Sights in Kyūshū
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Onsen Hoyōland
Onsen Hoyōland has wonderful giant mud baths, as well as mixed-gender and open-air bathing.
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The Hells
Beppu's most hyped attraction is the 'hells' or jigoku, a collection of hot springs where the water bubbles forth from underground, often with unusual results. You can purchase an around ¥2000 coupon that covers all except two (Hon Bōzu Jigoku and Kinryū Jigoku). Unlike Unzen, where you see the geothermal wonders natural, raw, and unadorned, these have been turned into mini-amusement parks, each with a different theme.
If you're pressed for time and unsure if this is your cup of, er, onsen water, peek at the postcard pack in the station, which has good pictures, and you'll know instantly whether these are worth your time.
The hells are in two groups - eight at Kannawa, …
reviewed
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Clover Garden
At the southern end of Nagasaki, some former homes of the city's pioneering Meiji period European residents have been reassembled in this hillside garden. The series of moving stairways up the hill, along with the koi ponds and fountains, gives it the air of a cultural theme park (ever popular in Japan). The stylish houses are the main draw here, along with the interesting history and superb views across Nagasaki.
The garden takes its name from Thomas Glover (1838-1911), whose arms-importing operations played an important part in the Meiji Restoration; he built the first train line in Japan and he helped establish the country's first modern shipyard.
The best way to explor…
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Dejima Wharf
From the mid-17th century until 1855, the small isolated Dutch trading post of Dejima provided Japan its only peephole to the world outside; the Dutch were cordoned off and only allowed contact with their Japanese trading partners and courtesans. The area around Dejima Wharf was the focal point for much of this activity, and has recently been converted into an open-air collection of restaurants, bars, shops and galleries, all facing the bay and well worth a visit.
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Cable Car & Inasa-Yama Lookout
From the western side of the harbour, the carble car leaves every 20 minutes for the top of 333m-high Inasa-yama, offering superb views over Nagasaki, particularly at night. Buses 3 and 4 leave from outside JR Nagasaki station; get off at the Ropeway-mae stop and walk up the stone steps through the grounds of Fuchi-jinja.
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Hebi-no-yu
The Myōban area has a number of wonderful hidden baths, tucked away out of the public eye. High in the mountain greenery is a free rotemburo, the Hebi-no-yu (Snake Bath).
The Beppu station information desk ladies (volunteers all!) are also happy to make you a hand-drawn map.
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Shōnin-ga-hama Sand Bath
Between JR Beppu station and the Kamegawa onsen area, try the very popular Shōnin-ga-hama Sand Bath ; it has a great beach location and English is spoken.
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Takegawara Onsen
The Hells, though mildly interesting, shouldn't distract you from the real hot springs. Scattered around the town are eight onsen areas. Onsen enthusiasts spend their time in Beppu moving from one bath to another - experts consider at least three baths a day de rigueur. Costs range from around ¥100 to around ¥1000, though many (and two of the best) are free. Bring your own soap, washcloth and towel, as many places don't rent them.
There's an onsen festival during the first weekend in April. Some of the baths alternate daily between male and female so that each gender can appreciate each side. Near JR Beppu station, the classic Takegawara Onsen dates from the Meiji era. …
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Saigō Nanshū Kenshō-kan
Displays at the Saigō Nanshū Kenshō-kan tell of Saigō Takamori and the failed rebellion. Although the Great Saigō had played a leading part in the Meiji Restoration in 1868, in 1877 he had second thoughts about the curtailment of samurai power and status, and this led to the ill-fated Satsuma Rebellion. Kumamoto's magnificent castle was burnt down during the rebellion but when defeat became inevitable, Saigō retreated to Kagoshima and committed seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment).
Despite his mixed status as both a hero and villain of the Restoration, Saigō is still a towering figure in the history of Japan. His square-headed features and bulky stature are in…
reviewed
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Hyōtan Onsen
The Hells, though mildly interesting, shouldn't distract you from the real hot springs. Scattered around the town are eight onsen areas. Onsen enthusiasts spend their time in Beppu moving from one bath to another - experts consider at least three baths a day de rigueur. Costs range from around ¥100 to around ¥1000, though many (and two of the best) are free. Bring your own soap, washcloth and towel, as many places don't rent them. There's an onsen festival during the first weekend in April.
Some of the baths alternate daily between male and female so that each gender can appreciate each side. Hyōtan Onsen has a rotemburo and also offers sand baths (yukata rental around…
reviewed
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Shibaseki Onsen Baths
The Hells, though mildly interesting, shouldn't distract you from the real hot springs. Scattered around the town are eight onsen areas. Onsen enthusiasts spend their time in Beppu moving from one bath to another - experts consider at least three baths a day de rigueur. Costs range from around ¥100 to around ¥1000, though many (and two of the best) are free. Bring your own soap, washcloth and towel, as many places don't rent them.
There's an onsen festival during the first weekend in April. Some of the baths alternate daily between male and female so that each gender can appreciate each side. Shibaseki Onsen Baths are near the smaller pair of hells. You can also rent a …
reviewed
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Sengan-en (Iso-teien)
Starting in 1658, the 19th Shimazu lord laid out this hilly, rambling bayside garden, incorporating one of Japan's most impressive pieces of 'borrowed scenery': the fuming peak of Sakurajima. It was also a strategically important lookout for ships entering Kinkō-wan. Poetry parties took place along the stream in the Kyokusui Garden – participants had to compose a poem before the next cup of sake floated by. Allow at least 30 minutes for a leisurely stroll, more if you visit the Shimazu-ke villa, once a second home of the Shimazu clan. Kimono-clad women guide you through the villa, followed by traditional tea and sweet service. Other teashops around the garden sell jamb…
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Mushi-yu Steam Bath
The Hells, though mildly interesting, shouldn't distract you from the real hot springs. Scattered around the town are eight onsen areas. Onsen enthusiasts spend their time in Beppu moving from one bath to another - experts consider at least three baths a day de rigueur. Costs range from around ¥100 to around ¥1000, though many (and two of the best) are free. Bring your own soap, washcloth and towel, as many places don't rent them.
There's an onsen festival during the first weekend in April. Some of the baths alternate daily between male and female so that each gender can appreciate each side. North of the town, in the Kannawa onsen area, near the major group of hells, i…
reviewed
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Suwa-jinja Shrine
Between 7 and 9 October, this enormous shrine comes to life with the dragon dance of Kunchi Matsuri, Nagasaki's most important annual celebration. Inside you will find a number of cutesy komainu (prayer dogs!). Be sure to see the kappa-komainu (water-sprite dog, which you pray to by dribbling water on the plate on its head) and the gan-kake komainu (turn-table dog). The latter was used by prostitutes, who prayed that storms would arrive soon, forcing the sailors to stay at the port another day.
Suwa-jinja was established in 1625 and its forested hilltop setting is meditative indeed. Tram lines 3, 4 and 5 run to the Suwa-jinja-mae stop.
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Tsuru-no-yu
The Myōban area has a number of wonderful hidden baths, tucked away out of the public eye. Locals built and maintain Tsuru-no-yu (the easiest to reach), a lovely free rotemburo up on the edge of Ogi-yama. During July and August, a natural stream emerges to form the milky blue bath. Take a bus to Konya Jigoku-mae bus stop (25 minutes northwest from JR Beppu station). Walk up the small road that hugs the right side of the graveyard until the road ends.
Dive into the bushes to your left, and there's the bath. The Beppu station information desk ladies (volunteers all!) are also happy to make you a hand-drawn map.
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Megane-bashi
This is the best-known of several bridges that dot the river. Parallel to the temple row is the river, the Nakashima-gawa, which is crossed by a picturesque collection of 10 17th-century stone bridges. At one time, each bridge was the distinct entranceway to a separate temple. The Megane-bashi, or spectacles bridge, is so called because the water and the arches come together to form a reflection in the water, creating a 'spectacles' effect.
Six of the 10 bridges, including Megane-bashi, were washed away on 23 July 1982, but restored using the recovered stones.
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Ōura Catholic Church
This hilltop church, Japan's oldest (1865) is dedicated to the 26 Christians who were crucified in Nagasaki in 1597. It's more like a museum than a place of worship, with an ornate Gothic altar and bishop's chair, and an oil painting of the 26 martyrs. To pray for free, use the regular church across the street.
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Fukusai-ji Kannon
This temple takes the form of a huge turtle carrying an 18m-high figure of the goddess Kannon on its back. Inside, a Foucault pendulum (demonstrating the rotation of the earth on its axis) hangs from near the top of the hollow statue. Only St Petersburg and Paris have larger examples.
The original temple, Chinese in origin, was built in 1628 but was completely burnt by the A-bomb fire. The replacement was built in 1976. The temple bell tolls at 11:02 daily, the exact time of the explosion of the atomic bomb.
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Daion-ji
Climb the stairs to the large Kuroganemochi tree at the entrance to Daion-ji and follow the path that heads to the grave of Matsudaira Zushonokami. He had been magistrate of Nagasaki for a year when, in 1808, the British warship HMS Phaeton sailed into Nagasaki harbour and seized two Dutch hostages. The British and Dutch were on opposite sides in the Napoleonic War at that time.
Unable to oppose the British, Zushonokami capitulated to their demands for supplies, then promptly disembowelled himself.
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Nagasaki Museum of History & Culture
This large, excellent museum opened in 2005 to focus on Nagasaki's proud history of international exchange. The main gallery is a fabulous reconstruction of a section of the Edo-period Nagasaki Magistrate's Office, which controlled trade and diplomacy. The free English-language audioguide is one of the best in the country.
reviewed
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Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum
An essential Nagasaki experience, this sombre place recounts the city's destruction and loss of life through photos and artefacts, including mangled rocks, trees, furniture, pottery and clothing, first-hand accounts from survivors and stories of heroic relief efforts. Exhibits cover Japan's military prewar aggression and the postbombing struggle for nuclear disarmament, and conclude with a chilling illustration of which nations still bear nuclear arms.
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Ichinoide Kaikan
The owner of Ichinoide Kaikan is an onsen fanatic, so much so that he built three pool-sized rotemburo in his backyard. The view, overlooking Beppu and the bay, is the city's finest. Bathing is free when you order a set menu (teishoku; around ¥1100), and the chefs prepare it while you swim. To get there by bus and walking, inquire at the Foreign Tourist Information Office. A shared taxi (from Beppu, around ¥900) might be a good investment.
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Nagai Takashi Memorial Museum
The courage and faith of one man in the face of overwhelming adversity is the subject of this small but quietly moving museum. Already suffering from leukaemia, Dr Nagai survived the atomic explosion but lost his wife to it. He immediately devoted himself to the treatment of bomb victims until his death in 1951. In his final days, he continued to write prolifically and secure donations for survivors and orphans, earning the nickname 'Saint of Nagasaki'. Ask to watch the video in English.
Next door is Nyokodō (如己堂), the simple hut from which Dr Nagai worked – its name comes from the biblical commandment 'love thy neighbour as thyself'.
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Hakata Machiya Furusato-kan
Spread over three machiya (traditional town houses), this newly renovated folk museum re-creates a Hakata nagare (neighbourhood unit) from the late Meiji era. The replica buildings house historical photos and displays of traditional Hakata culture, festivals, crafts and performing arts, as well as recordings of impenetrable Hakata-ben (dialect). Artisans are frequently on hand offering demonstrations.
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Hakata Dontaku Matsuri
Hakata Dontaku Matsuri (博多どんたく祭り) On 3 and 4 May, Fukuoka's Meiji-dori vibrates to the unique percussive shock of shamoji (wooden serving spoons for rice) being banged together like castanets, accompanied by shamisen (three-stringed instrument). The name Dontaku was added during the Meiji period (late 19th century) from the Dutch word zontag, meaning 'holiday'.
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