EVERYDAY INDEXJAPAN / 2026

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The EVERYDAY TRIP archive makes it easy to browse restaurants, places to stay and travel stories by region.

Japan travel guides from firsthand experience

Plan where to eat, where to stay, and what to explore in Japan with 3 Minute Travel. Find firsthand restaurant, hotel, and hot spring reviews by region, plus practical information to help you plan your trip.

ISSUE 08 JAPAN TRAVEL JOURNAL

Fukuoka · Kyushu Where to eat in Fukuoka | Firsthand reviews and Google Maps READ STORY ↗
Osaka · Kansai Where to eat in Osaka | Restaurants we have tried ourselves READ STORY ↗
Fukuoka · Yufuin · Beppu · Kyushu Ryokan stays near Fukuoka | Hot springs, Yufuin, and Beppu reviews READ STORY ↗
Japan travel news Direct Fukuoka–Kagoshima Shinkansen service suspended | August 2026 operations READ STORY ↗

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A quieter hot spring getaway: Saga from Fukuoka

I had visited Saga several times before, but this visit was exceptional. I fell for Saga. The food is delicious. It is quiet. It is not flashy, but the quality is high. Last year I visited Yufuin and Beppu more than five times, yet personally I do not think I can go back now. From now on, I am heading to Saga. A few good hotels came to mind: rooms where the atmosphere felt settled from the moment I stepped inside, hot springs with such gentle water that I stayed a little longer, and meals that made me nod after one bite and think, ‘This region really knows its food.’ As those memories added up, I found myself wanting somewhere a little quieter and a little closer next time. So I went to Saga. From Fukuoka Airport …
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Travel information
3 days and 2 nights in Shimane: Lake Shinji, Matsue Castle, and Izumo Taisha

In early autumn in Sanin, the air was cool as soon as my Air Seoul flight landed at Yonago Airport. I took the lively Sakaiminato Line to Matsue Station, then changed to a bus. By the time I stepped off at Matsue Shinjiko Onsen Station, the tone of the trip was set. My destination was Lake Shinji, selected as one of Japan’s 100 best sunset spots. As the sun sinks, the lake turns a vivid red and its ripples glint like glass. The lakeshore has pleasant walking paths, terraces and benches. At a scenic point about 15 minutes on foot from my accommodation, the setting sun and Yomegashima’s silhouette fit into a single frame. When the last light skims the water before sunset, this naturally becomes a highlight of the trip. My first night’s accommodation was Yukei Kohan …
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Fukuoka · Kyushu
A day trip from Fukuoka: sake pairings and dinner at a historic cultural landmark

The Kumamoto Yamaga Group Tour offers a Japanese dinner made with local Yamaga ingredients and a traditional performing arts show at Yachiyoza, a nationally designated Important Cultural Property in Kumamoto. Organized by Japanese travel company Visit Kyushu, this special group tour makes a day trip from Hakata Station in Fukuoka to Yamaga, Kumamoto. Alongside dinner at the historic Yachiyoza, it visits a sake brewery and the old town, where locally made miso and soy sauce can be purchased. This article introduces the special half-price fare and schedule for just two days in February. A brewery tour and sake bar tasting in Yamaga, Kumamoto: Chiyonosono Shuzo was established in 1896 and has spent more than a century brewing sake …
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Travel information
Yamaga from Fukuoka | Yachiyoza dinner and a 2024 travel story

Record of a 2024 comment event: readers were invited to comment on the Kumamoto Yamaga Group Tour from February 5 to 25, 2024, with 50 participants to be selected by lottery to receive a Starbucks iced Americano mobile coupon. This event is no longer open. About an hour and a half by car from Fukuoka, Yamaga lies in northern Kumamoto Prefecture, around 30 km north of Kumamoto City. It borders Fukuoka Prefecture from the north to the northeast, while its eastern edge adjoins Oita Prefecture, known for Yufuin and Beppu. The Kikuchi River runs through this warm, unhurried town, long known throughout Japan for its hot springs and abundant agricultural and marine products. Walking around Yamaga and comparing local sake …
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Fukuoka
Fukuoka travel: a journey through time with Fukuchi’s Agano pottery, loved by feudal lords

About an hour’s drive from Fukuoka or Kitakyushu, Fukuchi is a peaceful, sunny town in the central-to-northeastern part of Fukuoka Prefecture, nestled below its symbol, the 901 m Mount Fukuchi. Blessed with nature, it is known for agricultural produce such as rice and fruit. The slopes of Mount Fukuchi are home to many kilns producing Agano ware, a nationally designated traditional craft with more than 400 years of history, making this a pottery town too. Fukuchi was formed by merging the former towns of Akaike, Kanada and Hojo. Around 45 km from central Fukuoka and 35 km from central Kitakyushu, it lies right in the heart of the prefecture. Its neighbors include Nogata and Kitakyushu …
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Fukuoka
Fukuoka travel: special dishes served on Fukuoka pottery

About an hour’s drive from Fukuoka or Kitakyushu, Fukuchi lies in the central-to-northeastern part of Fukuoka Prefecture. Blessed with nature, it produces rice and fruit, and is also known as a pottery town, with many kilns making Agano ware, a nationally designated traditional craft with more than 400 years of history. Fukuchi once prospered as a major coal producer. As the energy revolution shifted demand from coal to oil, mine use declined and the mines closed. Today, the town is working toward a fresh start by drawing on its nature and culture, with tourism and education at the center of community development. One initiative is the Agano pottery workshop, which introduces the craft’s history and works before offering hands-on experience …
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Travel information
Nature, tea, steam trains and food in a small Japanese city: a private Hitoyoshi tour in Kumamoto

This article was produced with support from Kumamoto Prefecture. On December 26, 2024, a trial tour in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto, Kyushu brought together local resources and SL Hitoyoshi as new tourism content, offering an experience of Japan’s Showa era, the restored SL Hitoyoshi in Hitoyoshi City, and premium dining at a former station (Obata Station). Learn the history of Hitoyoshi and Kuma tea and how to brew it well. At Kumagawa Kudari, a Hitoyoshi specialty, enjoy the famous eel served in a small bowl. A special guided tour led by someone who has devoted his life to steam locomotives explores the historic Hitoyoshi Station engine shed and the landmark SL Hitoyoshi locomotive. The day ends at LOOP, a former station opened for one day only, with a terroir dining course showcasing local ingredients …