Japan 2011

Treasures of Kyushu with Adventure South NZ Cycle Tours

10 days of cycling in Kyushu and Yakushima

Kyushu is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. The island is mountainous, and Japan’s most active volcano, Mt Aso at 1,591 metres (5,220 ft), is on Kyushu. There are many other signs of tectonic activity, including numerous areas of hot springs. The most famous of these are in Beppu, on the east shore, and around Mt. Aso, in central Kyushu.　

We cycled across Kyushu and took a ferry to Yakushima island. Yakushima is Japan’s wettest place and it is covered in dense forest noted especially for old growth Cryptomeria trees known as Sugi in Japan and magnificent Rhododendrons. Yakushima’s unique remnant of a warm-temperate ancient forest is a natural World Heritage Site since 1993. In the Wilderness core area (12.19 square kilometres (3,010 acres)) of the World Heritage Site, no records of past tree cutting can be traced.

Riders (left to right, top to bottom): Mary Fogarty, Mandy Campbell, David Errington, Alan Davidson, Milton Spear, Dennis Foster, Donna Campbell, Mike Adams, Chris Griffiths, Jeff Priday, Helen Silver, Ayaka Yoshikawa (tour leader), Sean Buck, Toby Washer (tour leader).

Watch David’s video highlights on YouTube …

Ride Segments

Day 1 – Yufuin

Cycling in Yufuin The most prominent features of this town are Mt Yufu and paddy fields neatly laid out in the basin. The day’s cycling allowed us to see the whole Yufuin town and gave us an opportunity to get familiar with twisting roads in Kyushu villages. We visited Lake Kinrin-ko and the lakeside tea […]

Day 2 – Yufuin to Aso

A very hilly but rewarding day! We cycled on a narrow winding old road to the first mountain pass then onto “Yamanami highway’ which is one of the top 100 scenic roads in Japan. From the road, we could see an active steaming volcano. After overcoming the second mountain pass on the edge of the […]

Day 3 – Aso to Kumamoto

We started with a visit to the Shinto Aso shrine where local farmers pray for their harvest to the god of the mountain. After leaving the sacred gate from the shrine, we cycled up to the top of Mt Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan. This ride was quite a climb up hill to […]

Day 4 – Kumamoto to Amakusa

One of the most beautiful Japanese war time castles is Kumamoto-jo, which we visited in the morning. The castle was built in 1607 and is famous for the architecture and the notable stone walls. Only a few structures have survived the centuries since the castle’s construction in 1607 intact. The castle keep and most other […]

Day 5 – Amakusa to Kushikino

We enjoyed an Amakusa island ride while crossing bridges designed only for walkers and cyclists. Cycling along the coast with a view of the beautifully calm inland sea brought us to the end of the road, and then we enjoyed a comfortable half hour ferry ride to the next island. We then got back on […]

Day 6 – Kushikino to Makurazaki

This morning we left Kushikino and rode along a cycle path stretching along the coast for 25km. We cruised on the cycling path with a cool sea breeze on the sand dunes and later braved the VERY strong winds over the bridge. After 50km of flat riding, the mountain pass burned some calories and built our appetite […]

Day 7 – Makurazaki to Ibusuki

From Makurazaki, we cycled up to a hill where vast green tea farms were laid out. The road around the beautiful cone shaped Mt Kaimon brought us to a quiet ride with ocean views. We had a break at a natural sand Onsen on the beach – a steep descent from the road. Some of us […]

Day 8 – Ibusuki to Yakushima Island – Rest Day

In the morning we took an 80 minute jet ferry from Ibusuki leading us to the final destination, Yakushima Island, a World Heritage Site since 1993. As one of the wettest places in Japan, the island is home to the thick Yakusugi forest and deep valleys with crystal clear flowing water. The rest of the […]

Day 9 – Yakushima Island

Cycling around Yakushima Island was a great finish to the trip. As it happened, we were blessed with a perfect day weather-wise. We rode through lush forest and along the very scenic coast. When we reached the western side of the island we spotted wild Japanese monkeys and deer though we had been seriously warned […]