We will be arriving early April in Fukuoka (via ferry from Busan) and would be looking at spending a full 7 days-ish in Japan before flying back to the UK. This will be our 2nd time in Japan (having done the Tokyo>Osaka route 1st time around).
Our current plan:
- [Day 1]: Arrive in Fukuoka and get the train(s) to Nagasaki. Stay in Nagasaki 2 nights.
- [Day 2]: Nagasaki – Peace park, Glover Garden, Dejima, etc. Hashima island depending on time/weather
- [Day 3]: Train to Fukuoka in the morning. Trip to Dazaifu then rest of day at leisure. 2 nights Fukuoka
- [Day 4]: Leave Fukuoka for a whole day in Kumamoto. Return to Fukuoka late afternoon/evening.
- [Day 5]: Shinkansen to Hiroshima. Explore the Dome, parks, city in general. 2 night stay.
- [Day 6]: Catch the ferry to Miyajima in the morning. See Itsukushima Shrine and take our time around (possibly head to the ropeway). Get a later afternoon ferry back to Hiroshima
- [Day 7]: Shinkansen to Himeji. Visit Castle and Gardens in the morning. Continue journey to Kobe where we're at leisure for the rest of the day. 1 night stay
- [Day 8]: Morning in Kobe. In the afternoon travel to KIX airport via ferry link.
The main idea with this itinerary is that during the last trip we were meant to visit Himeji however a typhoon ruined our chance, so it would be great to see it this time round. However, if that seems like a silly part of the itinerary, we will change that.
How does this look?
The alternative is of course to spend the entire week in Northern Kyushu, as long as we can catch a flight out to Seoul (probably via Fukuoka). Would be nice to visit Hiroshima/Miyajima as well as it's so close anyway. We'd probably have Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto and Beppu in mind for this, though with children, Onsens wouldn't be a priority (train rides are more exciting for them!). I would welcome any recommendations with this alternative 🙂
by IntriguedToast