Top choice in Kyūshū
Visiting dignitaries might stay in the sumptuous, 40-room Rikyū wing, but those of more modest means can splurge on the less expensive of Hakusuikan's 164 rooms. The opulent onsen/rotemburo/sand baths are worth the stay by themselves. There's a choice of Japanese or Italian meals; the Fenice Italian restaurant is as tasty as it is attractive.
Also on the property is the Satsuma Denshōkan, a striking museum of regional treasures.
25.52 MILES
In 1658, the 19th Shimazu lord laid out his pleasure garden on this hilly, rambling bayside property of groves, hillside trails and one of Japan's most…
15.14 MILES
There is perhaps no more eloquent monument to the futility of war than this harrowing museum about WWII kamikaze pilots. Around 2km west of town, Chiran’s…
Museum of the Meiji Restoration
23.69 MILES
This museum offers insights into the unique social system of education, samurai loyalty and sword techniques that made Satsuma one of Japan's leading…
15.13 MILES
Seven of the mid-Edo-period residences along Chiran’s 700m street of samurai houses have gardens open to the public. Water is usually symbolised in the…
13.19 MILES
Down a side road between Ibusuki and Makurazaki, this small-ish seaside nature park has been noted for its beauty since an Edo-period surveyor named it…
13.28 MILES
This chill, seaside seahorse hatchery is unique, offering close-up looks at thousands of hatchling seahorses, plus information, videos, souvenirs and a…
2.03 MILES
Lovely Chiringashima is connected to the mainland by a thin land bridge that appears only at low tide, when hikers, beachcombers and tide-pool explorers…
20.81 MILES
The name 'Observatory' is misleading, as there's no building here. The site is a shaded picnic area with some lava escape tunnels and walking trails that…
0.14 MILES
This striking museum offers a history of Satsuma plus displays of Chinese ceramics and gleaming Satsuma-yaki in a temple-style building that seems to…
2.03 MILES
Lovely Chiringashima is connected to the mainland by a thin land bridge that appears only at low tide, when hikers, beachcombers and tide-pool explorers…
13.19 MILES
Down a side road between Ibusuki and Makurazaki, this small-ish seaside nature park has been noted for its beauty since an Edo-period surveyor named it…
13.28 MILES
This chill, seaside seahorse hatchery is unique, offering close-up looks at thousands of hatchling seahorses, plus information, videos, souvenirs and a…
15.13 MILES
Seven of the mid-Edo-period residences along Chiran’s 700m street of samurai houses have gardens open to the public. Water is usually symbolised in the…
15.14 MILES
There is perhaps no more eloquent monument to the futility of war than this harrowing museum about WWII kamikaze pilots. Around 2km west of town, Chiran’s…
20.81 MILES
The name 'Observatory' is misleading, as there's no building here. The site is a shaded picnic area with some lava escape tunnels and walking trails that…
8. Karasujima Observation Point
22.84 MILES
South of the visitor centre is this observation point, where the 1914 lava flow engulfed a small island that had once been 500m offshore. There's now an…