Fukuoka is the easiest food gateway in Japan — its airport sits five kilometers from downtown — and most visitors never leave it. That is a mistake. Kyushu strings together some of the country's best classical sushi, its own hot-spring cuisine, and specialties you find nowhere else, almost all of it reachable by train. Here is a week that goes further.
Days 1–2 — Fukuoka, the gateway
Land, drop your bags, and eat that night. Fukuoka's yatai — open-air food stalls — light up around 6 p.m. along the Nakasu riverside and Tenjin's corners: tonkotsu ramen, yakitori, and more. The city also hides serious sushi for those who plan ahead. The full first-leg plan, stall rules and all, is in our Fukuoka gateway to Kyushu's food route.
Day 3 — Karatsu, the classical counter
A direct local train runs from the Fukuoka airport line to Karatsu in about 80 minutes, no transfers — a castle town on the Genkai Sea famous for its pottery. The reason to come is Sushidokoro Tsukuta: seven seats, Edomae technique on Genkai Sea fish, two Michelin stars, served on the local kilns' own ceramics — at roughly half Tokyo's price for the level. Book well ahead; it opens seats quarterly through Japanese-only systems.
Days 4–5 — south to Kumamoto
Backtrack through Hakata and take the Kyushu Shinkansen south. In Kumamoto, the specialty is basashi — horse sashimi, sliced thin and eaten with garlic, ginger, and soy — a genuine local point of pride found across the city's izakaya. Kumamoto Castle, largely restored after the 2016 earthquake, anchors the daytime.
Days 6–7 — your choice of finish
- East to Beppu for hot springs and kappo dining in the steam.
- Further south to Kagoshima by shinkansen, for bay sushi under an active volcano.
- Back to Fukuoka to fly out, having eaten the width of the island.
Getting there, realistically
The route runs almost entirely on rail — Fukuoka to Karatsu to Kumamoto, with the shinkansen doing the long legs. The only hard booking is Tsukuta's quarterly release; the rest is turn-up dining. Tell us your dates and we will time the counter and thread the trains.