21 superb Kyushu views created by its majestic nature
Kyushu is coloured by a rich variety of terrain that has been created through the symphony of nature. From peaceful prairies, to dynamic cliff walls, to romantic night views, Kyushu is replete with superb entertaining and welcoming spots for visiting guests. ANA carried out a project in collaboration with “Tastes of JAPAN by ANA,” which works to discover the most charming locations all over the country, and Trip Advisor, and, through searching for words such as “superb view,” “landscape,” and “panorama” amongst Trip Advisor’s review pages, has selected the most popular scenic spots within the seven prefectures of Kyushu.
Tastes of JAPAN by ANA
Tastes of Japan by ANA is a regional revitalization project by ANA with local regions to spread the word about Japanese treasures still unknown to Japan and beyond. Kyushu is featured from June to November 2018. Click here for details.Nokonoshima island is located in Hakata Bay. The island is easily accessed by taking an approximately 10-minute ferry from a dock at Nishi-ku, Fukuoka city. At around 12km in diameter, nostalgic, traditional townscapes spread out around the island, and at the “island park” located at its center you can enjoy seasonal flowers throughout the year, beginning from the rape blossoms in spring, along with poppies, hydrangeas, sunflowers, cosmos and daffodils.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
Approximately 30 minutes by car from Fukuoka city, Futamigaura is located in the Itoshima peninsula and faces the Genkainada sea. The Meoto Iwa rocks and the Torii gate that stand in the water are especially beautiful spots. The famous Meoto Iwa rocks of Ise are a fantastic place to watch the sunrise. However, being known as “Sunset Futamigaura,” at around the time of the summer solstice, you can see the sight of the sun setting between the white torii gate and the rocks.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
Mount Sarakura is known as a prime observation spot in north Kyushu. After riding a steep, Swiss-made cable car and slope car, you will arrive at the 622-meter tall summit. There you can enjoy an expansive view that includes north Kyushu’s industrial area, Dokai Bay, the Hibikinada sea, the Suounada sea and the Kanmon Straits. The night view is especially magnificent but please be aware that night services are generally only run on weekends.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
The Hamanoura rice terraces are located in Saga Prefecture’s town of Genkai. An observatory is located along National Route 204 and you can see a view that creates the feeling of a staircase of terraced rice fields leading out into the ocean. In the period before rice planting, the rice paddies are filled with water and when the sun sets, both the ocean and rice terraces are dyed in a glorious golden color.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
Mt. Kagamiyama is located in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture and is 284 meters above sea level. The top of the trapezoidal mountain has become a park and, from the terrace that protrudes 12 meters out from the observation deck located on the northwest side, you are able to get an even more expansive view of the Nijinomatsubara pine forest and Karatsu bay spreading out below. In the spring you can enjoy the sight of flowers such as cherry blossoms and approximately 10,000 azaleas.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
Nanatsugama faces the Genkainada Sea and, as the name “seven pots” suggests, the ocean’s rough waves have eroded the basalt cliff and created a row of seven caves. The largest cave has a frontage of 3-meters and a depth of 110-meters. By riding on a pleasure boat you can see up close the dynamic rock surface rising out of the cobalt blue sea.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
Kawachi Touge Pass consists of prominent grassland areas located in Saikai National Park, northwest Nagasaki Prefecture. The panoramic view from the top is wonderful. To the east you can see Kujuku Island, while to the north you can overlook the Genkainada sea and, if the weather is nice, Iki Island and Tsushima Island. The highlight of the area is the changes in scenery throughout the seasons, with Rhododendron pulchrums blooming in spring, green grassland in the summer and Japanese silver grass in the early winter.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
Even among Kyushu, with its numerous nightscape viewing spots, Nagasaki City’s Mount Inasa has an exceptional night view that is commonly known as the “10-million-dollar nightscape.” The view during the day is also wonderful and on a sunny day you can not only see the city center of Nagasaki, that spreads out in the shape of a mortar, but also Unzen, Amakusa and the Goto archipelago.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
The Kujuku Islands consist of large and small islands that are dotted from the west coast of the Kita Matsuura peninsula and Sasebo to Hirado City. If you want to see this superb view, it is recommended that you visit the Tenkaiho Observatory, where you can enjoy 150 thousand flowers in full bloom along with the scenery. The rape blossoms bloom from late March to early April and the entire area becomes filled with cosmos flowers in October.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
The 935-meter tall Mt. Daikanbo in Aso City is the highest peak of Mt. Aso’s northern caldera. Also known as the “greatest in Aso,” it has a dynamic view from the extensive caldera basin, to the five peaks of Aso and the Kuju mountain range. The five peaks that stretch out in front of you are also referred to as the “Reclining Buddha.”

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
The “Nabegataki” falls are located in Oguni town, Kumamoto Prefecture, north of Mt. Aso and became instantly famous nationwide following its use in a tea commercial. With a relatively small drop of 10-meters and a width of only 20-meters, the waterfall is quite elegant. Surrounded by lush trees, the sunlight filters through the foliage and shines down onto the waterfall giving it an otherworldly appearance. You can not only observe the waterfall from the front but also the back and so you can enjoy the sight of a curtain of falling water.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
This location is gaining more and more popularity in Kumamoto. The hilly area, that sits at an altitude of 845-meters, is scattered with megaliths and some believe that engravings there resemble Sumerian letters or pyramids. The area around the old ancient rocks was preserved by a pyroclastic flow and the locals have devotedly deified the area as a power spot for many years.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
The Tadewara Wetlands are produced by spring water sources located at the foot of the Kuju volcano group and, as an intermediate wetland, it can boast to be the largest in the country. With the Chojabara visitor center as the starting point, there are many walking paths in place through which you can enjoy walking while searching out seasonal flowers and birds.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
Located to the east of Aso Kujū National Park, Mount Tsurumi overlooks Beppu City and Beppu Bay. Access to the 1,375-meter summit is very easy and takes only 10 minutes using the ropeway. Also renowned as a cherry blossom spot, the foot of the mountain boasts 2000 cherry blossom trees and, in the winter, you can witness the silver world of hoar frost, which is rare to Kyushu.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
This is a huge waterfall of a width of 120-meters and a drop of 20-meters, that abruptly appears in the midst of serene country scenery. Often called the “Oriental Niagara,” the Harajiri-no-taki falls are a unique spot that mix the ordinary with the extraordinary. There is a low-water crossing upstream of the waterfall and a suspension bridge downstream, meaning you can get down to the basin and enjoy seeing the waterfall from various angles.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
Cape Hyuga is a ria that expands through Nipokaigan, northern Miyazaki Prefecture. Umagase cliff is a column-like cliff that soars at 70-meters, with a 10-meter wide waterway that erodes a deep path through the rocky field. If you go a little further, you find an observatory at the tip. From there you can enjoy the 360° view of the blue ocean and boundless sky.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
This is ravine formed by the pyroclastic flow from an eruption of volcanic activity in Mount Aso. Here you can enjoy the scenic landscape that includes the 17-meter tall Manai-no-taki waterfall and Sennin Byobu Iwa rocks, which are a cliff of columnar joints. Through traversing the ravine with a row boat and looking up from the emerald green of the river you are able to get a brand new perspective.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
The Ikoma Plateau expands at an altitude of 540-meters at the foot of Mount Kirishima and is said to be the most beautiful flower garden in Kyushu. While you can enjoy flowers in every season, such as the poppies in spring and the salvias in summer, the most spectacular are the cosmos flowers in autumn. A million colourful cosmos flowers fill the plateau with Mount Kirishima in the background.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
This waterfall has become popular since its image was used for the opening credits of the 2018 NHK TV long-running historical drama series, “Segodon.” With a drop of 46-meters and a width of 60-meters, this waterfall sparkles with an emerald green and emanates a sense of being unexplored. On the way to the waterfall, you are able to enjoy an unusual 1,200-meter trek from the closest parking lot.

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投Photo by TripAdvisor member
Cape Nagasaki sits at the southernmost point of the Satsuma Peninsula located in southern Kagoshima. The west shore of the cape consists of a bow shaped beach that has Mount Kaimon, which is often referred to as the “Satsuma Fuji,” towering in the distance. Due to being a spawning ground for sea turtles it is said to be the stage for the Ryugu Legends and the Ryugu Shrine is built at the tip of the cape.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member
When one thinks of Kagoshima, what often springs to mind is Sakurajima. The best place to observe the magnificent sight of Sakurajima from the city is Shiroyama Observation Deck. The observation deck sits at the top of a small mountain of 107 meters and numerous historical sites are dotted on the way, including the cave where Saigo Takamori hid. The view is highly regarded as beautiful, not just during the day, but also at dusk and nighttime.

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Photo by TripAdvisor member