The other day, my husband said to me, “I wrote an article about the Boxster touring, please take a look.” I thought, “Huh, did we go touring in the Boxster recently?” and checked it out. It turned out to be a sequel to last year’s year-end Kyushu touring article (laughs).
So, if you’re interested, please have a look.

Final Day of the Boxster Kyushu Touring

I wondered, “Wait, did I write about the final day of the year-end touring?” and when I looked back, I realized I hadn’t (sweat).

If anyone was looking forward to it, I apologize! Even though it’s already spring, I’m a bit embarrassed to post a year-end article, but please bear with me if you like.

Heading to Sakurajima in the Boxster

We left the hotel in Miyakonojo at 7:30 a.m. Today, I wanted to drive along the Miyazaki coastline and also visit Sakurajima, so we set off a little earlier than usual. The weather was clear in the morning but was expected to worsen by afternoon.

Moreover, temperatures were dropping sharply as a severe cold wave hit the Japanese archipelago. Since we were in Kyushu, I didn’t expect to get stuck in snow, but I made sure to act early and carefully.

We exited at Miyazaki IC and headed south on the Nichinan Phoenix Road. I had visited here a long time ago in an Audi TT, and it had been a while since. Driving along the coastline with a summer-like sea on the left was incredibly refreshing. The Boxster with the top down felt alive.

The scent of the wind, the temperature, the sun—everything was orchestrated to enjoy the drive.

Then, deliberately keeping the engine spinning around third gear, I cruised while listening to the exquisite sound of the naturally aspirated flat-six engine. The Boxster doesn’t need an audio system. The exhaust note pouring down from above is the best music there is.

We kept heading south with some detours along the way. Perhaps due to the strengthening west-high east-low pressure pattern, the wind was quite strong. We tried to head south on Route 448 toward Toimisaki, but it seemed closed, so we reluctantly took Prefectural Route 438 toward Kushima City.

We were to take a ferry back to Osaka today, but we decided to head toward Sakurajima, passing the ferry terminal on the side.

The navigation system instructed us to go via the Kanoya area, but taking the usual national or main roads would defeat the purpose of touring. The thrill of touring is always in seeking out the best driving roads.

Checking the touring map, we chose a route crossing the mountains via Prefectural Routes 64 and 71. It was quite a winding road with little traffic and very rewarding to drive.

However, as the low pressure intensified, the outside temperature near the mountain pass dropped below 3°C, and snow began to fall. The snow grew heavier as we drove, so we hurried on, but by the time we crossed the pass, it seemed we had left the snow clouds behind.

Heading north on Route 220 toward the distant Sakurajima. The smell of sulfur grew stronger in town as we approached Sakurajima. This was my first time visiting Sakurajima, and seeing it up close felt more powerful than from afar.

The mountain itself seemed to have a presence, and when I held my hand over it, I felt as if I could sense some kind of energy.

The weather turned to light rain, and the summit remained hidden behind clouds. We took breaks at roadside stations and lava viewing points while driving the Boxster around the island’s loop road.

At 5:55 p.m., we headed for Shibushi Port to catch the ferry departing at that time. We could have returned the way we came, but since we had the chance, we took the coastal road south, then Prefectural Route 73 to Shibushi. The roads around here were also quite pleasant to drive. It felt like a country road running through farmland, allowing us to drive at our own pace.

We arrived at Shibushi Port. This time, the ferry was the new ship, the Sunflower Satsuma. Since it was a Boxster, we had applied for a low-floor vehicle, but the staff member, upon seeing the car, immediately said, “This is fine,” and guided us to the regular car deck.

By the way, if you are classified as a low-floor vehicle, you are often assigned to the truck deck, which can be a bit tricky for boarding and disembarking.

I reserved a single superior cabin on the ferry. The room was quite small but had a bath and toilet, making it comfortable. After eating my fill at the ferry’s buffet, I returned to the room and relaxed, eventually falling asleep without realizing it.

Due to the cold wave, the wind and waves were quite high, and after departure, we couldn’t even go out on deck. The ferry rocked considerably, but since it’s such a large ship, I didn’t feel much discomfort while sleeping in the cabin.

At 7:40 a.m., we arrived at Osaka Port. The low pressure had completely passed, and the city was bright and clear. As soon as we disembarked the Boxster from the ferry, in the style of wata-san, I said, “Change Boxster! Switch on!” while opening the top, then switched on Sport Plus mode. I headed home, letting the exhaust note echo along the empty year-end Bayshore Route.

We covered 2,116 km with fuel consumption of 10.4 L/100 km (about 9.6 km/L)