Keya no Oto Boat Tour
The town of Keya is awesome in many ways. It’s got sandy beaches, some of the best surf points, fresh seafood restaurants, a golf course, and it’s home to many talented craftspeople. It’s also the location of one Kyushu’s wondrous power spots: the sea caves of Keya no Oto. It’s a huge cave with columned walls of pitch-black hexagonal and octagonal rocks. Measuring 64 meters high and 90 meters deep, it faces the rough waves of the Genkai Sea and it’s one of Japan’s three largest basalt (volcanic rock) caves. Between mid-March and November you can get up close on a 25-minute boat tour and if the water is calm, the boat will enter the cave.
Keya no Oto Boat Tour / 芥屋の大門 遊覧船
• 9:30~16:30 daily (weather permitting)
• Adult (JHS and above): ¥800, Child (2 y.o. and over): ¥400
• Keya no Oto Boat at Keya Fishing Port
• 677 Shima-keya, Itoshima City, Fukuoka
• 092-328-2012
• http://www.keyaotokankousha.jp/
Buy your tickets here. Meet the captain!
Grab your Instagram shot here!
It was calm, so we entered the cave. Creepy!
Bench & Mug
Kaori’s cakes look good. So good, you just know they’re going to be scrumptious. Born in Kitakyushu, she spent a few years in Australia’s Gold Coast and then ran her own cafe in Kyoto before returning to Kyushu to open shop in Itoshima. Noticing how her family and friends loved sweets, and out of concern for their health, she perfected recipes for ‘crazy cakes’, cakes made without butter, eggs, and dairy. These account for about half of her lineup. Not only are they healthier but they’re guilt-free too! Kaori is also a coffee connoisseur. She pairs desserts to specific blends of organic, fair trade coffee which she also sells inside her shop. For her popular Banana Cake, it’s definitely Ethiopian. Everything is baked daily and all handmade. But don’t arrive late, she sells out!
Bench & Mug / ベンチアンドマグ
• Open: Tue., Thu., Sat. & Sun. 13:00~18:00
• Closed: Mon., Wed., Fri. & 1st Tue.
• 1-4-11 Maebaru-higashi, Itoshima City, Fukuoka
• https://benchandmug.localinfo.jp/
To learn more about Itoshima now, click here!
Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn244, Apr. 2019)