How to keep wife happy
Hi all. So last minute decided to buy a trip from Honolulu to fukuoka in mid December of this year. Leave on 13th and land on 14th, then back to Honolulu on the 23rd. So there are lots of great itineraries for the 10d/9nt fukuoka, Hiroshima area. But our last two trips to Japan were in the Tokyo area and my wife found a ryokan she loved in gunma ( private onsen, as she has tattoos). So she wants to go back again on this trip. But we are starting way down in fukuoka and our return flight is out of Fukuoka as well. So I am probably going to get the 7day jr pass from day 4 probably so we can Shinkansen our way up to gunma and back. So is it a better idea to try and change flight to fly out of Tokyo (probably cost $400 or so in fare difference) or try to get back down to Fukuoka? (flight isn’t until 8pm)
Here’s what I’m looking at, let me know what you think…
Land 14th at 7pm stay in Fukuoka
-possibly food stalls or see if we can make it up to Fukuoka tower
15th Fukuoka
-ohori park, nanzoin temple, kushida shrine, dazaifu tenman-gu shrine (not necessarily in that order)
16th travel to Hiroshima early (pay Shinkansen fare, activating jr pass on 17th)
– peace park, atomic bomb dome, miyajima island, eat okonomiyaki
17th leave hiroshima early for Osaka activate 7 day jr pass
– osaka aquarium, kita district, Osaka castle, namba yasaka shrine, kuromon market
18th second day in Osaka
– Minami district, dotombori, den den town, umeda sky tower or abeno harukas
19th leave early for Kyoto Shinkansen with jr pass
-kiyomizu-dera temple, chion-in temple, shoren-in temple, fushimi-inari taisha shrine
20th second day in Kyoto
– arashiyama bamboo grove, kinkaku-ji temple, relax stroll downtown
21st leave early for gunma Shinkansen with jr pass
-should arrive at shima onsen around 3pm…overnight at ryokan
22nd slowly make way back to Tokyo stay in Tokyo overnight ( or nearby)
23rd leave early for Fukuoka (day 7 of jr pass)
Explore area around hakata station before 8 pm flight
Is one day enough for Hiroshima? Some folks say yes others no.
2 days each for Osaka and Kyoto? I know there’s so much that I could spend most of trip in Osaka Kyoto area.
Should I fly back and forth to Tokyo rather than take Shinkansen?
I feel like I’m shortchanging ourselves on this trip, but I’m hoping it’s not our last. And she wants to go to the same ryokan…maybe if anyone has a recommendation for a ryokan with private onsen so we can go together with her tattoos that is closer? The one we went to has a public bath downstairs and three private ones (light in hallway lets you know when each is available) along with one room with onsen on the balcony. Last December we were sitting in the onsen at midnight with snow falling around us…Main focus as always is to make sure she is happy, thus the trek all the way up to gunma…
I know smart folks will say “if that’s what she wants…” but should I try to convince her to stay near Osaka or Kyoto or maybe ryokan in beppu?
Thanks…
by pottedplant808