Western Japan Onsen

Don’t hesitate to contact us. We are an expert team and we are happy to talk to you. Visiting an onsen is the Japanese version of the good life. At Japanese onsens, you will enjoy excellent food and experience the famous Japanese hospitality. And don’t forget the Japanese baths. The Japanese have raised bathing to a whole new level, and they are an important experience that should be included in every visit to Japan. And in between all of this, we will be visiting some of Japan’s most remote sightseeing destinations. If you like Japanese food and enjoy the Japanese baths, this tour should not be missed. At Ibusuki Onsen, you will experience “sunaburo” (sand baths) where you are covered up to your chin with thermally-heated sand. Explore the many cafes, shops and restaurants at the rural Yufuin Onsen. Visit the many “hells” at Beppu, and the nearby statues of Buddha carved from rock cliffs in Usuki. Soak in the waters of Dogo Onsen, one of the oldest onsen in Japan with more than a 1,000 year history. Visit Iya Valley Onsen and Iya Valley, one of the most remote regions of Japan. Sample the two types of water at Arima Onsen. The brown “kinsen” (Gold spring) with its high concentrations of iron is said to be good for skin ailments and muscle pain. The clear “ginsen” (Silver spring) contains radium and carbonate and is said to cure various muscle and joint ailments. And last, but not least, Kinosaki Onsen was discovered around the 8th century and since then the town has developed into a charmingly old-fashioned onsen town. In the evenings guests of the local ryokans stroll about town in yukata (cotton kimon) and geta (wooden clogs), visiting the numerous public baths and nostalgic game arcades. PLEASE NOTE: Tattoos in Japan are stigmatized, and therefore tattoos are not widely accepted at onsen baths in Japan. If you have tattoos, you may not be allowed to use the baths. Senganen Garden, Shiroyama Park, Black Pork Katsu Lunch Shiraike Hell, Oniyama Hell, Kamado Hell, Umi Hell, Oniishibozu Hell Usuki Stone Buddhas, Usuki Samurai District, Fugu (Blowfish) Lunch Oboke Gorge Sightseeing Boat Cruise, Lapis Oboke Museum Peeing Boy Statue, Kazurabashi Vine Bridge After clearing customs and immigration, you will be met at Tokyo’s Narita Airport or Haneda Airport by a Samurai Tours meeting staff member. They will help you board the bus to the hotel. After checking in, the evening is free. No meals are included. Travel: 1 to 1 1/2 Hours; Walking: Light After breakfast, we will begin with a welcome/orientation meeting. We will then travel by limousine bus to Haneda Airport. From there the group will fly to Kagoshima Airport in southern Kyushu, and then travel to Kirishima Onsen. Kirishima Onsen lies on the lower slopes of the Kirishima Mountains with a distant view over Kagoshima Bay and Sakurajima, Japan’s most active volcano. Kirishima Onsen is one of Japan’s leading hot spring resorts with high quality, sulfuric hot spring waters. Before leaving the hotel in Tokyo, you will prepare your main luggage to be sent to Yufuin Onsen. You will travel with enough items for 3 days and 2 nights from Tokyo to Ibusuki Onsen and eventually to Yufuin Onsen. Breakfast at the hotel and dinner at the hotel are included. Travel: 3 1/2 Hours; Walking: Light After checking out of our hotel, we will travel to nearby Kagoshima. Kagoshima is Kyushu’s southernmost major city and the capital of Kagoshima Prefecture. The city is often compared with its Italian sister city Naples due to a similarly mild climate, palm tree lined streets, relatively hot tempered inhabitants and Sakurajima, Kagoshima’s Vesuvius. We will start our visit of Kagoshima at Senganen Garden, a Japanese style landscape garden along the coast north of downtown Kagoshima. One of the garden’s most striking features is its use of Sakurajima and Kagoshima Bay as borrowed scenery. Senganen was constructed in 1658 by the wealthy Shimazu Clan, one of the most powerful feudal clans during the Edo Period. The Shimazu ruled the Satsuma domain (present day Kagoshima) for almost 700 years until the end of the feudal age in 1868. They continued to be influential into the modern era as some of the earliest adopters of Western science and technology. Next we will visit Shiroyama Park. With an elevation of 107 meters, the mountain formerly served as the site of a castle fortification, which led to its name. Shiroyama literally means “castle mountain” in Japanese. The park is most famous for its Shiroyama Observatory with spectacular views over downtown Kagoshima, Kagoshima Bay and Sakurajima. Shiroyama was also the site of the final battle of the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877. The local hero Saigo Takamori,(the real Last Samurai) is said to have made his last stand at Saigo Cave, located within the park.Before leaving Kagoshima, we will enjoy the local food specialty Kagoshima is known around Japan for: Black Pork Katsu (deep fried pork cutlet). Later in the day we will travel t