This Week @ PacSet: Kyushu Explorer (NS)FAQ
Courtesy Kumamoto Pref. CVB
KYUSHU EXPLORER (NOT SO) FAQ!
As you (probably) noticed, we launched a pretty huge Kyushu trip last week, called Kyushu Explorer. We figured some of you might have questions about it, so we tried to imagine what those questions would be. Fun! Okay, let’s get this show on the road…
What is the big difference between this trip and the other Kyushu trips PacSet runs, like Kyushu Hideaways and Taste of Shikoku Kyushu?
The short answer: until now, our adventures in Kyushu have been centered on either the southern part of the island (Kyushu Hideaways) or parts of the north in combination with locations elsewhere (Taste of Shikoku Kyushu, Anime De-Tour 2022, Shikoku Kyushu Showcase, etc.).
The long answer: the idea for a just Kyushu trip is something we’ve been batting around for a while now, and we finally settled on an itinerary that captured enough of what we felt best showcased the island.
While the majority of the brand new Kyushu Explorer(the red line on the map) is stuff we haven’t featured before, there are a few spots that have been featured on previous trips. Takachiho and Mt. Aso are both part of Kyushu Hideaways (the green line on the map), while Nagasaki and Fukuoka have been on a few trips (most notably the Taste of Shikoku Kyushu – the light blue line on the map). These are places that we simply love that our guests on previous trips have also loved, so we felt compelled to have them on the schedule – but most everything else on this trip is completely new, or has been featured in a very limited scale until now.*
Theme-wise, this trip is very different. Kyushu Hideaways is probably the most similar to Kyushu Explorer, although its focus is a little more on outdoorsy activities and obscure gems of southern Kyushu, like the sand hot springs of Ibusuki, Udo Shrine, and Yakushima. Taste is, well, a food trip, and while Kyushu Explorer will feature a lot of food as well, it’s a little less urban than the Taste/Showcase trips were.
Speaking of the journey: if you wanna join in, here’s a bonus copy of that lovely signup button:
May 10/11* - 25, 2027
The ultimate Kyushu vacation.
⛰️ Explore caldera mountains, amazing cities, and ancient shrines
🌾 Exclusive visits to rice fields, distilleries, and restaurants
♨️ Four nights in two hot spring resorts with amazing cuisine
🌊 Ride the rapids, sail under waterfalls, and paddle by castle ruins
$4,995
Why are the hot spring resort/onsen stops where they are?
Let us be blunt: Kyushu has a TON of onsens. As we were designing this trip, the thought, “hey, wouldn’t it be crazy if we made all the hotels onsens?” danced across our brains more than once. Heck, we’re going to Oita Prefecture on this trip, and the entire brand of that prefecture literally IS onsens (that’s where BEPPU is, for crying out loud). And yet, that isn’t one of the places we are staying in a hot spring.
We wanted hot springs to be a focus on this trip, but we wanted each one to feel different. We didn’t want every single hot spring to hit the same note; as much as we like a good kaiseki (Kaiseki is the traditional multi-course Japanese-style dinner many hot spring resorts specialize in), we like to switch it up! On top of that, each hot spring ryokan has a different take on service, luxury, and how to cater to guests. After reviewing onsens we’ve visited on previous trips and others, we went with two locations with very different takes on food, style, and baths for this trip. We opted for an all-inclusive resort kind of vibe for the initial hotel, complete with a fancy dinner, and a closing location in Takeo Onsen is known for the TeamLabs art installations, absolutely breathtaking gardens on site, and one of our favorite kaiseki feasts. We think you guys will really, really love it. <3
How did you pick the focus of each stop on this trip?
By screaming into a bag.
Oh wait, we can’t use that answer? That’s no fun…
Seriously though, putting this one together was a lot of work. There’s enough stuff to do in Kyushu that we had close to a month and a half of content for this trip, and that still wouldn’t be enough time for the whole thing. Honestly, don’t be surprised if we run another Kyushu Explorer in the future with a completely different roster of stops. There’s that much we could have gone with.
As we started whittling down options, we decided to go with a different feel for every region that celebrates a part of what makes each prefecture in Kyushu special. We went history-centric with Kagoshima, stopping in places with long ties to Japanese folklore and local food culture (black vinegar and shochu). We went nature-heavy in Kumamoto, with the river rafting and Mt. Aso, but also enough historical sites to connect back to the Kagoshima stuff. Takachiho was the natural choice for the Miyazaki stop, as was Fukuoka city as the largest city on the trip. Sticking with interactive activities in Yufuin felt right; it’s the middle of the trip, and as a place with a landscape that kind of reflects a lot of what Kyushu is, it felt like the perfect place to get our hands dirty (so to speak). We went with a little less time in Nagasaki this time around – enough to enjoy the city, but leaving enough time for the big finish in Saga Prefecture and Takeo Onsen.
While we initially pictured doing equal amounts of time in each place, that didn’t really work due to some of the swings between places and the travel time involved. Still, we are immensely proud of what we’ve managed to create here; it’s timed perfectly, balanced nicely, and has something for everyone.
Will you be doing a shorter version of this trip? This one is two weeks long…
The previous answer gave this one away a bit, but in short, no. There’s really no way to make something like this short. However, if you want to get a little bit of Kyushu into your next trip, we have you covered; our Best of the West trip next spring includes Fukuoka and some parts of Kitakyushu that this trip misses.
In closing, Kyushu Explorer is a heck of an adventure, and we hope you all get a chance to check it out. You won’t be disappointed!
KYUSHU NIGHT IN LONG BEACH JUNE 13!
Oh yeah, we’re also hosting a party in Long Beach to promote this trip and share some Shochu samples with the lovely people (that’s you. You are the lovely people.) RSVP using the button below. ♪
*For the die-hards wondering which places were featured in a “limited scale” until now: Takeo Onsen was featured on a private trip we ran in late 2024 that no one noticed we did (it was right before the Lords Spires trip after all…), Kirishima is part of this summer’s Island Hopper (on a smaller scale though) and Yufuin was actually part of Anime De-Tour 5/Anime De-Tour 2022! There’s a bunch of stuff we’re doing on Kyushu Explorer in those places that weren’t part of the previous trips though.
