Hi all,
Will be visiting Kyushu for the first time in mid to end of November for 11 days. This will be a solo trip, without self-drive.
Hope to get some tips from the community for this trip.
Tentatively, I am planning to cover the following cities in the given order.
(1) Fukuoka; (2) Nagasaki; (3) Kumamoto; (4) Kagoshima; and (5) Yakushima.
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A few quick questions:
1) For the connection between Fukuoka and Nagasaki, are the trains still available ? I read from this reddit that there is some upgrading works to Shinkansen?
2) Are there any hiking trails which one would recommend in this period ? For context i have done the kumano kodo route in Wakayama across 5 days. Not so ambitious to look at 5 days this round, but 2 – 3 days would be nice.
3) I have read that day trip to Yakushima isnt worth it (given the cost of round-trip ferry). Would it be recommended to spend 2 or 3 days there?
4) Are there any specific activities, unique to this season and area that one should look at ? I read that Sumo wrestling is a thing during this period. How does that compare to those in Tokyo?
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Thank you very much. Hope to keep this as an active thread for a while.
4 comments
I will be there at mid – end Oct. Remind me to update for 1)
1) You take a limited express *Relay Kamome* or *Midori Relay Kamome* to Takeo Onsen and walk across platform to shinkansen *Kamome* for Nagasaki.
2) Honestly with your plans, maybe some hiking trails around Mt. Unzen or Shimabara Peninsula or hiking on Yakushima. Since you are not exploring interior of Kyushu or Kunisaki Peninsula – there is only so much one could recommend.
3) I doubt that anyone going to Yakushima does have issues with ferry/jetfoil/flight costs. The issue is that this is 3 days out of your itinerary and honestly it should be at the very least 2 full days in Yakushima,
4) One of the 6 grand sumo tournaments is conducted in Fukuoka in November. It has the same structure as 5 other grand sumo tournaments each year (3 in Tokyo, 1 in Nagoya, 1 in Osaka).
Keeping an eye on this thread since I currently live in Kyushu but haven’t had time to do a lot of sightseeing/travel yet. (Bureaucracy as an exchange student is… intense.)
I can confirm there will be a sumo tournament taking place in Fukuoka, from November 13th to 27th in the Kokusai Center. I’ll be going there for one day and am still debating with myself whether to take the Shinkansen or save a little money and try the express bus…
Best of luck, and I hope you’ll have a great trip!
If you like hiking yakushima is great. For most hikes you’ll need a car though as the bus doesn’t run frequent enough or not at all.