Want to experience a different side of Japan? These hidden gems are all easy day trips from Fukuoka,

Known as "couple rocks", these 2 large rocks joined by a Shinto rope feature scenic sunset views.

Yanagawa is a city on Japan’s Kyushu island. It’s known for its many canals, which are navigated on small boats. Ohana is the centuries-old villa of the Tachibana family. It overlooks the Shoto-en Garden, with hundreds of pine trees arranged around a rock-filled pond. The Tachibana Museum exhibits Noh costumes and Edo-era dolls. The former home of writer Hakushu Kitahara is now a museum dedicated to his work.

Karatsu is a coastal city on Japan's Kyushu island. The reconstructed 17th-century Karatsu Castle offers bay views. Thousands of pine trees form the nearby Nijinomatsubara pine grove, first planted in the 1600s. The Kawamura Museum displays both Western and Japanese art, with a special focus on the early-20th-century painter Shigeru Aoki. To the north, at Nanatsugama, is a series of basalt caves carved by the ocean.