Wanderlust UK – September 2019

wanderlust.co.uk September 2019 131

Wheretostay?

○InKobe:Toweringabovethe

watersideMerikenParkand

'Harbourland',OkuraHotelhas

bedroomviewsfacingeitherthe

mountainsortheocean.

kobe.hotelokura.co.jp/en

○InToyooka:KoyadoEnn,a

traditionalryokaninninKinosaki.

Youcanborrowayukataforfree,

plusgetatickettoKinosaki’s

bathhouses.koyado.net/english

○InKyotobytheSea:Hoshino-

OtoatMarinetopiaResort–

elegantsuitesbesidetheshorein

Miyazu,withprivatehotspring

bathsandinfinitypools(hoshino-

oto.jp/en).Cool‘glamping’options

arealsoavailableinbubble-like

pods.marinetopia-suite.com/en

Wheretoeat?

○InKobe:Wakkoqu,wherethe

skilledchefsdelicatelysliceand

cookKobe'Wagyu'beefinfront

ofyou.wakkoqu.com

○InToyooka:Sanpou-

Nishimuraya,inKinosaki,with

English-speakingstaffanda

menufeaturingTajimabeefand

fishcookedovercharcoal.

sanpou-nishimuraya.com/en

○InHimeji:NadagikuBrewery,

whereyoucantourthesake

brewerybeforetuckinginto

sizzlingsukiyaki(beefhotpot).

TravelinKansai

○JRWesthasawidevarietyof

railpasses,fromonedayexplorer

passes(2,200JPY;£16)to

five-dayunlimitedusepasses

(9,000JPY;£66).Buybefore

arrivinginJapantosavemoney.

westjr.co.jp/global/en

○TheHanshinElectricRailway

connectsOsakatoKobein 40

minutes.Unlimitedrideday

ticketscost500JPY(£3.70).

hanshin.co.jp/global/en

Usefullinks

○Kansai:kansaiguide.jp/rt/eng

○Kobe:plus.feel-kobe.jp/en

○Himeji:himeji-kanko.jp

○Toyooka:visitkinosaki.com

○KyotobytheSea:

uminokyoto.jp/global

MAKE IT HAPPEN

KANSAI KYUSHU

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Olivia Lee; Hankyu Ferry

Where to stay?

○ In Fukuoka: There are a huge

number of hotels in Fukuoka city.

Opt for one near Hakata Station

for a convenient central location.

○ In Kumamoto: Nanjoen Ryokan

in Kurokawa features traditional

tatami rooms and an idyllic

location overlooking the

steaming hot spring town.

nanjoen.com/en

○ In Oita: Sally Garden Yanagiya,

in Beppu – an onsen hotel with

hot spring baths and tatami

rooms featuring futons or

western-style beds, as well as

a Japanese-Italian restaurant.

beppu-yanagiya.jp/english

Where to eat?

○ In Fukuoka: Ohana restaurant,

in Yanagawa, with tatami rooms

overlooking a Japanese garden,

serving the regional speciality:

sticky grilled eel. ohana.co.jp

○ In Kumamoto: Takamori

Dengaku no Sato, in Aso,

where miso-marinated skewers

of fish, beef, tofu and vegetables

are grilled over your own 'irori'

fireplace built into the floor.

kyushuandtokyo.org/spot_126

○ In Oita: In the area of

Kanawa, Beppu, you can

steam your own food at

various steaming spots,

cooking anything from

vegetables to pizza. Stop

by a local grocery shop and

then get cooking. Visit

jigokumushi.com for locations.

Travel in Kyushu

While there are plenty

of trains and highway buses

in Kyushu, self-driving is by far

the easiest way to get around.

Hire a car in Fukuoka city, with

Fukuoka Airport or Hakata

Station as easy pick-up points.

Useful links

○ Kyushu: welcomekyushu.com

○ Fukuoka: crossroad

fukuoka.jp/en

○ Oita: discover-oita.com

○ Kumamoto:

kumamoto.guide/en

The Hankyu Ferry

Only in Japan would a ferry

have an open-air hot spring

bath to soak in as the ocean

glides by. The overnight Hankyu

Ferry connects Kansai and Kyushu

in around 12 hours, meaning you

can set o from either Kobe or

Osaka in the evening and arrive

in northern Kyushu the next

morning (or vice versa). Private,

comfortable rooms are available

on board, with large windows

and western-style beds. Prices

start from 6,470JPY (£47) but

if you book your ticket through

directferries.com you can get up

to 30% o. han9f.co.jp/en

Scan here to watch our Japan videos

We've created two Wanderlust videos on Kansai

and Kyushu. Simply hover your smartphone's

camera over the QR code to watch.

(This may not be possible on certain devices.)