2024 AUTUMN CIRCLE KYUSHU

Featuring ‘Huis Ten Bosch’ Theme Park & Sumo Tournament

November 6 - 18,2024  (13 days & 11 nights)

Haneda, Fukuoka, Toto Museum, Dazaifu Tenman-gu, Niji-no-Matsubara, Imari Okawachiyama, Kujuku-shima Cruise, Huis Ten Bosch Theme Park, Kageki the Revue Show, Kingdom of Lights Festival, Nagasaki, Nagasaki Peace Park, Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, Nagasaki Heiwa-koen, Nagasaki International Peace Memorial Hall, Ferry to Kumamoto, Kumamoto Castle, Kagoshima, Sengan-en Garden, Chiran, Tokko Heiwa Kaikan, Samurai Street, Nichinan Kaigan Coast, Oni-no-Sentakuita , Miyazaki, Takachiho-kyo, Beppu, Umi Jigoku, Yufuin, Yufuin Floral Village, Hakuhaku, Mentaikyo Factory Tour, Fukuoka Grand Sumo Tournament, Fukuoka, Haneda

$100 EARLY BOOKING DISCOUNT
(deposit of $100 per person received by 7/8/2024)

Wednesday, November 6 (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO HANEDA
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the check-in lobby at the airport for baggage check-in procedures.  We will depart Honolulu for Haneda International Airport.  Lunch and a snack will be served on board the flight.

Thursday, November 7 (Day 02)
ARRIVE HANEDA * FUKUOKA
We’ll arrive Haneda Airport in the afternoon and after completing entry and customs formalities, we’ll transfer to the domestic ticket lobby for our flight to Fukuoka International Airport in Kyushu, the third-largest and southernmost island of Japan.  We’ll transfer to our hotel to check-in for two nights in downtown Fukuoka, the largest city in Kyushu and capital of Fukuoka prefecture.

Accommodations at ANA CROWNE PLAZA FUKUOKA or similar

Friday, November 8 (Day 03)
FUKUOKA  (B)D)
Enjoy a full day of sightseeing as we travel to Kitakyushu to discover the interesting world of toilets at the Toto Museum, Japan’s premier manufacturer of toilets and washroom products.  The museum provides us with the history of Toto, its products, and the production from the past to the present.  One of the main features is to view the super-modern architectural design of the building, featuring rounded and rimmed curves with a glowing white finish.  We’ll travel to the cultural city of Dazaifu, to explore the grounds of Dazaifu Tenman-gu, one of Japan’s most important Shinto Shrine, dedicated to the enshrined Sugawara Michizane, a scholar and politician of the Heian period.  His rise to power during his political career resulted in a rivalry with the Fujiwara clan and he was later exiled to Dazaifu.  The approach way to the shrine is a lively pedestrian street lined with local shops, restaurants, cafes and sweet stands.  Dinner will be provided for you at the hotel this evening

Accommodations at ANA CROWNE PLAZA FUKUOKA or similar

Saturday, November 9 (Day 04)
FUKUOKA * KARATSU * IMARI * ARITA * SASEBO * HUIS TEN BOSCH  (B)(D)
We’ll travel west to Mount Kagamiyama, famous for its view of Karatsu City, Karatsu Bay, and a spectacular view of Niji-no-Matsubara - a two-mile long grove of black pine trees.  The forest was originally planted by the feudal Lord Terasawa as a counter-measure against the strong winds and tides in Karatsu Bay.  The scene is noted as one of the most picturesque landscapes in Japan.  The pottery towns of Arita and Imari in Saga prefecture have been a major manufacturing source of ceramics for centuries with Imari-yaki and Arita-yaki as the most famous and distinctive.  Korean potters were brought to Imari to produce porcelain mainly for the Nabeshima domain.  Enjoy a stroll through Imari Okawachiyama (The Village of Secret Kilns) - a small artisans’ village located in the city of Imari that has been producing unique pottery for centuries and kept its methods a secret - hence the name ‘Village of Secret Kilns’.  We’ll continue on to Kashimae Port to board a sightseeing boat and enjoy a relaxing and scenic cruise around Kujuku-shima (99 pine-studded islets) in the inland sea.  Enjoy some of the most breathtaking natural scenery in Japan as you cruise through the islands.  We’ll spend two nights in Huis Ten Bosch in Nagasaki Prefecture.  Enjoy dinner and relax in the hot springs of our hot springs hotel this evening at the hotel.

Accommodations at HOTEL OKURA JR HUIS TEN BOSCH or similar 

Sunday, November 10 (Day (05)
HUIS TEN BOSCH  (B)(D)
Enjoy the whole day at your leisure to explore the attractions at Huis Ten Bosch, a theme park which recreates the Netherlands featuring an European atmosphere with various shops & boutiques, iconic windmills, picturesque canals, beautiful gardens and unique Dutch architecture.  Subject to confirmation, enjoy a performance of “Kageki the Revue”, similar to a Takarazuka style show with singing and dancing by female dancers called the “Broadway in Japan’.  In the evening, enjoy the spectacular Kingdom of Lights Festival at your leisure, featuring a brilliant illumination of thousands of lights located in various locations around the park.  This attraction is noted as the ‘No. 1 night scenery in Japan’.  Our hotel is conveniently located adjacent to the park.  Dinner will be provided for you this evening.  Enjoy at your leisure the hot springs this evening at the hotel.

Accommodations at HOTEL OKURA JR HUIS TEN BOSCH or similar 

Monday, November 11 (Day 06)
HUIS TEN BOSCH * NAGASAKI * KUMAMOTO  (B)
We’ll travel on to visit the historic sights of Nagasaki, the second city after Hiroshima to be devastated by a nuclear weapon on August 9, 1945.  We’ll visit the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum featuring photos, relics and documents related to the bombing and the Nagasaki International Peace Memorial Hall, built in memory of those who perished in the atomic bombing.  The Nagasaki Heiwa-koen (Peace Park) was established near the hypocenter of the explosion and remnants of a concrete wall of Urakami Cathedral are still visible.  At the park’s north end stands a 10-meter-tall Peace Statue and the south end features a Fountain of Peace.  We’ll continue on to the Shimabara Port and board a ferry to cross the Ariake Sea to Kumamoto Port.  On arrival, we’ll proceed to our hotel in Kumamoto to spend the night.  Dinner will be on your own this evening to try some of the local specialties of this prefecture.

Accommodations at OMO5 KUMAMOTO HOTEL or similar

Tuesday, November 12 (Day 07)
KUMAMOTO * CHIRAN * KAGOSHIMA  (B)(D)
This morning, we’ll visit Kumamoto Castle one of the most impressive castles in Japan featuring large castle grounds and a variety of buildings. (undergoing renovations).  We’ll travel to the town of Chiran, noted for its fine collection of preserved samurai houses and gardens.  We’ll visit the Tokko Heiwa Kaikan (Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots), a museum featuring an extensive collection of correspondence, photographs, relics, and mementoes belonging to members of the Special Air Force Attack Group also known as the Kamikaze Pilots.  Subject to confirmation, a local guide will share with us some photos and letters to present a positive image of these pilots as they willingly gave their lives for their country and families to establish peace and prosperity for Japan.  We’ll continue on to spend the night in Kagoshima, the southernmost major city in Kyushu.  Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.

Accommodations at SHIROYAMA HOTEL KAGOSHIMA or similar

Wednesday, November 13 (Day 08)
KAGOSHIMA * MIYAZAKI  (B)
Enjoy a leisure stroll through Senganen Garden, a serene Japanese-style landscape garden located in downtown Kagoshima.  A striking feature of the garden is a view of the borrowed scenery of Sakurajima and Kagoshima Bay.  The garden also features small ponds, streams, and a bamboo grove.  We’ll continue on to visit the scenic Nichinan Kaigan Coast, located on the southern area of Miyazaki prefecture.  Enjoy the view of eroded rock formations known as Oni-no-Sentakuita (Devils Washboard) on Ao-shima Island.  The island is located in the northernmost area of the Nishinan-Kaigan Quasi National Park.  We’ll spend the night in Miyazaki, capital of Miyazaki prefecture.

Accommodations at SHERATON GRANDE OCEAN RESORT MIYAZAKI or similar

Thursday, November 14 (Day 10)
MIYAZAKI * TAKACHIHO * MOUNT ASO  (B)(D)
Located in the northwestern region of Miyazaki prefecture in the center of the Kyushu Mountains is the little town of Takachiho.  This village is a remote mountain resort and is considered one of the most sacred places in Japan - known for its myths, legends and traditional sacred music and dancing.  Its major attraction is Takachiho-kyo, a scenic v-shaped ravine created by the Gokase River featuring breathtaking waterfalls, overhanging rocks, and sheer cliffs.  Weather permitting, the colored leaves along the gorge and the surrounding area should be at its peak, providing an awesome sight.  We’ll spend the night at a hot spring resort in the vicinity of Mount Aso and Aso National Park.  Enjoy dinner and relax in the soothing hot springs this evening.

Accommodations at ASO HAKUUN SANSO or similar 

Friday, November 15 Day 10)
MOUNT ASO * BEPPU  (B)(D)
We’ll travel to spend the night in Beppu, noted as one of the most famous hot spring resorts in Japan.  The city is blessed with eight different hot springs each featuring public baths and ryokans with bathing facilities and together produces more hot spring water than any other onsen resort in Japan.  The city is also known for its ‘hells or jigokus’, spectacular hot springs for viewing rather than bathing, displaying steaming ponds of various colors, bubbling mud pools and other hydrothermal activity.  We’ll visit one of the most beautiful - Umi-Jigoku (sea hell), a pond of boiling, steaming blue water.  In the spacious garden area is a clear water pond with large lotus flowers floating on the surface and another reddish-colored pond.  Enjoy dinner and relax in the soothing hot springs of our onsen hotel this evening.

Accommodations at BEPPU SUGINOI HOTEL SORA TOWER or similar 

Saturday, November 16 (Day 11)
BEPPU * YUFUIN * FUKUOKA  (B)
We’ll travel to Yufuin to enjoy a stroll around the quaint town of Yufuin, featuring several shops, cafes, boutiques and art museums.  Located nearby, enjoy visiting the Yufuin Floral Village, a mini British-style village that reproduces the cityscape of the Cotswolds region of England with a fairytale world setting inspired by the movie “Harry Potter” - featuring an Owl Forest and beautiful flowers.  We’ll continue on to Fukuoka and visit Hakuhaku, (Hakata’s Food & Culture Museum) and enjoy a Mentaikyo Factory Tour to learn the history of mentaikyo and how its made.  We’ll overnight in Fukuokaf for our last two nights.  Dinner will be on your own this evening to try some of your favorite selections at the various restaurants located at the train station nearby the hotel.

Accommodations at MIYAKO HOTEL HAKATA or similar 

Sunday, November 17 (Day 12)
FUKUOKA  (B)
Hakata dolls are one of the most elegant and famous art & craft souvenirs in Hakata.  Enjoy a hands-on-experience at the Hakata Doll Hall Shogetsudo to create your very own original Hakata doll to take home as a souvenir.  We’ll visit the impressive Kushida Jinja, one of the oldest shrines in Fukuoka, dedicated to Amaterasu and Susanoo, two significant Shinto deities.  The Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival is centered around this shrine and an impressive festival float and an ancient ginkgo nut tree is located nearby.  Subject to confirmation, enjoy the rest of the day at the Fukuoka Grand Sumo Tournament held at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center.  Dinner will be provided for you this evening after the conclusion of the tournament. 

Accommodations at MIYAKO HOTEL HAKATA or similar 

Monday, November 18 (Day 13)
FUKUOKA TO HANEDA TO HONOLULU  (B)
The morning is at your leisure for your own activities or do some last minute shopping for souvenirs and omiyage to bring home.  In the early afternoon, we’ll transfer to the Fukuoka Airport for our domestic flight to Haneda Airport.  On arrival at Haneda Airport, we’ll transfer by shuttle to the Haneda International Terminal for our evening flight to Honolulu, arriving in the morning on the same day due to the crossing of the International Date Line.  A late meal will be served on board the flight.

The tour price is based on double occupancy and a minimum group size of 20 passengers. A fare adjustment may apply for groups of 20 or less. The rate is based on tariffs and exchange rates effective 3/15/2024. Tour fare is subject to change according to any airfare increase, increase in government taxes, additional fuel surcharges and fluctuation of the rate of exchange between U.S. and foreign currency. In the event of revaluation, the land portion of the tour price may be adjusted prior to your final statement.

Land portion based on 150 Yen = $1.00 U.S.

Tour Registration Form