Yufuin

The Hells of Beppu are seven unique hot spring pools in vivid colors — from blood red to cobalt blue — too hot for bathing but visited for their dramatic visual spectacle. Beppu is Japan's largest hot spring resort, producing enormous volumes of steam.

Dazaifu Tenmangu is a grand Shinto shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deity of learning and scholarship. Millions of students visit each year to pray for academic success, and the surrounding approach is famous for plum blossoms.

Nakasu's outdoor food stalls come alive at night along the riverbanks, offering Fukuoka's famous ramen, oden, and yakitori. Sitting elbow-to-elbow with locals at these tiny open-air stalls is a quintessential Fukuoka experience.

Glover Garden is an open-air museum on a hillside housing Western-style mansions built by foreign merchants in the Meiji era. The garden offers panoramic views of Nagasaki harbor and tells the story of the city's unique international history.

Hashima Island, nicknamed Battleship Island, is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed abandoned coal mining island. Once the most densely populated place on Earth, its decaying concrete ruins are a haunting testament to Japan's industrial history.

Kumamoto Castle is one of Japan's most impressive feudal castles, known for its complex defensive stone walls and striking black architecture. Severely damaged in the 2016 earthquake, it has been undergoing restoration as a symbol of the city's resilience.