🇯🇵 Exploring Kyushu by Car | Onsens, Car Museums & a Volcano Adventure (Part 1/2)
[Music] This is a Subaru Lavorg and well, it’s all-wheel drive and it’s the SGI as you can see by the number plate. I’m in an interesting country. We will uh we will get into that shortly, but I’ve taken a little bit of time off work and I’m heading to another place very shortly. So, I’ve just got a weekend here. Um, but my friend and I will be taking this car into the mountains. [Music] [Music] Wow, look at it. It’s hell nice. Burgundy leather. Yeah. So, thankfully my friend here that I’m visiting can speak Japanese. He’s lived here for many years. I don’t know if uh he wants to be on camera. I’ll ask him. Are you okay to be on camera? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Have you got me recording now? Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Wow. This is great. It’s the Subaru. Just like my uncle Foster used to have. Foster. It’s very handy having a Japanese speaker. Yeah. Uh to do all of this. I did marry one. Yes. Yes. I wouldn’t call myself a speaker. This is Ben, everybody. My friend in Japan. Hello. How you doing? Nicha. No, I’ve done the like meeting people. So, watch a bit of Japanese TV while we drive. I suppose it has to be in park or something and then it works uh legally, but um when you buy the car, they give you the option to skip that. Although, so it’s just absolutely just no one follows the law. So, something that Ben just showed me while we were sitting in the car park was that some of the organizations here on Google Maps have phone numbers. And if you punch the phone number into the GPS, it actually takes you to their shop, right? That’s how it works. Their phone number. Yes. So, I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard of that anywhere else. Smart way to do it. We’re going to Yellow Hut. yellow hat. Yellow hat to get uh snow chains or socks. Wheel socks or something. We’ll find out. Um cuz we may see some snow this weekend. Oh, I feel the power. 100% throttle that went up to. I’ve flown all the way to Japan to go and get some McDonald’s. Yeah, we’re having some authentic Japanese McDonald’s, which will be good. Yep. Funky flavors. This stuff does actually New York burgers. Yeah, it might as well. Oh, not with the prawns in it, though. Is that the bottom one with extra prawny? Would you like the um the rice bun where they fry rice and put a piece of chicken? You can always spot a tourist if they don’t back into a park and they just drive uh nose first in. Uh that is not what the locals do. That is correct. They all reverse park in. So because we’re local called a gojin park. Yellow hatu tires. Look at that uh bonnet scoop. Must be a big supercharger in there. You were so close. You were so close. It’ll be a turbocharger in the STI probably. Yeah. Snort rimless. Yeah, the snore. Would it be done? Two big workshops, [Music] tire chains. Um, Ben and I don’t know how to fit them. We’ve never fit them. So, but I think you asked, “Do you need a screwdriver?” Yep. She said no. Okay. Oh, well. WA. Too fancy for me. My 1976 Volvo doesn’t have features like that. So, just do what she said. All right. You got that? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you’re navigator, so you can tell me what she said. Yeah. She practice. Nailed it. So, Ben, where where are we heading to, mate? We’re heading to Euin. Euphuen. Euthwin in Oita Prefecture. Prefecture. Yep. How many prefectures are there in Japan? 50 something. 50 something. That’s a lot. Yeah. 52. Yeah. Uh and we’re we’re going to tonight a hotel. Yokan. Yokan. Special Japanese uh onsent hotel. An onsen hotel. So what’s special about it? Just because it’s traditional. Traditional. Everything will be tatami shi. And you’ll have a a volcanic hotring bath there. Okay. Okay. And then tomorrow, same thing, but a better one. But a better one. Okay. Okay. So, lots different area. In a different area. So, lots of onen type things. Lots of volcanic water this weekend. Yep. Or water as everybody else but Australians say. And a volcano. And a volcano. Yes. We’re going to have a look at the volcano, which will be pretty cool. Um, thoughts on the Lavorg? It’s It’s good. It’s It’s comfy. It’s like a doctor’s office. just very nice and and comfortable and surgical. Well, what are you driving? Uh what’s your daily driver at the moment? I’ve got the mighty um Datu Tanto. Tanto. Um which is a powerful 555cc, I think. Oh yeah. Um sliding door in the back. Um that’s it. The family wagon. Family wagon. Yeah. I’ve got three pieces of cardboard in the boot at the moment. And that’s uh it’s chockers. It’s nearly over the weight limit. And yeah, lots of lots of box cars like that. 500cc box cars. The Asahi Brewery. Is Is that the brewery? Yeah, man. Yeah, that’s the Kushu Asahi Brewery. They make lots of good stuff there, man. Snow build up, lads. I really don’t want to put on the chains. We’re both dreading putting the chains on, particularly now that the snow is already started to come down. So, the chains are in the boot and they’re not really helping us while they’re in there. Um, but we could just take up a lane inside one of these and just chuck them on, couldn’t we? Oh, yeah. The Japanese are pretty forgiving sort of. If I look like a lost enough foreigner, the Japanese will do it for me. Snow’s building. The little lady on the satnav is telling us um please put something on on on your tires so that you don’t slip in the snow and everything. It’s getting live updates to say there’s snow here. And we haven’t listened. Uh as Ben said, if we see other people putting their uh their snow chains on, we’ll do it. But until then, we’ll just risk it. You know, uh, one thing I have noticed is they’ve got the little green lights for if the snow really builds up, you’ll be able to see it. See the road at all all times. And there’s where we’re going. You 2 km. Wa. The Lavorgs made it. Well, some of the way. And look at his little brother next to him. The Subaru R2. Multicolored. Multicolored. The Ortech Nissen, the tuned Nissen. Oh, it is snowy, huh? [Music] So, I’ve got the Jack Daniels uh Zero Sugar, but then I’ve gone and found Highball, Santo Highball Prime, and I’m only just having a light night tonight. So then I’ll also have the Jim Beam bourbon highball and wash it down with a scotch whiskey highball. And then after all of that, I’ll have a dry sausage. I bought I’ve branched out and I’ve opted for um a beer. Oh, but I do have this. Check this out. That’s a little hip flask. And it’s full. I’m full. Drink me. Drink me. Will do. So, next to the uh 7-Eleven that we’re at, there were there was a it is the Eupen whiskey store where you can buy rum and scotch. Yeah, rum scotch imported but local stuff too. So, I bought a Twin Alps whiskey and a super old rare nicker whiskey. So, that’ll be good. Lovely. Lovely. [Music] Japanese cold dinner. Beno, what do you think? Okay, we didn’t have dinner last night. It was still better. Lovely outside, though. Yeah. Rick, uh, Breicky review, please. Uh, look, I I tried I tried everything pretty much on the plate here. Um, the yogurt good. Okay, yogurt. That’s one of nine. Cold meatballs. Good. Two of nine. Oh, the the soup, the miso soup. Good. Three of nine. You would go. You would go. Yeah. I had a fair amount of the warm rice and it was it was all right. It’s fine. It It’s rice for breakfast. It’s not really my thing. Three and a half out of nine. Um, cabbage. I think cabbage. And then whatever was in here, which is actually still on your plate, Ben. Um, there’s no evidence for this. It’s been hidden. Whatever this is. No, not for me. That thing. Um, the fish eggs. What’s it? Haven’t touched it. The salmon. Okay. The coffee. Good. So yeah, overall out of nine like a five, I think. There you go. Five’s all right. Yeah. Yeah. Well done. I think it’s very aesthetic in in the winter. Yeah, I agree. With the snow and everything, it’s lovely. [Music] So that’s uh that’s the end of the onsen. It’s about 8:30 9:00 or something. Uh still snowing as you can see and today is my day for driving. Thank you. Good value. Well, this is the car in the morning. Uh but we are going to head to a motor museum. Yep. And have a look at what what cars they’ve got there. I don’t know what sort of cars, if it’s just Japanese cars or um international cars, but we’re going to find out. So, what have you identified, Ben? That all of the cars in the car park have snow tires. Yeah, they’ve all got knobbybly tires. And I checked ours and we’re we’re ready for the circuit. Our first weird car sighting. Oh, Subaru. It is super check his tires though. Whoa. I don’t think she’d be rattled. No, I know a guy that had passed those. Uh, I’m unable to identify that straight away. It’s quite big. He’s got BBS wheels on it or fakies probably. It is big. Executive. Got a little truck. Little mini truck. I I wouldn’t fit. Ben wouldn’t fit. Oh, it’s a three-wheeler. What is it? It’s the Dhatsu Can’t say that car name anymore. No, no, that’s a bad word, surely. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] So, Ben, why did we come to this museum? Just just on film. I thought I’d prep us for the next one we’re about to go to. very cool place. Uh but uh this morning my my Japan navigator uh just typed in museum instead of the car museum. So the car museum’s a few streets over little town. There’ be two of the There’s two museums here, mate. The car museum. Yeah. And the Shoku was it? Shakan. Shakan Museum, which recommended. Very good. It was awesome. Retro for the uh first museum of the day. I’m keen for the retro museum. What do we got out the front? Oh. Oh, got the Jag. [Music] Okay. And they’ve done a little Hitler. Oh, they’ve done up a little Hitler. That’s what I mean. Oh, well, he did go to art school, so he’s got the camera. I think that’s what it is. I think they say that this is Hitler’s car. Yeah. Yeah. [Music] Oh, I was born to be a pilot, mate. Full power. Gun it. Got it. Yeah. Yeah. Already pull the flaps. Yeah. Perfect. I don’t know how to fly. Okay. Okay. Take off. Are we supposed to be flying to the skylight? Where’s the host Jess with my whiskey? Oh no. Course out. I’m out. [Music] I’m in the Lvog. I’m driving I’m driving on Japanese roads in the Lavorg. The snow has melted. It’s about 100 p.m. 1:20. Uh still neg one outside and yeah we we’re driving for the next hour and we’re going to Ben we’re going to Kurukawa Kurukawa Kuruka onen for another onen which is very off the map is what you were sort of saying. Oh yeah it’s in the sticks out in out in the boonies which they found a bend in a river nowhere near civilization and went let’s put a little village here. Let’s build an onsent. So yeah, I’m actually going to like do some proper driving on Japanese roads in the Lavorg. Um, we’ll see what the rev limiter sounds like. We’ll see what the max speed is. Should be a good time. A little bit slippy. Quite slippy. Well, that’s blinking at me on the back. Look at that. His pants might be falling down, but at least he’s he’s he’s helping him. all-wheel drive system. I didn’t even know the people were slipping to be really honest. I was just driving and uh I touched that bad boy and it moved it. I think I’ve outweighed the car. Uh this guy’s putting putting chains on as well. Uh so we’ve seen what four cars putting chains on and now we are heading up a a steeper hill than what what you would have just seen Ben helping push push another car up and we have not put our chains on. We have we have still not put the chains on. They’re still in the boot not doing anything. We’re going to get full refund on those chains. Ben, I’ve got the receipt. Right. The snow wasn’t precarious for the Lavorg, but the tiny narrow the tiny little driveway. It’s skinny. Uh I’ll have to probably go in ask. Oh, traditional. Wow, this is sick. Oh, we’ll have to move the beds apart a little bit, I think. That view. Oh, it’s chilly in here. We’ll automatically feel it being much colder. Where’s the bogs? Oh, there’s the box. Meat thing. Cheers, everybody. Cheers. So, we’ve gone and found ourselves some uh drinks for tonight and a couple of snacks, but we’re going to we’re going to go and eat eel tonight. So, not something I’ve had, but Ben recommends and reassures me that it’ll be worth having. Tastes good. It tastes good. But we were just walking back home and spotted this beast here, the lifted K truck. And also the Mercedes-Benz on big Asanti rims. Look at the dish on those things. Not not my taste, but like I can I can understand it. Yeah, the K truck coilovers in the front. Lift it up. He’s got spotties on top. Got the bar. He’s got the bar. He’s got a lot of bar work. It’s a Zuk. I like it. And it’s the extended cab, too. I reckon it might be the popos. Yeah, cuz police station just up there. I think it’s really cool over here. Kumamon pan this way, Rick. This is the national symbol of Kumamoto. Years and years ago, they didn’t have much money here. And this was the first prefecture in Japan that really developed its own identity through Kuman, and it generated billions of dollars for the local economy. It still does. And so now every other prefecture has their thing that they do that started here with Kuman. Okay, there you go. Right. Interesting. Uh Eel restaurant. We’ve made a booking. We’re going to go and have a couple of drinks. Come back in 45 and try it. It’s It’s not a cheap meal, but delicacy that’s expensive here. How many times am I going to eat it? So, might as well have it. That’s a good That’s a really good point. And you’ve had it and you really like it. I like it a lot. So, we’ll see. Hong Kong. That is cute. You want me to put your jacket somewhere? What have we got, mate? And what’s in here? Oh, a little soup. Take the smell of that. It’s delicious. Oh, it does smell good. Is it a fish? I don’t know. I like smoky sauce, too. Sweet. It’s fishy, but not like heavy fishy. You think it’s fishy? Really? A little. Yeah, like the skin. I guess the skin is for sure. Yeah. Recommend. Definitely try it. It’s It’s not an overpowering flavor. No, it’s a subtle one. It’s a subtle flavor. Fatty. Fatty fish. Yeah. Fatty. Yeah. I rate the eel very very lovely. And now have a look at the view that we get of the what like the onsen water ben or the onsen wash off. Yeah. This would be the river and they’d feed it through the volcanic uh or they pump it down and then pump it up I guess. Yeah. [Music] Uh next day we had a nice onend bath, a a private one. had its own showers and everything. It was lovely. Uh it was so cold in the room that uh after I had the onsen shower and actually put my leg into the onsen, my my skin was actually burning because the onen was so so warm. And I can only imagine that the difference in temp is because some onsens are outside, some are inside. Anyway, uh it’s minus 8° this morning where we are and Ben and I are considering putting the chains on. Putting the snow chains on the car. Uh it doesn’t look any snowier here where we are right now, but we’re going to a dairy farm and then we’re going up a mountain and it’s actually Oh, and it’s actually a volcano. So, we’re going to go and have a look at a volcano at some point today. [Applause] Impacts um road noise a little bit. Bit noisy. And as you can see, we don’t even need I think we just burn around there for the fun of it. We’ve gone the We’ve gone to the effort. Yeah, we’ve gone to the effort to put those on. 35 35ks. 35 for now. Yeah. Oh well. Hey, we learned to put on snow chains. Maybe we’ll stop and take them off later. Oh, that looks pretty icy up there, Bern. We’re not going that way. All right, we’ve had the chains on for for not very long. All of 2 minutes driving and we took a detour to actually use the chains. And as you can see, the road there perfectly fine. A little Suzuki Swift went past us. So chains are going to come off now. So silly us. Anyway, I think it’s worth trying them out. We know how to install them now when we need them. Look at this crazy man. It’s minus one outside and look at what he’s eating. I hope they have ices. I hope they have ices. He’s got a chocolate ice cream. Oh, it’s good. It is good. So, uh, we got beers. Ben got two beers. And that’s that’s the local milk. Milk. That’s a $10 what? One liter. Yeah. One liter milk. So, it must be good. Is it creamy? Really creamy milk. Yeah. Um, yeah. Chains required. We’ll go and put them back on. going. Oh, Ben, the chains are going away and we’re still on the same We must be at the top of the mountain. Still at the same spot that I ended the last video on. You want to tell what happened again? Uh, well, you heard the man, so I’ll I’ll let you repeat in English. Oh, did he? Oh, no. Even worse. What did he say then? Well, we’ll put on the tires. Doing a great job complimenting ourselves. Right underneath the change required sign. This guy comes down a little 500cc frontwheel drive car going, “No change required.” No chance, basically calling us out. So, either he’s really helpful or he’s just trolling us and we do need the chains. Listen, we’ve taken him off again now. But we actually got the first set of chains on within like 2 minutes. Like, nailed it. Follow the Prius. Yeah, a Prius just went past, so I think we’ll be fine. Where are we, mate? Ah, Asso Lake. It’s all frozen over frozen lake there. I wouldn’t know if I’d give it a drinking though with all the sulfur. And well, I’m going to make my way up there and have a look at the smoke coming out of the volcano. I reckon will be pretty cool. Making my way up there. What’s that, man? Volcano. Volcana. Oh, very cool. I can actually see, not sure if it’ll be on camera, but a road slithering up the side there. For that one, I see cars on it. Yeah, we took Dan here. That was closed. That was closed. Yeah. No charge. No, it’s up here. We got to pay. He said we can’t use the toilet up there. So, lucky you went. Oh, okay. He said the shit’s all frozen over. Oh, no. I was like, “Oh, dirty.” You shouldn’t visit with asthma. Now, the bunkers, they’ve got little bunkers here. What was it? in case of like falling debris. Yeah. Let’s have a look in one. Yeah. Looks pretty solid. Yeah. Not exactly visible today, is it? No. I told you put water in there bubbling away. What’s this? Can you explain this to me? Like a prayer box or something? Yeah. Oh, somebody’s left a coffee. Few dollars. You get 100 fortune. 100 fortune. A a good luck fortune. Well, let’s see. Wow. Yeah, good luck where you make it down the hill. I assume I put 100 in the box. So, is this like a a Chinese fortune but Japanese and not in a biscuit? It says, “Wait until you get home so your wife can read this for you.” What? Yeah. [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music]
Join Ben and I on a weekend road trip across Kyushu, Japan, in a Subaru Levorg STI. We stop for snow chains at Yellow Hat, relax in the Yufuin and Kuruka onsens, explore a cultural museum and a car museum, and drive up to the incredible Aso Volcano. Along the way, I even try eating eel for the first time.
A mix of Japanese culture, food, and driving adventure!
📍 Locations: Fukuoka → Yufuin → Kuruka → Mount Aso → back to Fukuoka
#JapanTravel #SubaruLevorg #Onsen #kyushuroadtrip
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:00 Levorg + driving
8:07 Onsen Hotel
9:44 Japanese brekky
12:05 Museums
16:00 Onwards to Kurokawa
21:05 A fishy dinner
23:13 Aso Volcano
AloJapan.com