Isa and Yusui: A Drive Through Nature and Art at Sogi Falls and the Kirishima Open-Air Museum

This is a drive course through northern Kagoshima Prefecture, running from Isa through Yusui to Kirishima, letting you experience nature and art in one trip. Start your morning at Sogi Falls (曽木の滝), a 210-meter-wide waterfall known as the Niagara of the Orient. After experiencing up close the roar and spray of the water cascading over Sendatami Rock (千畳岩), quietly take in the Sogi Power Plant Ruins (曽木発電所遺構), a red-brick structure standing in the lake like a medieval castle, from the observatory. For lunch, head to the Kirishima Open-Air Museum (霧島アートの森), where contemporary art is scattered across the highlands of Mt. Kurino. Wander the grassy hills to encounter the works, then take a break at the museum's cafe. In the afternoon, relax by the clear blue waters of Marugaike Spring (丸池湧水), one of Japan's Top 100 Waters, and finish with a nostalgic photo at Osumi-Yokogawa Station (大隅横川駅), where a wooden station building from the Meiji era remains in active use. From a powerful waterfall to hills of art and clear spring water, this is a day of luxuriously exploring the hidden retreat of Kagoshima.