Geography of Kyushu Kyushu is a bountiful island blessed with a balance of lowlands and mountains. It is the southern most of the main islands, and it is divided up into 7 prefectures . From north to south they are Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Oita, Kumamoto, Miyazaki and Kagoshima. Each prefecture (except for Saga which will open an international airport in 1998) has an airport which provides easy access to Asian neighbors nearby. Pusan, Seoul and Shanghai are easily reached by plane in about the same time as it takes to get to Osaka or Tokyo. The mild winter and semitropical summer provide a positive environment for the people in Kyushu whose population and GDP are approximately the same as the Netherlands. In addition to supporting thriving cities and its people, the flat areas provide excellent space for growing rice, many other vegetables and raising livestock. Unlike the sprawling megalopolises on Honshu, Kyushu cities are dynamic, convenient but not overcrowded. The mountains are lined with cedars used for domestic lumber, meticulously terraced for rice production or they are covered by natural vegetation. Most of the mountains are foothills, but a few pierce the clouds like the Kirishima mountain range in Kagoshima and in Oita Prefecture, Mt. Kuju standing the highest on the mainland at 1,791 meters. In winter it snows in the mountains and in the northern plains, but it is mild enough to allow for winter vegetable planting. The summer is hot and humid, perfect for a visit to one of the many sandy beaches to savor the ocean. Spring and fall are drier and more pleasant seasons filled with delicate pink cherry blossoms, flowers galore in spring and blazing red, orange and yellow leaves to sign off to winter.