The leap near Fukuoka Yufuoku! Dome reflects how I feel about my family trip to Kyushu.

"Wow!" x 1,000,000

Food, scenery, designer trains and Japanese-styled ryokans contribute to the "Wow!"s.

Wow No. 1 - Ramen

Ramen tops the list of must-eat food. We plan to come back to Kyushu for more...slurp slurp...

Plus we get to slurp the ramen as loudly as we want. You may ask : Isn't that rude?

In Japan, the act of slurping is seen as a compliment to the chef.

We even bought packets of ramen home to relive "the taste of heaven".

Wow No. 2 - Lake Kirin's Reflection

Lake Kirin shines as full autumn colours reflect on it!

We cannot help taking selfies as the scenery is simply breathtaking!

Wow No. 3 - Designer Trains

We experienced riding on 2 designer trains - Aso Boy and Yufuin no mori during our visit.

Aso Boy's cabins are designed to capture the hearts of the young-at-heart with Kuro, its cute mascot.

Game for some ball pit play?

In Yufuin no mori, the vintage-styled interior is most unique.

Even the passageway connecting the cabins is like a catwalk.

In the buffet train, we get our Yufuin no mori postcards duly chopped.

The staff also helped us to take pictures as memento.

What we yearn to take most is the Seven Seas in Kyushu, the ultimate luxury train.

We could not help admiring its polished black and gold exterior at Yufuin station ------too bad, we could only bask in its reflection.

We tell ourselves that we must reserve seats for the Seven Seas in Kyushu during our next visit.

Wow No. 4 Japanese-styled ryokans

Sleeping on tatamis and enjoying the exquisite cuisine prepared by the host is a dream come true for a "Japan Hour" fan like me.

We were totally wowed by the warm, personal service of Aso no shiki's staff.

The sumptuous dinner whipped our appetites.

Breakfast is equally sumptuous.

Onsens of different themes also blew us away!

Wonderful memories of Kyushu come from the locals who welcome us warmly.

It takes time to discover the gems of Kyushu.

Look forward to our next visit to Kyushu for more "Wow"s.