Fukuoka home of the cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyushu |
Saga small and rustic, famous for pottery and pre-historic village ruins |
Nagasaki best known for the eponymous city of Nagasaki, a hilly city with more than its fair share of history - major "foreigners port" during the closed-Japan period, and target of the 2nd U.S. atomic weapon attack during World War II |
Oita rural area well known for abundant onsen hot springs, especially Beppu |
Kumamoto center of the isle of Kyushu, location of the Aso caldera, largest in the world, and the beautiful Amakusa chain of islands |
Miyazaki the surfers' destination of Japan with big beaches and big waves, plus the stunning Takachiho Gorge with its Shinto shrines |
Kagoshima dominated by the Sakurajima volcano, hot enough to grow sugarcane - get buried on hot-sand beaches, or visit the two famous islands of Yakushima and Tanegashima |
The islands of Okinawa, leading southwest of Japan to Taiwan, are sometimes considered a part of Kyushu, and in fact the northernmost islands in the chain are administered by Kagoshima prefecture.