One of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly, Kyushu was, until recently, somewhat overlooked as a tourist destination, a Cinderella to the more obvious attractions of the main island of Honshu.
But travellers are beginning to go further afield: enthusiasts come here in search of the Imari and Arita pottery the area is famous for, while the more energetic go hiking, cycling and climbing.
True hedonists visit the villages where rotenburo - open-air, natural hot-spring pools - bubble from the volcanic earth, drawing visitors from all over Japan and, increasingly, from abroad.
Aso Station is the closest the train gets to the area; from here, I join locals on a bus that trundles for about an hour around zigzag bends into the mountains through a thick, white mist to Kurokawa Onsen, a spa village in a steep valley. Sanga Ryokan is set on the hillside, several buildings scattered among the trees. Streams tumble over boulders and find a dozen paths down the hill. Mayu, the charming, kimono-clad daughter of the house, is the sole English speaker. (Sydney Morning Herald)
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