After 6 months of preparation, 16 of us were on our way to our self-driven holiday in Kyushu on 22 November 2015.

As we had to drive a long distance to Ibusuki (our next stop) we did not stay too long at the Castle.

We stopped for lunch in Hitoyoshi, at a traditional eel restaurant, ‘Uemura Unagi-Ya’ which has been serving customers for more than a hundred years. The charcoal grilled eel incomparable to the ones that I used to have. Thus is no surprise that we had to queue for quite some time before we were able to get the tables in the restaurant.

After an incredibly long drive from Hitoyoshi, we arrived at Ibusuki. We stayed at a very beautiful Ryokan, Ibusuki Hakusuika, with the largest onsen I had ever seen. I had been to many different onsens in Japan but this onsen was huge. There are several different pools in the onsen, each with different temperature and unique properties in it. There was also a sand bath in which warm sand was placed on one’s body with some kind of health benefits. We tried the sand bath. The hot sand made us perspired but relieving us of our muscles ache.

We had a fantastic kiseki dinner in a private room.

Our next stop is Miyazaki, to visit the Aoshima Island. Our hotel is located next to the sea and we had a nice cool walk to the Aoshima Island. The shallow water around the island has some straight rows of rock as if they were manmade. But they are actually natural formations from and rocks and mud rocks that accumulated in alternation on the sea floor from 2 million to 24 million ago.

Leaving Aoshima island, we were set for another place in Miyazaki, which is the famous Takachiho Gorge.

We stayed at Hotel Takachiho. The next morning, we left early for the ‘Kunimigaoka’ – sea of clouds at 513m above sea level. Unfortunately, it was raining and we could not see much of it. But when we returned for breakfast, a nice big rainbow greeted us outside the hotel.

After leaving the hotel, we did a brief stop at Takachiho Rest Stop to purchase some farm products. We chanced upon butchery with a restaurant located next to the Rest Stop. We had a wonderful beef steak with the special Takachiho beef.

With an awesome lunch, we were all ready to set off for Mount Aso. Driving up Mount Aso, we passed by beautiful scenery, valleys and mountain ranges. Just before we arrived at Mount Aso, we experienced snow falling. As we were not prepared for snow (having the impression that it is autumn), we were freezing cold at Mount Aso. Due to the vocanic activities, Mount Aso was closed. We lingered for a while at the station and proceeded to our next destination, Kurokawa.

Kurokawa is a small onsen town. We arrived in the evening and was raining.

When we got up the next morning, we realized that it was snowing the night before. We left Kurokawa, and set off to Kuju Yamanami Farm. On our way, the scenery around us suddenly changed to a frozen wonderland. The trees and mountain were all white. We took a side stop for some beautiful snow filled shots. The place was so cold and beautiful. Lliving near the equator, we have summer the whole year. Although it’s not the first time that we experienced snow; it was unexpected, we truly enjoyed these moments.

We left Beppu and head to Fukuoka. We returned our cars in Hakata, Fukuoka and were left with the last 2 days for shopping. This trip was organized for 16 people from 2 years old to over 50. It incorporated the needs for all, farm and aquarium for the young ones, onsen and sightseeing for the older ones; and last but not least shopping and eating for those in between. We had a wonderful bonding time together.