2026 Autumn Circle Kyushu

Featuring 'Huis Ten Bosch' Theme Park & Sumo Tournaments

November 5 - 17, 2026 (13 Days & 11 Nights)

Haneda, Fukuoka, Toto Museum, Dazaifu Tenman-gu, Niji-no-Matsubara, Imari Okawachiyama, Kujuku-shima Cruise, Huis Ten Bosch Theme Park, Kageki the Revue Show, Kingdom of Lights Festival, Nagasaki, Nagasaki Peace Park, Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, Nagasaki Heiwa-koen, Nagasaki International Peace Memorial Hall, Ferry to Kumamoto, Chiran, Kagoshima, Tokko Heiwa Kaikan, Samurai Street, Kagoshima, Kumamoto Castle, Aoshima, Oni-no-Sentakuita , Miyazaki, Takachiho-kyo, Beppu, Umi Jigoku, Yufuin, Yufuin Floral Village, Kushida Shrine, Canal Ciry, Fukuoka Grand Sumo Tournament, Fukuoka, Haneda

$100 EARLY BOOKING DISCOUNT
(deposit of $100 per person received by June 5, 2026)

Thursday, November 5  (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO HANEDA
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the check-in lobby at the airport for baggage check-in procedures.  We will depart Honolulu for Haneda International Airport.  Lunch and a snack will be served on board the flight.

Friday, November 6  (Day 02)
ARRIVE HANEDA * FUKUOKA
We’ll arrive Haneda Airport in the afternoon and after completing entry and customs procedures, we’ll transfer to the domestic terminal for our flight to Fukuoka International Airport in Kyushu, the third-largest and southernmost island of Japan.  We’ll transfer to our hotel to check-in for two nights in downtown Fukuoka, the largest city in Kyushu and capital of Fukuoka prefecture.

Accommodations at ANA CROWNE PLAZA FUKUOKA or similar

Saturday, November 7  (Day 03)
FUKUOKA  (B)(D)
Enjoy a full day of sightseeing as we travel to Kitakyushu to discover the interesting world of toilets at the Toto Museum, Japan’s premier manufacturer of toilets and washroom products.  The museum provides us with the history of Toto, its products, and the production from the past to the present.  View the interesting super-modern architectural design of the building, featuring rounded and rimmed curves with a glowing white finish.  We’ll travel to the cultural city of Dazaifu, to explore the grounds of Dazaifu Tenman-gu, one of Japan’s most important Shinto Shrine, dedicated to the enshrined Sugawara Michizane, a scholar and politician of the Heian period.  His rise to power during his political career resulted in a rivalry with the Fujiwara clan and was later exiled to Dazaifu.  The long approach way to the shrine is a lively pedestrian street lined with local shops, restaurants, cafes and sweet stands, featuring its special manju.  We’ll return to our hotel in Fukuoka for the night.  Dinner will be provided for you at the hotel this evening

Accommodations at ANA CROWNE PLAZA FUKUOKA or similar

Sunday, November 8  (Day 04)
FUKUOKA * KARATSU * IMARI * ARITA * SASEBO * HUIS TEN BOSCH  (B)(D)
We’ll travel west to visit Niji-no-Matsubara, the largest of Japan’s three pine groves stretching along Karatsu Bay like a rainbow arc.  Originally planted by the feudal Lord Terasawa as a counter-measure against the strong winds and tides in Karatsu Bay, this scene is noted as one of the most picturesque landscapes in Japan.  The pottery towns of Arita and Imari in Saga prefecture has been a major manufacturing source of ceramics for centuries with Imari-yaki and Arita-yaki as the most famous and distinctive.  Korean potters were brought to Imari to produce porcelain mainly for the Nabeshima domain.  Enjoy a stroll through Imari Okawachiyama (The Village of Secret Kilns) - a small artisans’ village that has been producing unique pottery for centuries and kept its methods a secret - hence the name ‘Village of Secret Kilns’.  We’ll continue on to Kashimae Port to board a sightseeing boat and enjoy a relaxing and scenic cruise around Kujuku-shima (99 pine-studded islets) in the inland sea.  Enjoy some of the most breathtaking natural scenery in Japan as you cruise through the islands.  We’ll continue on to spend two nights at an elegant hotel in Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture.  Enjoy dinner and relax in the hot springs at our hotel this evening.

Accommodations at HOTEL OKURA JR HUIS TEN BOSCH or similar 

Monday, November 9  (Day (05)
HUIS TEN BOSCH  (B)(D)
Enjoy the whole day to explore Huis Ten Bosch, a theme park which recreates the Netherlands featuring a European atmosphere with various shops & boutiques, iconic windmills, picturesque canals, beautiful gardens and unique Dutch architecture.  Subject to confirmation, enjoy a performance of “Kageki the Revue”, similar to a Takarazuka style show with singing and dancing by female dancers called the “Broadway in Japan’.  In the evening, enjoy the spectacular Kingdom of Lights Festival noted as the “No. 1 night scenery in Japan” on your own featuring a brilliant illumination of lights located in various locations around the park.  Your ‘one-day’ pass enables you in and out privileges throughout the entire day.  Our hotel is conveniently located adjacent to the park.  Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel. 

Accommodations at HOTEL OKURA JR HUIS TEN BOSCH or similar 

Tuesday, November 10  (Day 06)
HUIS TEN BOSCH * NAGASAKI * KUMAMOTO  (B)
We’ll travel on to visit some of the historic sights of Nagasaki, the second city after Hiroshima to be devastated by a nuclear weapon on August 9, 1945.  We’ll visit the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum featuring photos, relics and documents related to the bombing and the Nagasaki International Peace Memorial Hall, built in memory of those who perished in the atomic bombing.  The Nagasaki Heiwa-Koen (Peace Park) was established near the hypocenter of the explosion and remnants of a concrete wall of Urakami Cathedral are still visible.  At the park’s north end stands a 10-meter-tall Peace Statue and featured at the south end is a Fountain of Peace.  We’ll continue on to the Shimabara Port and board a ferry to cross the Ariake Sea to Kumamoto Port.  On arrival, we’ll proceed to our hotel in Kumamoto to spend the night.  Dinner will be on your own this evening.

Accommodations at KUMAMOTO CASTLE HOTEL or similar

Wednesday, November 11  (Day 07)
KUMAMOTO * CHIRAN * KAGOSHIMA  (B)(D)
This morning, although still undergoing renovations, we’ll visit Kumamoto Castle one of three most impressive hilltop castles in Japan featuring a large castle ground.  We’ll continue on to the town of Chiran, noted for its fine collection of preserved samurai houses and gardens.  We’ll visit the Tokko Heiwa Kaikan (Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots), a museum featuring an extensive collection of correspondence, photographs, relics, and mementoes belonging to members of the Special Air Force Attack Group also known as the Kamikaze Pilots.  Subject to confirmation, a local guide will share with us some photos and letters to present a positive image of these pilots as they willingly gave their lives for their country and families to establish peace and prosperity for Japan.  Enjoy a stroll through the preserved Chiran Samurai District, an attractive street with rock walls & hedges and impressive old samurai homes and gardens.  We’ll spend the night in Kagoshima, the southernmost major city in Kyushu.  Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.

Accommodations at SHIROYAMA HOTEL KAGOSHIMA or similar 

Thursday, November 12  (Day 08)
KAGOSHIMA *AOSHIMA ISLAND * MIYAZAKI  (B)(D)
This morning, enjoy a leisure stroll through Senganen Garden, a serene Japanese-style landscape garden in Kagoshima featuring small ponds and a breathtaking view of the borrowed scenery of Sakurajima and Kagoshima Bay.  We’ll continue on to visit Aoshima Island, a small island off the coast of the beaches south of Miyazaki city, connected to the mainland by a bridge surrounding a subtropical jungle at the island’s center.  The water around the island at low tide has a geological phenomenon known as Oni-no-Sentakuita (Devils Washboard) - a natural formation of perfectly straight rows of basalt rock that looks like a manmade washboard.  Featured at the center of the island is Aoshima Jinja, a colorful shrine said to bring good luck to married couples.  We’ll spend the night in Miyazaki, capital of Miyazaki prefecture.  Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.

Accommodations at PHOENIX SEAGAIA OCEAN RESORT or similar 

Friday, November 13  (Day 09)
MIYAZAKI * TAKACHIHO * MOUNT ASO  (B)(D)
Located in the northwestern region of Miyazaki prefecture in the center of the Kyushu Mountains is the little town of Takachiho.  This village is a remote mountain resort and is considered one of the most sacred places in Japan – best-known for its myths, legends and traditional sacred music and dancing.  The major attraction is Takachiho-kyo, a scenic narrow chasim through the Gokase River featuring overhanging rocks and sheer cliffs lining the gorge made of volcanic basalt columns.  Weather permitting, enjoy the breathtaking view of colored leaves along the gorge and the surrounding area.  We’ll continue on to spend the night at a hot spring resort in the vicinity of Mount Aso and Aso National Park.  Enjoy dinner at the hotel and relax in the soothing hot springs this evening.

Accommodations at KAMENOI HOTEL ASO PARK RESORT or similar 

Saturday, November 14  (Day 10)
MOUNT ASO * BEPPU  (B)(D)
Enjoy a view of Daikanbo Peak, the highest of five peaks of Mt. Aso, featuring a panoramic view of the towns and fields of Aso Valley below.  We’ll continue on to spend the night in Beppu, noted as one of the most famous hot spring resorts in Japan, producing more hot spring water than any other resort in the country.  Beppu is blessed with thousands of hot springs for bathing and also known for its ‘seven hells (jigokus) of Beppu, spectacular hot springs for viewing rather than bathing, displaying steaming ponds of various colors and bubbling mud pools.  We’ll visit one of the largest - Umi-Jigoku (sea hell), a pond of boiling, steaming blue water and the oldest hell - Chinoike Jigoku (blood lake), both designated as ‘National Places of Scenic Beauty’.  Enjoy dinner and relax in the soothing hot springs of our onsen hotel this evening.

Accommodations at BEPPU SUGINOI HOTEL SORA TOWER or similar 

Sunday, November 15  (Day 11)
BEPPU * YUFUIN * FUKUOKA  (B)
We’ll travel on to visit the quaint little town of Yufuin, featuring shops, cafes, boutiques and art museums along the main street of the town.  Enjoy strolling through the shops, animal cafes and local souvenir shops featuring handmake crafts at the Yufuin Floral Village, a small village inspired by the English countryside with a fairytale world setting theme of “Harry Potter”.  We’ll continue on to Fukuoka to spend the next two nights.  On arrival, we’ll visit the impressive Kushida Jinja, one of the oldest shrines in Fukuoka, dedicated to Amaterasu and Susanoo, two significant Shinto deities.  The Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival is centered around this shrine and features a huge impressive festival float, including an ancient ginkgo nut tree located nearby.  Dinner will be on your own this evening.  Our hotel is conveniently located nearby the train station with many dining opportunities. 

Accommodations at ROYAL PARK HOTEL FUKUOKA or similar

Monday, November 16  (Day 12)
FUKUOKA  (B)
Hakata dolls are one of the most elegant and famous art & craft souvenirs in Hakata and we’ll enjoy a hands-on-activity at the Hakata Doll Hall Shogetsudo to create your very own original Hakata doll or figure to take home as a souvenir.  We’ll enjoy some free shopping time at Canal City, a large shopping and entertainment complex, known as “a city within a city” featuring shops, cafes and restaurants with canal running through the complex.  In the afternoon, subject to confirmation and availability, enjoy the rest of the day at the exciting Fukuoka Grand Sumo Tournament held at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center.  (Limited seats) Enjoy dinner on your own this evening.

Accommodations at ROYAL PARK HOTEL FUKUOKA or similar

Tuesday, November 17  (Day 13)
FUKUOKA TO HANEDA TO HONOLULU  (B)
The morning is at your leisure for your own activities or do some last-minute shopping for souvenirs and omiyage to bring home.  In the early afternoon, we’ll transfer to the Fukuoka Airport for our domestic flight to Haneda Airport.  On arrival, we’ll transfer by shuttle to the Haneda International Terminal for our evening flight to Honolulu, arriving in the morning on the same day due to the crossing of the International Date Line.  A late meal will be served on board the flight.

The tour price is based on double occupancy and a minimum group size of 20 passengers.  Fare adjustment may apply for groups of 20 or under.  The rate is based on tariffs and exchange rates effective 3/31/2026.  Tour fare is subject to change according to any airfare increase and fluctuation of the rate of exchange between U.S. and foreign currency.  In the event of revaluation, the land portion of the tour price may be adjusted prior to your final statement.  We reserve the right to revise content of the itinerary if necessary due to unforeseen issues, weather & safety concerns. 

Land portion based on 155 Yen = $1.00 U.S.

Printable Itinerary
2026 General Conditions
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