period
November 2026 (autumn leaf season)
Contract type
Customised package travel
Status
Route plan (not an executed case)
Signature Experiences
🍁
Timed to the peak of the leaves
Aso's outer rim, Kyusuikei gorge, Mt. Tsurumi — chasing the autumn leaf front by elevation.
♨️
Multi-night stays at three onsen
Two nights in Kurokawa, two in Beppu. Three baths on a nyuto-tegata pass, and packing kept to a minimum.
🏛
Architecture as the spine of the trip
Kengo Kuma, Shigeru Ban, Arata Isozaki, Kingo Tatsuno — four generations of architecture, all in Kyushu.
⛴
The return leg by ferry
A night in a Sunflower deluxe cabin out of Beppu Port, arriving at Osaka Nanko the next morning.
Route Overview
Route of this caseStops:Fukuoka 2 nights → Karatsu → Aso → Kurokawa Onsen 2 nights → Yufuin 1 night → Beppu 2 nights → Osaka (ferry)
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive Fukuoka — old Hakata
Tuesday
12:55
Arrive Fukuoka Airport; drop bags at the Hakata hotel and head out light.
15:00
Kushida Shrine and the Hakata Machiya Folk Museum: the permanent Hakata Gion Yamakasa display, and a Hakata-ori hand-weaving demonstration.
17:00
Canal City Hakata and the Kawabata arcade: the fountain light show and long-established shops.
18:30
Dinner: Hakata motsunabe, finished with champon noodles.
20:00
The Nakasu yatai street — a row of food-stall lanterns along the Naka River.
Day 2
Karatsu Kunchi (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage)
Wednesday
08:30
JR Chikuhi Line to Karatsu (about 80 minutes), heading west along the Genkai Sea.
10:00
Karatsu Kunchi's Hikiyama town procession. Fourteen lacquered floats from the Edo and Meiji eras parade through the old town.
11:30
The former Takatori Residence: a nationally designated Important Cultural Property, with a Noh stage and painted cedar doors.
14:00
Visit Karatsu Shrine, then try the potter's wheel at a Karatsu-ware kiln.
19:00
Dinner: charcoal-grilled local chicken skewers and chicken paitan ramen.
Day 3
Pick up the rental car → Aso → Kurokawa Onsen
Thursday
09:00
Collect the rental car in Hakata and head south on the Kyushu Expressway.
11:45
Daikanbo: one of the world's largest calderas, with the five peaks of Aso lying like a reclining Buddha.
12:45
Lunch: Aso akaushi beef bowl, lean meat from pasture-raised red cattle.
14:15
Nabegataki, a waterfall you can walk behind, into the curtain of water.
16:30
Arrive Kurokawa Onsen: a walk through the thatched hot-spring town at dusk, then an open-air bath in the ravine.
Day 4
Aso — Kusasenri and Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine
Friday
09:30
Kusasenrigahama: highland grassland at the foot of Nakadake, with Mt. Eboshi mirrored in the pond.
11:30
Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine: an approach through cedar forest lined with 200 moss-covered stone lanterns.
12:30
Lunch: Takamori dengaku — miso dengaku grilled over the charcoal of an irori hearth.
14:40
Aso Shrine and the spring-water fountains of its approach town; the tower gate rebuilt in 2023.
16:50
Three open-air baths around Kurokawa Onsen on a nyuto-tegata pass.
Day 5
Yamanami Highway → Yufuin
Saturday
09:00
The Yamanami Highway: a scenic drive straight through the Kuju highlands.
09:45
Kokonoe "Yume" Suspension Bridge: 173 m high, 390 m long, above the autumn colours of Kyusuikei.
12:00
Lunch: Yufu mabushi — Bungo beef or local chicken, eaten three ways.
13:30
Yunotsubo Street and Yufuin Station (designed by Shigeru Ban).
15:00
COMICO ART MUSEUM (designed by Kengo Kuma): architecture of charred cedar and light.
16:30
Dusk at Lake Kinrin, scouting the next morning's mist.
Day 6
Morning mist at Lake Kinrin → the Beppu Hells
Sunday
06:30
Morning mist on Lake Kinrin, thickest for about an hour after sunrise.
09:30
Sagiridai lookout: crossing the mountains from Yufu to Beppu, looking down on a sea of cloud.
12:15
The Beppu Hells: the cobalt blue of Umi Jigoku, the red of Chinoike Jigoku.
14:30
Jigoku Mushi Kobo in Kannawa: steam your own seafood and vegetables over geothermal vents.
15:45
The sand bath at Takegawara Onsen: buried in hot sand inside a Taisho-era bathhouse.
Day 7
Myoban Onsen, Mt. Tsurumi, and the Oita architecture line
Monday
09:00
Myoban Onsen yunohana huts: thatched sheds where bath minerals are still harvested by an Edo-period method.
10:00
Mt. Tsurumi ropeway: ten minutes to 1,375 m, with Beppu Bay and the autumn colours below.
12:30
Oita City architecture line: Shigeru Ban's OPAM, Arata Isozaki's Art Plaza, Kingo Tatsuno's Red Brick Hall.
15:30
A craft session in Beppu: bamboo work, or blending a scent at the fragrance museum.
Day 8
Beppu → Osaka on the Sunflower ferry
Tuesday
09:00
One last morning bath, then the Kitahama waterfront and its Showa-era streets.
13:30
Return the rental car and head to Beppu International Tourist Port.
18:45
Sail in a Sunflower deluxe cabin, sent off by the night view of Beppu Bay, arriving at Osaka Nanko the next morning.
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