Kyushu Island
After Naoshima, we journeyed by train to Fukuoka, rented a car, and comfortably explored the region's waterfalls, mountains, and volcanoes, otherwise inaccessible by train.
Drive
Driving through Kyushu is probably the best way of transportation. It's been quite a comfort after 1.5 weeks communing with trains, to be able to drop our whole luggage into car, and go on our own schedule, doing the stops where we want.
7-eleven shops, small local diners
The Road Trip Feeling was real.
Beppu
Beppu is a city unlike any other we seen before, where the ground feels alive. Steam blows out from beneath roads and through pipes, creating an atmosphere of suspense and wonder.
Beppu is a steaming cityscape where geothermal wonders meet urban life.
After Beppu, we headed south. Our next step was Kokonoe Yume Otsuribashi, which supposed to be highest pedestrian suspension bridge in Japan.
On our journey to the Mifuneyama Rakuen gardens the next day, we took a detour to the Arita Porcelain.
Some of these stores also had coffee places that were simple and neat. The coffee was really good and gave us a nice break on our journey.
When we got to the Mifuneyama Rakuen gardens, they were nice. But we thought they'd probably look even better in the cherry blossom season or during fall.
Beppu
Next, we set our sights on Beppu, famous for being one of the most geothermally active areas in the world. It's particularly well-known for its "Hells" (Jigoku), a series of unique, vibrant hot springs that are more for viewing rather than bathing.
The next day, we set off on a drive that would turn out to be one of the best parts of our trip.
A local guy walked up to us told us some interesting stories about the big rock formation we could see nearby.
