Fukuoka,Unzen/Amakusa National Park and Kumamoto Memorial Day Omiyage Weekender Tour 2022 Shop, Sightsee, Eat, Fun- A perfect way to spend the Memorial Day holiday weekend! May 24th-30th, 2022 5nts/7days from: $2395 double/triple $2549 single Cancel for any reason up to 60 days prior-FULL REFUND! Maximum Tour size is 24 tour members!
Welcome to Fukuoka, on the northern tip of Kyushu Island, it is western Japan’s most happening city and gateway to the country. Set amid splendid natural diversity – bordered by mountains, flanked by sea, and dotted with hot springs – the metropolis is an exciting hub of modern city life. Rich with tradition and modern cultural attraction, contemporary art, architecture, shopping, and cuisine complement centuries’-old temples and shrines.
From here, we travel to the Unzen-Amakusa National Park area, best known for Mt. Unzen, an active volcano, and its hot spring resort town. Our weekend ends in Kumamoto, best known for its castle and Suizenji Park, one of the three most famous gardens in Japan.
This is truly a one-of-a-kind omiyage weekender tour. Yes, there is quality shopping time , including a complete free day in Hakata. We have also included a sake brewery visit, the legendary pottery center, Okawauchiyama Village, fruit picking, ropeway and ferry ride experience, flower viewing, Japanese irises, Suizenji, one of the three most famous Japanese gardens, and an onsen stay.
Come along and join us!
Itinerary/Details
Day 1 – May 24th, 2022, Tuesday – Depart from Honolulu
Hawaiian Airlines #827 Departs Honolulu 1:25 pm – Arrive Fukuoka 6:40 pm +1
Please meet your Panda Travel representative at the Hawaiian Airlines international check-in counters, located in Terminal 2, Lobby 4, a minimum of 3 hours prior to the flight departure time.
Day 2 – May 25th, 2022, Wednesday – Fukuoka-Hakata
After clearing customs, we will be met by our local guide and then the short bus ride to our hotel for our three-night stay, Hotel Clio Court Hakata, adjacent to the JR Hakata Station.
Location, hard to find a more convenient spot, just steps from so many dining and shopping options. After checking in, the remainder of the evening is free.
Welcome to Fukuoka, Kyushu’s largest city and Japan’s sixth largest. It is made up of two former towns, the Fukuoka castle town on the west bank of the Naka-gawa and Hakata on the east. The two towns merged in 1889 as Fukuoka, though the name Hakata is still widely in use. As an example, it is Fukuoka Airport but Hakata Station.
Whatever you call it; this youthful, user-friendly metropolis has a cosmopolitan charm, peppered with the flavors of its Asian neighbors. Hakata traces its trading history back some 2000 years, which continues today with visitors from Seoul and Shanghai. Among Japanese, the city is famed for its 'Hakata bijin' (beautiful women), SoftBank Hawks’ baseball team and hearty Hakata ramen.
If Fukuoka does not burst with sights like Tokyo or Kyoto, its friendly atmosphere, warm weather, and contemporary attractions – art, architecture, shopping, and cuisine – make up for it
Hotel Clio Court Hakata Hakata JR Station
Accommodations: Hotel Clio Court Hakata free
Day 3 – May 26th, 2022, Thursday – Hakata (B)
After breakfast at our hotel, please meet up with your guide by 8:30am as we venture out on a full day of touring.
Our day begins with a visit to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Fukuoka, where more than 2 million people visit during the first three days of New Year. In this shrine, Sugawara-no Michizane, an excellent poet, particularly in Chinese poetry in the late 9th century, is enshrined as the god of academic achievements. During the entrance exam season, young people from all parts of Japan preparing for these examinations and their parents come to the shrine to pray for success and academic achievement.
Michizane died in Dazaifu in 903, just a few years after being sent into exile. Shortly after his death the country was ravaged by natural disasters, and people came to believe that the calamities were caused by the wrathful spirit of Michizane, still angered by his unjust treatment. Offerings were made to the spirit of Michizane and the tradition of Tenmangu Shrines was begun. The Tenmangu Shrine in Dazaifu was built on the site of his grave.
The entire length of the approach is lined with shops that cater to the shrine's visitors. The shrine is rather large, stretching about 250 meters from one end to the other. After passing through the torii gate at the entrance, visitors will come across a pond that was built in the shape of the Japanese character for "heart". A path leads across two arched bridges and islands which represent the past, present and future.
Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine and approached lined with shops on both sides
From here we are off to visit Fukuoka Tower. At 234-meters in height, it is the tallest seaside tower in Japan and earned the nickname "Mirror Sail" due to its sharp-looking equilateral triangle shape which is covered by as many as 8,000 one-way mirrors.
Another interesting fact is that the tower was featured in the 1994 movie, Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla. In the movie, Space Godzilla utilized Fukuoka Tower as a conduit for his cosmic energies. It was up to Godzilla who was aided by Mogera, to stop him.
We are headed up, 123-meter to enjoy views from the observation deck and then back down to visit MARK IS Fukuoka Momochi, a shopping mall with approximately 160 shops, familiar names as well as local brands. Enjoy free time here to shop and have lunch on your own.
Lastly, our day ends with a visit to Ishikura Sake Brewery, one of the oldest companies in Fukuoka and the only sake brewery remaining in Hakata Ward. Enjoy the tastings and time at their gift shop.
Fukuoka Prefecture is one of Japan’s largest sake rice growing regions. Among the varieties of rice, includesYamada Nishiki, which is considered the gold standard among sake rice. Ishikura uses locally grown sake rice, brewed in small lots to ensure careful control over temperatures during fermentation. The brewery has won several awards in recent years.
From here, back to our hotel, arrival by 4:00pm and the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free.
Accommodations: Hotel Clio Court Hakata free
Day 4 – May 27th, 2022 Friday – Hakata (B)
After breakfast, enjoy a complete free day to shop, eat, and sightsee on your own. As you have come to see, we are steps from the JR Hakata Station, offering many shops and restaurants. It is truly a one-stop shoppers’ paradise with more than 230 shops in the area, including two major department stores, Hankyu, and Tokyu Hands. Yes, Diaso is also just steps away, a large one. Lastly, Kitte, a second shopping mall joined directly to the station is famous for having a floor devoted to shoes.
Accommodations: Hotel Clio Court Hakata free
Day 5 – May 28th, 2022 Saturday – Hakata-Imari-Unzen (B/L/D)
After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:30am as we bid our good-byes to Hakata and venture on.
The morning begins with a drive to Okawauchiyama Village, a secluded village just outside of Imari. Often referred to as the “Village of Secret Kilns”, it was once an exclusive pottery hub producing porcelain ware for Japan’s elite.
Enjoy free time here in this rustic little village with its shops, kilns, narrow streets, flowing river, and mountainous backdrop. One thing that stands out as you walk around is the many porcelain pieces embedded in spots throughout the village, from streets to walls, to bridges and signs.
After lunch as a local restaurant, we are off to Takeo Onsen hot spring to visit Mifuneyama Rakuen, a flower-laden park creaked in 1845, at the end of the Edo Period. Enjoy free time to walk along the thousands of trees and flowers that cover the vast grounds.
We are now off to our onsen hotel for the evening, Yumei Hotel. Unzen Onsen is a hot spring resort town near the peak of Mt. Unzen. This resort town is surrounded on several sides by hot spring fields, also known as hells (jigoku). Look around at the many billowing steam vents and gushing hot springs from which milky, acidic, and sulfurous water bubbles straight up out of the ground. The hells were once used to execute Christian rebels after the failed Shimabara Rebellion, but today its waters have a more pleasant task, warming up its visitors in the hot spring baths around town.
Yumei Hotel is one of the oldest royakan in Unzen-Amakusa National Park and less than a 10-minute walk from the rocky hot spring fields, Unzen Hell. The Japanese style rooms feature shoji screens and tatami floors. Our arrival will be by 4:15pm, followed by dinner at 6:00pm. Enjoy the time before to walk around the town, soak in the hot springs, indulge is a freshly made cop of green tea, or take in the views from the large room windows.
Accommodations: Yumei Hotel free- Traditional Japanese style accommodations
Day 6 – May 29th, 2022 Sunday – Unzen-Amakusa-Kumamoto (B/L)
After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:45am. We are off on a full day of touring.
The morning begins with a short, 10-minute ride on the Unzen Ropeway. The incredible views and scenery begin with the ropeway cars which are equipped with large windows and then upon reaching the observation deck, even more fantastic views over the surrounding area and way into the distance.
As spring arrives at Unzen in early May, we should be able to enjoy viewing a variety of azaleas that bloom throughout the month and into early June. The colors range from a pale yellow to brilliant shades of red.
Now off to the Kuchinotsu Port for the for the 45-minute ferry ride to Onlike Port. Once here, lunch at a local restaurant and then off to visit Nishinokubo Park, a nature rich park to enjoy iris in bloom, nineteen varieties as well 6,000 hydrangeas. We should be right in peak viewing time.
Now, off to Kumamoto, the largest and most influential city in central Kyushu, best known for its castle and Suizenji Park, one of the three most famous gardens in Japan. Tomorrow we will visit both.
Arrival at our hotel, The New Hotel Kumamoto will be by 5:30pm and the remainder of the evening is free. Just a 1-minute walk to the Kumamoto Station, you will find a good selection of shop and dining options.
Accommodations: New Hotel Kumamoto free
Day 7 – May 30th, 2022 Monday – Kumamoto-Fukuoka (B)
After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:00am. It is our last day on tour, but still much to see and do before our flight home later this evening.
The morning begins with a relaxing fruit picking experience, strawberry picking! Enjoy!
Now off to visit Suizeni Park, a spacious Japanese style landscaped garden, built in the 17th century by the Hosokawa Family. It is best enjoyed by strolling along a circular path. Come, join your guide for the stroll.
The garden reproduces the 53 post stations of the Tokaido Road, which connected Edo with Kyoto during the Edo Perios, all in a miniature form, including a miniature Mt. Fuji.
Now, a visit to Sakura-no-baba Josaien, an Edo-themed complex just down the hill from Kumamoto Castle which we are off to next. While a bit different today, it tries to capture the atmosphere of a bustling town at the foot of Kumamoto Castle during the Edo Period. Enjoy time here to explore, shop, and have lunch on your own.
Every visitor’s first stop should be the Wakuwaku-Za, an interactive history display on the complex’s west side. Despite the rather odd name (wakuwaku in Japanese means exciting), Wakuwaku-Za provides a great introduction to life in a castle town. The bottom floor has many video displays, most of which relate the story of Kato Kiyomasa and the Hosokawa family.
While most of the displays on the ground floor deal with the Edo Period, a few cover the Satsuma Rebellion, a Meiji-era revolt in which Kumamoto Castle played a pivotal role. Renegade samurai under the leadership of former Imperial supporter Takamori Saigo besieged the castle in the winter of 1877. The castle garrison resisted and stood its ground and Takamori’s army eventually retreated two months later.
Upstairs, staff members put on quasi-historical performances incorporating, among other things, ninja, and samurai.
Do not leave the complex without first taking a wander through the shopping “district”. What you will find here is more than just typical tourist trinkets – expect local products like Kumamoto’s lotus root stuffed with spicy mustard and satellite stores for independent wineries in the prefecture. There are plenty of options to find the perfect gift.
This afternoon, a stop at Kumamoto Castle, one of the most impressive castles in Japan. With large castle grounds and a variety of buildings, Kumamoto Castle offers its visitors one of the most complete castle experiences in Japan. Only a few structures have survived the centuries since the castle's construction in 1607 intact. The castle keep and most other buildings are modern reconstructions, but the reconstructions are mostly of a high quality and new buildings are continually being added. With about 800 cherry trees, the castle becomes a popular cherry blossom spot usually in late March and early April.
The construction of Kumamoto Castle in the early 1600s took seven years, and it was designed by the feudal lord (daimyo) who ruled the area, Kato Kiyomasa. Kato was an experienced warrior, and he used his knowledge to build fortifications that were highly regarded for their strategic effectiveness. Less than 50 years after its construction, the castle and surrounding area were taken from the Kato clan and given to the Hosokawa clan which ruled the area from Kumamoto Castle for the next two centuries.
A few years after the Meiji Restoration (1868), the castle played a pivotal role during the Seinan Civil War, during which the famous samurai Saigo Takamori led an uprising in Kyushu against the new government. Kumamoto Castle was the main garrison of government troops in Kyushu, and Saigo attacked the castle in early 1877. Despite being outnumbered and losing many buildings, the government forces were able to withstand Saigo's two-month siege, forcing the rebel forces to retreat.
The castle suffered serious damage in the 2016 earthquake. Many roof tiles fell, foundations were damaged, walls crumbled, and entire structures collapsed. While the inner grounds are closed to the public, it is possible to see and enjoy the massive fortress from the outside. While the work is ongoing, it may take up to 20 years to be fully restored.
We now make our way to the Fukuoka Airport, arriving by 5:30pm to begin the check-in for our flight home. The drive time is just under 2-hours.
Hawaiian Airlines #828 Departs Fukuoka 8:40 pm – Arrive Honolulu 10:15 am (same day)