Kyushu by road, flown on points: JAL First Class out, ANA Business home

Most Australian trips to Japan follow the same line: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, repeat. Kyushu, the subtropical island at the country's south-western end, is a deliberate step away from that. Outside Fukuoka, its largest city, tourist numbers thin out quickly, and what remains is volcanoes, onsen towns, temples, castle keeps and a road network that is a pleasure to drive.

It is also an efficient points trip. Japan Airlines awards are bookable with Qantas Points and ANA awards with Velocity Points, and together the two programmes cover the long-haul flights in premium cabins plus the domestic hops within Japan.

What the trip cost

Two things stand out in that table. The first is the domestic flights: at the time of travel, Japan Airlines reward seats booked through the Qantas website carried no fees or taxes, which makes internal flights within Japan effectively free beyond the points. The second is accommodation. Travelling outside the main tourist corridors meant comfortable, centrally located hotels in each city came in well under $100 per person per night on a twin-share basis — including a private cabin near Mount Aso with volcano views for $51 in total.

For comparison, the retail fare for the same four flights was quoted at $17,596.

Japan Airlines First Class to Tokyo

Japan Airlines does not operate its own lounge at Sydney International, but as a fellow oneworld member it directs its premium passengers to the Qantas First Lounge — à la carte dining, and pleasantly quiet early in the morning.

The First Class suite on JAL's Boeing 777 is unusually long, spanning several windows, and the flat bed measures just under two metres with a 58cm width and a mattress cover over the top. The aircraft itself is over 15 years old, which is not obvious from the front cabin.

Catering offers a choice between an international menu and traditional Washoku. The Japanese option runs to seven courses served in sequence, each small, some unfamiliar, and collectively a good introduction to what you will be eating on the ground for the next week. The drinks list extends well beyond alcohol, which is useful on a morning departure.

Driving across Kyushu

Kyushu is well covered by Japan's rail network, but a hire car removes the timetable from the equation and makes the smaller stops possible. Six prefectures fitted comfortably into six days of driving: Nagasaki, Saga, Fukuoka, Oita, Kumamoto and Kagoshima.

Driving is easier than most Australians expect. Traffic keeps to the left, road speeds are low — often a 60km/h maximum — and parking is widely available for a small fee. The roads are narrow and winding, which suits a relaxed pace rather than distance-eating.

Nagasaki

A city of cobblestone streets, vintage trams and Catholic churches, layered with history. The Atomic Bomb Museum takes a little over two hours to see properly and is a quiet, contemplative visit. Nearby, the Peace Park's bronze Peace Statue points one hand skyward, to signify the threat of nuclear weapons, and the other outward for peace. Megane-bashi, the Spectacles Bridge, is a stone bridge built almost 400 years ago and looks its best in the rain.

Huis Ten Bosch

Between Nagasaki and Fukuoka sits one of the more improbable attractions in Japan: a large theme park built as a celebration of the country's historical relationship with the Netherlands. A replica Dutch palace overlooks canals with gondolas, rows of European-style houses, a windmill above sunflower fields, and — inevitably — hotels, rides, a water park and the world's tallest merry-go-round. It is said to be at its best after dark, when fireworks and lantern displays run.

Okawachiyama Village

A short detour into the hills before Fukuoka. Around thirty pottery workshops and stores make up the village, and hand-painted porcelain is worked into the fabric of the place down to the drain covers.

Fukuoka

Fukuoka is the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen, and the most efficient way to eat it is Canal City — a mall large enough to have a canal running through the middle of it, with more than 250 stores, cinemas and two hotels. On the fifth floor, Ramen Stadium gathers eight ramen and noodle restaurants in one place. Orders go through a vending machine, and the pork bone broth, noodles, pork belly and egg arrive shortly after.

Dazaifu and Nanzoin Temple

On Fukuoka's outskirts, Nanzoin Temple holds the largest reclining bronze Buddha statue in the world: 41 metres long, 11 metres tall and weighing roughly 300 tonnes. Arriving early can mean having it entirely to yourself. To the south, Dazaifu Tenmangu is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the god of learning, with a koi pond, arched red bridges and a main hall around 430 years old. It draws plenty of domestic visitors, and the shopping village beside it is busy in summer.

Beppu and the Seven Hells

Beppu has a reasonable claim to being the onsen capital of the world, with 2,909 hot spring vents feeding more than 100 public baths — water, mud, sand, steam and waterfall bathing among them. The Seven Hells are the springs you cannot bathe in: brightly coloured, violently hot pools sold on a single combined ticket, several with foot baths or drinkable spring water alongside. Just out of town, Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden is home to roughly 1,200 wild macaques that roam the hills and largely ignore visitors until feeding time.

Mount Aso

Mount Aso is one of the world's largest volcanoes, sitting inside one of the world's largest calderas. When fumes are light, visitors can approach the crater rim and look down into it. When they are not — or when fog sets in, as it did here — the wait can be long and the payoff brief. The surrounding Kusasenrigahama grasslands and the small volcanic cone of Komezuka are worth the drive on their own.

Kumamoto Castle

The final stop. Most of the keep is a concrete reconstruction dating from 1960, though original timber structures survive from a history spanning more than five centuries. A museum climbs through the keep with scale models, samurai artefacts and the castle's role in local history, ending with 360-degree views over Kumamoto City.

ANA Business Class home

The return runs from Haneda on ANA's Boeing 787. The ANA lounge in Terminal 2 sets the tone with a buffet, made-to-order ramen and a chef cooking breakfast dishes in view. Onboard, the menu again splits between international dishes and a seven-course Washoku service, and the sake and shochu selection is worth exploring before the seat goes flat for the ten-hour run to Sydney.

How to book it

The booking channels are simple. Japan Airlines awards, including flights within Japan, are booked through the Qantas website using Qantas Points. ANA awards are booked through the Virgin Australia website using Velocity Points.

Finding the seats is the hard part, because Japan remains a popular destination. Three things improve the odds.

Know the release windows. Japan Airlines makes its international reward flights available to Qantas Frequent Flyer members 360 days ahead, so the strongest position is to search the moment your dates come into range. ANA behaves differently, often releasing Business Class reward seats to Velocity members around two weeks before departure.

Watch for late releases. Airlines add reward inventory at unpredictable moments, and seats that were not there yesterday can appear today. Alert services exist precisely because of this pattern.

Have the points sitting ready. Premium reward seats on this route do not survive long once loaded. A balance already in the right programme, rather than points in transit from somewhere else, is the difference between booking and watching someone else book.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Kyushu and why go there instead of Tokyo or Kyoto? Kyushu is Japan's subtropical south-western island. Outside Fukuoka it sees comparatively little international tourism, and it concentrates volcanoes, onsen towns, temples and historic cities within easy driving distance.

Can I book Japan Airlines flights with Qantas Points? Yes, through the Qantas website. At the time of travel, JAL reward seats booked this way carried no fees or taxes on domestic flights within Japan.

How do I book ANA with Velocity Points? ANA reward seats are booked through the Virgin Australia website. Availability is released to Velocity members much later than JAL's — often around a fortnight before departure.

How far in advance does Japan Airlines release reward seats? International reward flights become available to Qantas Frequent Flyer members 360 days before departure.

Do I need a car to see Kyushu? No — the rail network covers the island well. A car simply allows stops such as Okawachiyama Village, the Aso grasslands and Huis Ten Bosch to fit into a single itinerary without working around timetables.

Is driving in Japan difficult for Australians? Traffic keeps to the left, speeds are low, and paid parking is plentiful. The roads through rural Kyushu are narrow and winding rather than fast.

This information is general in nature. It does not take your personal circumstances into account.