PATHWAYS of KYUSHU & SHIKOKU

April 7-18, 2027

Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Beppu, Matsuyama, Uchiko, Takamatsu

Escorted Group Tour

In April 2027, Esprit’s newest tour whisks you to the far side of Japan, and the little-visited islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. Traversing coastlines, mountains, valleys, hot springs and the Seto Inland Sea, this 11-day, 10-night journey combines nature’s beauty and urban exploration with the in-depth cultural visits you’ve come to expect from Esprit Travel.

We meet in cosmopolitan Fukuoka, Japan’s 6th largest city and hub of Kyushu’s northern coast. Our contemporary hotel is steps from the intimate old town of Hakata, known for its street life, Shinto shrine, merchant houses, traditional crafts and yatai, street carts serving surprisingly gourmet meals.

A day trip takes us to graceful Nagasaki, known throughout Japan for its picturesque harbor and fascinating history as the only point of contact between Japan and the western world for centuries - making all the more ironic the atomic bombing at the end of WWII. Another side trip takes in the island’s ancient capital of Dazaifu, a pilgrimage point for students seeking blessings from the Shinto god of scholarship, and the architecturally stunning Kyushu National Museum.

Journeying east through mountainous northern Kyushu, our next stop is the hot spring town of Beppu for a stay at a lovely ryokan and an opportunity to sample the silky onsen (hot spring) baths. Our visit includes Beppu’s famed for its park-like geothermal sites and bamboo crafts. The nearby Usuki Stone Buddhas are a national treasure dating from the 12^th Century.

A ferry across the Seto Inland Sea takes us to Shikoku, long considered the most secluded of Japan’s four main islands. Our first stop, Matsuyama, boasts a landmark castle and some of the 88 temples that make up the Buddhist pilgrimage route encircling the island. Another day trip takes us to Uchiko, a small town which grew wealthy off the wax and washi paper trades in the Edo Period and still boasts many buildings of that era.

In our final stop, Takamatsu, we’ll take in the gracious feudal-era park, Ritsurin Koen, museums saluting Isamu Noguchi and George Nakashima, and udon noodles, the region’s signature dish.

Your tour leader, Andrew Bender, is Esprit’s head of group tour planning and a noted travel and food writer, including numerous guidebooks to Japan for Lonely Planet and publications including Forbes, the Los Angeles Times and in-flight magazines.

Day 1

Depart Home



Depart USA via individual flights to Tokyo and connecting flight to Fukuoka. Travel planning tips will be provided for your arrival and change of planes in Japan. Many of our guests opt to arrive a day or more early and spend free time in Tokyo or Fukuoka, using sightseeing suggestions from Esprit’s Client Information Portal (provided after registration); pre-tour nights at our tour hotel may be available upon request.

Day 2

Arrive Fukuoka

Welcome to Kyushu, Japan’s westernmost main island! Our base of Fukuoka, Japan’s 6^th largest city, is crisscrossed by rivers and canals for pretty strolls and boasts some lively shopping and restaurant districts, as well as cultural sights. After your transfer from Fukuoka Airport (included in the tour price) to our centrally located, modern hotel, this evening there will be a casual orientation to meet your fellow travelers and introduce the neighborhood, including options for dinner of your choice.

Accommodations: Grand Hyatt Fukuoka

Meals included: None

Day 3

Fukuoka

We begin the day with an immersion into the traditional culture of Fukuoka including Kushida Shinto Shrine (city shrine and home base of one of Japan's great parade festivals) and the nearby Hakata Machiya Folk Museum, celebrating life in the city's historic merchant homes. We will follow these with presentations about traditional local crafts such as lantern making and the city’s famed, multi-layered Hakata-ori weaving. We’ll point out options for lunch on your own, along with museums and design and craft shops for you to explore this afternoon at leisure. Tonight’s dinner is in pure Fukuoka style, at one of the 150 yatai (open-air food stalls – small, mobile kitchens with seating) which line the city’s many thoroughfares and canals. Fukuoka more yatai than the rest of Japan combined!

Accommodations: Grand Hyatt Fukuoka
Meals included: Breakfast, dinner

Day 4

Nagasaki Day Trip

A drive of about 90 minutes takes us to Nagasaki, one of Japan’s most picturesque cities and a hub of East-meets-West encounters for centuries. Beginning at the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture, we will learn about the city’s past as one of Asia’s great trading ports, and continue to Dejima, the man-made island that served as a Dutch trading post and Japan’s sole point of contact with the Western world during the Sakoku Period (period of self-imposed isolation, 1641-1853). Now surrounded by the city, Dejima’s historic warehouses and residences have been faithfully restored. After a casual, harborside lunch, we journey to the atomic bombing sites on the city’s north side, including the Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Park, returning to Fukuoka in the early evening.

Accommodations: Grand Hyatt Fukuoka
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 5

Beppu

Departing Fukuoka our first stop is lively Dazaifu, historic capital of Kyushu. Here we will stroll the photogenic grounds of Dazaifu Tenman-gu Shrine, 1,100 years old and dedicated to the Shinto god of scholarship, and visit the futuristic Kyushu National Museum, nestled amid wooded hills and boasting a priceless collection highlighting the island’s history of trade with the Asian continent. Mid-afternoon, we arrive in Beppu, whose onsen (hot springs) and coastal scenery have drawn Japanese visitors for centuries. Our contemporary ryokan (most rooms have western-style bedding) features onsen baths, ideal for sampling the waters before a sumptuous dinner in the inn.

Accommodations: Ryotei Matsubaya
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6

Beppu

Our exploration of Beppu takes in one of the steaming geothermal sites nicknamed “hells” (even our lunch is cooked over natural springs) and explores the city’s longstanding bamboo craft tradition. A side trip lets us enjoy the majestic scenery of the mountainous countryside before returning to Beppu for another relaxing evening of baths and dinner at our inn.

Accommodations: Ryotei Matsubaya
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 7

Matsuyama

Our last stop on Kyushu is the Usuki Stone Buddhas, a national treasure and the largest such sculptures in Japan. From Usuki Port, a 2.5-hour ferry ride, with a bento lunch to enjoy on board, takes us across the Inland Sea to Yawatahama Port at Shikoku's western edge. Our home for the next three nights, Matsuyama, is the region’s largest city yet still retains its historic charm. Our central hotel is in the city’s intimate downtown, where we’ll have a casual dinner.

Accommodations: ANA Crowne Plaza Matsuyama
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 8

Matsuyama

Today is devoted to the signature sights of Matsuyama. A gondola ride takes us up to Matsuyama Castle, at once imposing and gracious, filled with local history and sweeping views of the city and countryside. Later we will visit one of the 88 temples that form the Buddhist pilgrimage route around Shikoku Island. We conclude with a stroll of the busy, colorful streets of Dogo Onsen, a neighborhood whose hot spring is legendary in Japanese literature and lore; you may wish to stay here or return to the city center for dinner on your own.

Accommodations: ANA Crowne Plaza Matsuyama
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 9

Matsuyama

A drive along the coast takes us to Uchiko, which thrived in the production of wax (made from sumac berries) and washi paper in the late Edo and early Meiji Periods of the late 1800s. It still boasts picturesque streets with well-preserved wooden merchant houses of that era. Our visits include a historic home, now a museum of local wax production, followed by lunch on your own at the local farmers market and workshops where washi paper and candles are still made using traditional techniques, before returning to Matsuyama for the evening.

Accommodations: ANA Crowne Plaza Matsuyama
Meal included: Breakfast

Day 10

Takamatsu

On the last leg of our journey around Shikoku, takes us to the city of Takamatsu and Ritsurin Koen, a substantial and splendid example of Japanese landscaping and considered to be one of Japan’s finest Edo-period stroll gardens. Set against the backdrop of Mt. Shuin, the park features 6 ponds and 13 landscaped hills and is home to a small but fine mingei (folk craft) museum featuring handmade crafts from around Shikoku. For dinner tonight we suggest one of the many nearby restaurants for udon, the thick wheat noodles that are the signature dish of this region, Kagawa Prefecture.

Accommodations: JR Hotel Clement Takamatsu 
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 11

Takamatsu

Today is dedicated to masters who called the Takamatsu area home. Amid the stony hillsides east of town, the Isamu Noguchi Museum preserves this sculptor’s atelier just as it was upon his death in 1988. We later visit the George Nakashima Museum, saluting the legacy of the renowned furniture designer, at the workshop that fabricated much of his work. Our journey concludes with a farewell dinner.

Accommodations: JR Hotel Clement Takamatsu
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 12

Depart for home

Transfer by airport limousine bus to Takamatsu Airport for flights to Tokyo and connecting flights to international destinations. Takamatsu is also a rail hub for guests continuing elsewhere in Japan. Post-tour nights at our tour hotel my be available upon request.

Meal included: Breakfast

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