**Background**
Have been learning the language for a while. Waggaki Band was also having their live tour in the period of my leave, and I have not seen my friends in 3 years. Postponed my UK trip for a fee but well.
​
**General movement**
* 19th Oct: Tokyo via Narita
* 20th Oct: Activated 14 days JR Pass. Tokyo to Hakata, Fukuoka
* 21st Oct: Day trip to Kitakyushu/Shimseki
* 22nd Oct: Hakata
* 23rd Oct: Hakata to Nagasaki
* 24th Oct: Nagasaki to Kumamoto
* 25th Oct: Day trip to Shimabara Peninsula
* 26th Oct: Day trip to Kagoshima
* 27th Oct: Day trip to Mt Aso
* 28th Oct: Day trip to Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine.
* 29th Oct: Return to Hakata. Day trip to Beppu.
* 30th Oct: Day trip to Daizaifu. Return to Tokyo.
* 31st Oct: Tokyo and Yokohama.
* 1st Nov: Day trip to Nikko. Homebound on 2nd Nov.
​
**Key points/planning considerations:**
*Travel/location selection:*
* This itinerary is organised around my JR pass. Shinkansen is used as much as possible. I can’t drive at all.
* I like learning about history and seeing nature, so I have given some priorities to museums. It’s my 4th time in Japan, so shrines and temples are deprioritized. No shopping unless for things asked by family/friends.
* Public transport in Kyushu, especially the rural centre region is infrequent. Expect to spend more time travelling than on the actual place itself. The last bus/train timing is also much earlier, so this will further restrict any activities.
* Likewise, English support even in tourist info counters is bad as well. A good translator app is necessary if you don’t speak Japanese.
* Google maps may be unreliable when it comes to buses. Differ to onsite schedule if possible.
* The trams can provide a viable alternative to buses, especially to major sites.
*Food/shopping*
* I stayed away from Chinese food as I come from a Chinese majority country. There are 13 Don Quijote here (read: I can get alot of snacks back home). I had no need to shop save for finding a few items for people.
* I usually settled my breakfast/lunch in the cheapest and most convenient spots, including konbinis. Dinner was when I looked up what’s good. Most places in Kyushu do not have an English menu/support.
* Some shops, either franchises like Yoshinoya or independent, offer breakfast set options. The sets are usually a no frills option at a cheaper rate. Look for 朝定食/10:00-10:30まで
*Side note:*
* (Lost my entire bag, including my passport and spending cash in Hakata. This had affected my plans, more on that later.)
​
**Day by day itinerary**
*19th Oct*:
Red eye flight, arrived as a zombie. The objective for the day was to meet a friend, but alas he had to cancel last minute due to an emergency. Largely napped and wandered around Akihabara.
* Ebisu temple festival: stumbled upon by accident. It was a 2 day festival near Ebisu temple with festive stalls all around.
* *Drinks at:* MILITARYxCAFE TRIGGER HAPPY: 〒135-0011 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Sotokanda, 5 Chome−2−7: Was hoping to try a BB gun bar and found this place via Google. While they have a passable English menu, the staff has minimal English support including explanation of the range. For the price point, the gun variety and time given, **not recommended.** The only redeeming factor is that it is close enough to Akihabara.
​
*20th Oct:* Reached Hakata in late afternoon after a wearisome 5+ hours on shinkansen. Most of the sites were closed as such. Objective was to start on the Fukuoka cuisine and look for some stuff for friends.
* *Lunch at:* Hakata Issou, 3 Chome-1-6 Hakataekihigashi, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, 812-0013, Ja: supposedly one of the best Hakata ramen or something. Remember to get the meal ticket from the vending machine before queueing. Easily one of the best I’ve eaten. **Recommended.**
* Canal City: a shopping mall in a centralised location. Contains a Bandai store with arcade and figurines with plenty of yatai options outside
* Bayside Place Hakata Sunset Park: nothing much to do there and it’s a little out of the way. It is a nice place to chill and see the sunset though Recommended only as such.
*A note on yatai*: after hopping around yatai and speaking to locals, consider them not as street foods but mobile restaurants. The price is quite expensive for the portion, and English support is largely not there.
Nonetheless, it is an experience being squeezed with locals and butchering/practising japanese via conversations over drinks.
​
*21st Oct*: Objective is to have fugu, check out the tunnel and Mt Sarakura.
* Karato Market: there are several options to get there from Hakata. I chose the shinkansen to Shin-Shimonoseki, then a local bus from there to the market. In retrospect I think taking the ferry from Kyushu end might be slightly faster. By the time I’ve reached the main transactions for the seafood are over. The food stalls however, are well and alive. There are English signs, but not for food. There are also no seats on the first floor, but most people take the food out of the market to eat along the promenade by the sea. Plenty of stalls sell fugu with different portions/prices, hop around to see which is best value for money and least likely to kill you. **Recommended** for sushi fix/day trip in addition to Kitakyushu.
* The Qing Japan Negotiation Museum: Passed by by-chance on the long walk to Kanmon Roadway Tunnel. The museum preserving the site where Qing China signed the treaty acceded Taiwan and Korea to Japan. **Recommended** to anyone passing by the area and interested in the (uglier) bit of Japan’s history.
* Kanmon Roadway Tunnel. This involved a fair bit of walking from Karato Market, partially buses are infrequent and partially I want to see the Kannon Straits. After that though, due to the long waiting time for the bus, I decided to walk to Mojiko Station instead. Didn’t get to see any whirlpools.
* *Lunch at:* ファンキータイガーアジト 〒801-0852 福岡県北九州市門司区港町３−14. Passed by it. The yaki kare was decent. It’s not something to go out of the way for, but passable for anyone looking for a bite.
* Moji Port: Personally it’s not something I would come for. It does make a pretty enough spot for photos or to put extra to-do stuff in the Kitakyushu itinerary.
* Kokura Castle. Conceptually it’s similar to Osaka Castle – a rebuilding of the old castle transformed into a museum. **Recommended** for those who are interested in learning about the region’s history.
* Mt Sarakura: Supposedly one of the newly ranked best night views in Japan. The view is certainly gorgeous. There are limited express buses from Kokura that go to the cable car section. From there, tickets for cable cars to reach the observatory deck, and the ropeway to reach the summit, can be purchased. There are also free shuttle buses to and Fro to JR Yatasu Station that end as late as 8pm **for Nov**. From there, can take a local train to Kokura before using the Shinkansen to return to Hakata. **Strongly recommended**.
* *Dinner at*: Telas&mico(屋台): 〒810-0004 Fukuoka, Chuo Ward, Watanabedori, 4 Chome−9, 渡辺 通り 〒810-0004 ロフト **Not recommended.** Even by yatai standards, the portion is just not worth the rather high price tag.
*22nd Oct*: Waggaki Band concert in the evening (No Yuuko-san ><), the only reason why I’m in Kyushu and not Tohoku.
* Ohori Park. After 3 days of fast paced plans it’s a nice change of pace for something more relaxing. There happened to be a festival while I was there. The gardens, expectedly, were off seasons. Recommended for those who are looking for an accessible city park to chill.
* Kumorebi Japanese Sake Bar 〒810-0003 福岡県福岡市中央区春吉３丁目１５−3 テソロ 天神 1F-B Tesoro天神. Broad sake collection. Each shot is about 600 – 800 yen, 3 bar food for 500 and cover charge for 500.
Staff didn’t speak much English but were extremely helpful. Take note that as they only have 10 seats, reservations may be necessary to ensure availability. **Strongly recommended.**
​
*23rd Oct:* Lost my backpack containing spending cash and passport, either on my way to Hakata Station or somewhere around while I was having breakfast. Regardless, called the bus company via public payphone (thank goodness they have Chinese speaking staff as options) and made a report with the kobun outside the station. (It was painful for me, more so for the officers I guess who had to hear me talk. Usage of translation app helped, but some points failed to get through.)
In addition, me lacking a local number was really a big issue because the agencies only follow up via phone calls. (Data only plan) I made an appointment with the police to physically check with them 1 week later for updates.
By the time I was done and all it was already noon. Headed for Nagasaki and checked in. The vibes I have in my short 1 day there was that it feels more like Taiwan than Japan.
* Dejima. A giant museum with mock ups and artefacts from the sakoku period. Worth the price tag, **recommended** for history buffs.
* Nagasaki Peace Park: As a sightseeing spot, I don’t recommend it due to the relative lack of things to see there. As a reflective spot however, I guess it does serve its purpose. (I do wonder what my granny, who lived through the brutal Japanese Occupation, would have to say.)
* Nagasaki Chinatown: **Not recommended** if you have been to Yokohama Chinatown. I passed by here just to try the champon.
* Meganebashi: I passed by here at night. Like some of the parks, its appeal is in the chill spots for people to hang around rather than having things to do.
(Overall, I didn’t enjoy Nagasaki very much, partially I had lesser time than expected and I was not in the right headspace after my bag went MIA)
​
*24th Oct*: the original plan today is to day trip to Shimabara Peninsula/Mt Unzen before ending the day via ferry to Kumamoto and checking in. However, as I needed to make calls to my embassy/bus company for updates, I decided to head straight for my Kumamoto hostel via shinkansen to use their landline.
After making the necessary calls, back to exploring Kumamoto.
* Kumamoto Castle. The bonus here is also there is on-going recovery work with signs explaining the damage and solutions. It also links up nicely with the stuff shared in Kokura Castle, being from the same region. As the landmark of Kumamoto, **strongly recommended.**
* One Piece bronze statues: Luffy, Chopper and Zoro: non-One Piece fans can skip this bit and find something else to do. Luffy and Chopper are the most accessible within the city, albeit one needs to take buses. A mistake here retrospectively, is that I should have saved them for the last precisely because they are the most accessible. I should tried for Jinbei and the Sea Road first. In addition, Zoro’s statue because Higo-Ozu station is a transit point to the Aso area.Another mistake I had made was that I misread Google Map and thought Chopper was inside Kumamoto City Zoological and Botanical Gardens. The statue was outside on another end at the carpark. The zoo unfortunately was a disappointment: the animals were kept in small enclosures and it was the wrong season for most flowers. **Not recommended** even as a place to chill.
* *Dinner at*: Ajisen Ramen. It’s not the best, but it was still miles ahead of the crap by the same name in my country. Supposedly originated from Kumamoto.
​
*25th Oct*: Objective was to make up for the lost trip to Shimabara Peninsula/Mt Unzen. It turned out to be a mistake; I should have dropped it entirely and tried for other locations within Kumamoto instead like Minamata instead. The long hours of getting there, the infrequent transport and removal of shared taxis to Nita Ropeway made the whole thing not worth it. That said, if an accommodation with Unzen/Shimabara can be secured, the whole thing would be more feasible.
*Getting there from Kumamoto:* Kyusho Ferry (the slower one) offers free shuttle buses from Kumamoto station on condition that the traveller will continue to take the ferry, schedule attached: There is also the option of paying for the return trip in advance. While convenient, this does restrict the travelling time to very fixed timing.
Shuttle bus scheduleL [https://imgur.com/a/FgsISQV](https://imgur.com/a/FgsISQV).
* Unzen Onsen: Ryokans and open air pits with steam. Actually the whole place made for an interesting hike (with English signs) amid the sulphuric steam everywhere. There are also 2 open baths, a temple and shrine. Some hotels offer onsen for day travellers. However, I find that the numbers pale compared to Beppu. Sorta made up for the loss of not being able to go up to Mt Unzen … sorta. (Supposedly one can see as far as Sakurajima and Aso on clear days from the summit. Yes, I am still upset about not being able to go)
*Getting around to Unzen Onsen:* There are buses from Shimabara Port at hourly intervals to Shimabara Station. From there, there were buses to Unzen Onsen at hourly intervals for a 1 hour trip. I should have, however, head straight from Shimabara Port to Unzen Onsen.
*For note:* **Japan-Guide.com’s info on shared taxis available from Unzen Onsen to Nita Toge Ropeway is outdated.** The service has been suspended until further notice. From the info counter in Unzen Onsen, one can walk 1.5 hours one way to the ropeway (open road/uphill), rent an e-bike for 3000 yen/3 hours or take a taxi for 3000 yen-ish per trip. By driving it takes about 15 mins 1 way.
* *Drinks at*: The Bar Amber, 〒860-0806 Kumamoto, Chuo Ward, Hanabatacho, 13−27 中通りビル2F. Found this place via Tabelog to drink my disappointment away (I kid, I just like to drink) Bartender doesn’t speak much English, but did his best in recommending drinks and engaging in convo. **Strongly recommended.**
​
*26th Oct*: Kagoshima day trip. It was a relatively short trip as I was meeting a Couchsurfing local for dinner. Shinkansen-ed down and got my day pass.
* Shiroyama observation deck: offers a nice view of Sakurajima. In retrospect though, I should have dropped it as the next stop at Sengan En offers an even more spectacular view. **Not recommended hence.**
* Sengan En: the area is huge. I spent longer that I planned. The essential, I feel, is in the house where there is a mock up along with exhibits related to the place’s history.There are also free postcards to visitors with the day pass. It also offers a splendid view of Sakurajima. **Strongly recommended** for the house.
* Sakurajima. Only took a 10 mins walk around the place due to severe time constraints, although I would love to travel around the area more. It only began spewing smoke just right before I was about to leave for Kumamoto. Really wished I had more time for it.
* *Dinner at*: Negibouzu 1 Chome-4-5 Shimotori, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, 860-0807. Met the Couchsurfer there and tried basashi. Love the agetofu. For the bar, they operate by the ‘pay as you receive the dish/drink’ system. Don’t think they have an English menu. **Recommended.**
* *Drinks at:* Shochu Bar Mannaka: 〒860-0848 Kumamoto, Chuo Ward, Minamitsuboimachi, 5−4 ドルハウスビル 1F. Specialises in shochu at, iirc, 500 yen/shot. Minimal English. Near the dinner place. **Recommended.**
​
*27th Oct:* Aso mountains. The area is reachable via JR train to Aso station. There are 2 main sightseeing buses serving the area: one to Daikanbo and another to Crater areas. The schedule both are below:
Aso mountains sightseeing schedule: [https://imgur.com/t7kCm9p](https://imgur.com/t7kCm9p) (Daikanbo hike: [https://imgur.com/yvV4tzF](https://imgur.com/yvV4tzF))
Using the train station as a central axis, Daikanbo and crater regions are opposite to each other. The implication being if you arrived late like me (I set off from Kumamoto at 9 and reached at about 10.30++ ish), you can only choose 1 location to visit. It is possible however, to make it for both if you arrived early enough/stayed overnight.
I didn’t go to Daikanbo and chose the crater area.The crater region has been spewing smoke since April 2022, resulting in the entire area being out of bounds. The bus terminal is essentially a big car park with a small stop. With the day pass however, I literally hung around for 10 mins to take photos before hopping on the return trip to the Museum area. There are more observation points that offer a 360 degree view around the mountains. Additionally, there are also a small museum and circuit horse riding. I did see some observation points along the main roads and people hiking on unmarked trails; probably by own cars.
All that said though, the views were glorious. **Worth it**.
There is also a small market selling bento and local produce. Got my shinmai there 🙂
*For those heading to Aso Shrine*: the closest JR station is Miyaji. The shrine itself is a little far off from Aso station, by foot 1 hr, by bus less.
*For One Piece fans*: Usopp statue is right outside the station.
* *Dinner at*: 焼き鳥まる忠 〒860-0848 熊本県熊本市中央区南坪井町２−20. Found this place via Tabelog. Tried torisash (raw chicken). Not too bad, but nothing particular outstanding too.
​
*28th Oct*: Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine. I chose this over Takachino Gorge to see Franky statue (One Piece fans, for note) and I thought it is more accessible. Frankly (pun intended), I had not made up my mind if it was worth it as I spent more time to get there than at the actual place itself.
There are direct buses from Kumamoto station at about 1030 yen (1 way) to Takamori Chuon (9.11am – 11.30 ish). Takamori Chuon is different from Takamori JR station, at about 4 mins walk apart. Also take note that the bus stop at the *JR station* has been shifted to a nearby community centre due to construction works.
From there, there are limited buses to go to the Shrine entrance. The actual Shrine is about 2 mins walk from the bus stop. The return bus is also from the same stop. The schedule below;
Getting to Kamishikimi shrine: [https://imgur.com/qXLF4Vb](https://imgur.com/qXLF4Vb)
Note the key locations:
* 高森中央: Takamori Chuon
* 高森駅: Takamori JR station
* 上色見熊野座神社入口: the shrine entrance, 入口 means entrance.
There are a few places to eat around the place.
There are a few ways to return to Kumamoto station. I took the bus at 5.10pm from Chuon to Tateno JR Station, then transferred to Higo Ozu then back to Kumamoto, reached est 7pm plus.
* *Dinner at:* Waraukado 笑う門 〒860-0807 熊本県熊本市中央区下通１丁目９−4 宇都宮ビル ３Ｆ. They have wasabi lotus roots (karashi renkon), something I wanted to try. The sashimi looked good but out of my budget.
​
*29th Oct*: the original plan was to head back to Hakata and then to Daizaifu. However, as I needed to go to the embassy to sort out my passport issue early Monday morning and would be taking the late evening train to Tokyo, I shuffled my schedule around to go to Beppu as it gave me more spare time to travel.
(It was quite upsetting because I intended to go Beppu only on 30th Oct to watch some public shows from school bands, including the famous one from Kyoto Tachibana, the Orange Devils. Arghhhh)
Skipped the Hells completely. The only objectives were to have steamed food and soak my fatigue away.
* *Lunch at:* Satonoeki Kanawa (Steam Cooking) 〒874-0845 大分県別府市北中 found via Google Maps. Not bad, but nothing to die for.
* Tanayu: recommended by Japan Guide. Near enough to the station, although a bus ride is still necessary. Pretty solid for a hotel onsen, good views into the sea. Take note Aqua Garden is currently closed. Also, they ban even small tattoos (explicitly highlighted).
* *Dinner at*: Genkai yatai. 2 Chome-14-13 Tenjin, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, 810-0001. The tempura is one of the better ones I had, 8 Piece set meal for 1000 yen, with ala carte items charged separately. No English menu.
* *Drinks at*: Chotto Bar Robin 福岡県福岡市博多区博多駅前４−４−23 第３岡部ビル B1. The bartender can speak decent English and has some in house cocktails. Not a smoke free place. **Recommended** for those looking for a late night drink.
​
*30th Oct*: Daizaifu. My train to Tokyo was at 5pm from Hakata till late. So my time at Daizaifu was very limited. There is a direct bus costing 610 yen 1 way, 20 mins/interval. Take note that on weekends, the queue might be so long that you would have to wait for the second bus.
* Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine: place was really crowded. Not sure if it was due to the Shichigosan prayers or just regular crowds of parents praying for their kids’ studies (fellow Asian appreciate the sentiment).
* Kyushu National Museum: **Strongly recommended**. They were having a special exhibition from Pompeii (at extra cost) along with the regular exhibits detailing the area development from the Jomon period. Spent too much time there. No regrets.
​
*31st Oct*: embassy in the morning to watch my tax dollars at work in sorting out my return pass, hung around in Shibuya in the afternoon and met a friend in Yokohama. Went back to Shibuya to see the Halloween crowd before retreating for a drink.
* *Dinner at*: ときあかり神奈川県横浜市神奈川区鶴屋町2-16-2 ＹＴ１６ビル３Ｆ. Shortlisted a few dinner options for the friend to choose. She recommended this due to proximity from Yokohama station. Not bad.
* *Drinks at*: BAR官兵衛 〒101-0044 東京都千代田区鍛冶町２丁目７−11 長谷川ビル 2F. Despite Google map pointing it to be 2nd floor I swore I went to the basement instead. Regardless, an excellent bar that opens late. There is a closing time at about 9.30pm for food though. **Recommended.**
​
*1st Oct*: Nikko day trip. Decided to squeeze the heck out of my JR pass and get my autumn colours fix. Went by the shinkansen to Utsunomiya JR station before a 1 hour ride to Nikko. Checked with the info counter that anything past Lake Chuzenji was gone, but leading up to it remained spectacular. Got the Nikko All Area Pass for up to Lake Chuzenji.
* Toshogu Shrine: the shrine, and the surrounding areas, is huge. So if time is a concern it might be prudent to be selective in choosing where to go. There are also some cordoned off areas that require extra fees to enter (like DLCs). Tokugawa Ieyasu’s tomb is on top of 200+ flights of stair; please don’t be like the girl in front of me who struggled to climb down with high heel boots.
* Akechidaira Plateau. There is a discount for the round trip ticket of 100 yen if All Area Pass is presented. The views were breathtaking (I am running out of words to describe scenery), but pay attention to the bus timing as they come in 30 mins intervals. It was not really fun seeing the bus arriving via the winding road while descending on the ropeway and sprinting for it upon alighting.
* Chuzenji Onsen area: Made it my final stop. Didn’t go to the lake area as there was a drizzle. Went to the observatory deck for Kegon Falls. Eating baked fish and sipping beer in the cold autumn rain was certainly a kind of (expensive) experience.
* *Dinner at*: 典満餃子〒321-0964 栃木県宇都宮市駅前通り３丁目３−1. I had 1 hour to kill before my shinkansen from Utsunomiya to Tokyo. Since the area was famous for gyoza, just randomly hopped into one of the many gyoza shops around the station.
* *Drinks at*: Ajisai Kanda 東京都千代田区内神田2-13-6サトービル 2F. Sake bar with quite a bit of food options. Owner was funny af and accommodating to my requests. Minimal English though. **Recommended**.
​
*2nd Nov:* Homebound. Last day of JR Pass. Took the Narita Express from Tokyo without any reservations (the train was about half empty anyway). Got reminded/told off by the conductor for that. For note.
​
So that concludes it. Fingers crossed now my travel insurance will honour my claims. Second biggest regret was not being able to convince my sibling to standby her liver for donation and thus having to watch my drinking. To all the locals I chatted with: thank you for putting up with me mauling your language.
Edited for some missing info
1. Sarakura shuttle bus is until Nov and,
2. Tanayu tattoo policy.
4 comments
Thank you for writing this up! I’m going to Kyushu in December and am trying to figure out what cities to spend time in. I was leaning towards two days in Fukuoka and then spending one night in Kagoshima and now I’m definitely going to. I also am thinking about a night in Yufuin (I was just going to skip Beppu). This is all great stuff – appreciate you.
This is great!! Thank you for sharing your experience 🙂
I have something similar planned in a couple of days so this is very handy.
Quick question – when you were visiting any indoor area (clubs/restaurant/onsen/…). You dont have to wear a mask? Im wondering if the Japanese are very strict on this policy at the moment for tourists.
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this! I’m trying to plan a day trip from Tokyo and was thinking of picking Hakone over Nikko due to the need to return the same day. Traveling solo as well 🙂
Super keen to try out an onsen, seeing fall colors and some shrines. Would you recommend sticking with Nikko for me too?
Great trip report! Stuff like that is what I come here for.
Btw, I also missed my chance to go up Mt. Unzen on my 2019 trip to the area. There were already no shared taxis anymore back then, plus they closed down the ropeway due to bad weather. Still one of my favorite stops.