During my latest trip, however, I got a chance to explore the Seven Hells of Beppu, with my favorites being Chinoike Jigoku (the “blood” hell) and Umi Jigoku (the “sea” hell). Absent this, I’m not sure what I can say to convince you, other than to re-affirm my love for this island, and the fact that every time I’ve traveled here (I’m at three or four trips now, if I’m not mistaken) I crave a future opportunity to delve even deeper into it. I didn’t intend to take a Kyushu road trip when I planned my November travel, but I ended up renting five separate cars. Today's Kyushu Region (九州地方, Kyūshū-chihō) is a politically defined region that consists of the seven prefectures on the island of Kyushu (which also includes the former Tsushima and Iki as part of Nagasaki), plus Okinawa Prefecture to the south: Kyushu has 10.3 percent of the population of Japan. Amami has mild winters due to its location in a subtropical area. Temperature increases (decreases) in front (back) of cyclonic systems due to warm southerly (cold northerly) flow. Historical populations with Ryukyu Islands, Historical populations without Ryukyu Islands, Parts of Kyushu have a subtropical climate, particularly Miyazaki prefecture and Kagoshima prefecture. In October, the frequent passage of anticyclonic systems brings sunny conditions and refreshing air to Kyushu (South), while more cloudy or rainy conditions with southward cold flow tend to be observed in Amami. In both cases, the impact upon my understanding of Kyushu was extraordinary. Obviously, my hope is that if you’ve read my guide this far, you’ll be so excited about things to do in Kyushu at this point that literally nothing will be able to keep you off the island. Some destinations were completely new to me, while I simply hadn’t seen others in a while. Amami rarely experiences temperatures of 35°C or above because it has an oceanic climate. I also enjoy taking day trips from Fukouka, be they ones more or less in the city like Nanzo-in‘s reclining Buddha or the famous Dazaifu Tenman-gu shrine, or Karatsu, a castle town about 90 minutes to the west (which is technically located in Saga prefecture, but whatever). On one hand, I would not have written a Kyushu travel guide (and traveled to the island so many times, including on my recent deep dive) if I didn’t feel Kyushu was worth visiting. I’ve written a post that compares and contrasts Shikoku vs. Kyushu (which, I’m happy to say, does not trash talk either of these islands, both amazing in their own ways). In general, I’d say that one week in Kyushu or 2 weeks in Kyushu is a “Goldilocks” length of trip, which will afford you the opportunities to blend city experiences, natural adventures and maybe even a couple of wild cards. In winter (December-January-February), the Siberian High develops over the Eurasian Continent and the Aleutian Low develops over the northern North Pacific. West Sea Circuit) referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands. The rainy season, known as the Baiu, begins in the middle of May in Amami. Figure 3 Same as Figure 2 but for Amami City Naze. Parts of Kyushu have a subtropical climate, particularly Miyazaki prefecture and Kagoshima prefecture. This one is easy, though there is some nuance I’ll speak too. [8] Most of Kyushu's population is concentrated along the northwest, in the cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyushu, with population corridors stretching southwest into Sasebo and Nagasaki and south into Kumamoto and Kagoshima.
