Itinerary Check – March 21 – April 25
First-time post on reddit, so please be patient 😉
Couple mid-40s, first time travel to Japan, fluent in English, no Japanese knowledge besides some basic phrases. We will not rent a car so we have to rely on public transport.
Reason for this trip: culture/history, landscape, volcanos, cherry blossom season
Not interested in: anime/manga, sumo, hiking medium/long distances
Mostly interested in comments for the logistical parts of the trip. We chose to enter Japan in Fukuoka due to lack of affordable direct flights from Europe to Osaka as we want to start our Japan trip in the south and, when lucky, follow sakura through the country.
Day 4
* take the JR Queen Beetle ferry from Busan to Hakata
* transfer to hotel in Fukuoka by taxi, pay the driver cash with Yen exchanged in Seoul
Day 5
* pickup our 21 days JRRailpasses at Hakata station, activate them for day 8
* buy two green SUICA cards
* buy one SIM card at 7-Eleven: 30 days / 10 GB / 4950 JPY (seen on Youtube)
This card will expire two days before departure, so we will buy/activate the second 30-day SIM card on day 8 or so…
* buy an adapter for notebook power (from type F (in Japan type SE) to type A) at Yodobashi near Hakata station, we already have type C -> A adapters
* explore Fukuoka…
Now the rough schedule between Fukuoka and Tokyo, nothing is booked until Tokyo, everything can be changed:
Day 6 – 7
* explore Fukuoka, maybe day trip to Mount Aso by bus/group tour
Day 8:
* activate JRRailPass
* day trip by Shinkansen to Kagoshima, take the ferry to Sakurajima
* when time left visit Kumamoto castle (can be skipped, Himeji castle is planned)
Day 9:
* day trip by new Shinkansen line via Takeo-onsen to Nagasaki (Dejima, Unzen, cable car from Nitta pass to Fugen-dake), alternatively stay overnight
Day 10:
* send huge bags from Fukuoka to Kyoto or Osaka, wherever we will stay first
* leave Fukuoka (or Nagasaki) for Hiroshima, travel until day 14 with small bags
Day 11:
* explore Hiroshima / visit Miyajima / eat Okonomiyaki / etc.
Day 12:
* leave Hiroshima for Kobe
Day 13:
* explore Kobe (China town)
Day 14:
* leave Hiroshima for Kyoto or Osaka, wherever we will stay first
**Day 15 – 27: several alternatives possible and unsure about it**
Here is gets complicated. We want to stay in Kyoto for a week, leaving another week for Nara and Osaka, including a day trip from Osaka to Himeji castle.
Is Nara worth staying overnight or is a day trip from Osaka enough when we want to see more than just the deers?
Cutting short some days in Osaka for Nara, maybe Yoshino mountain for sakura, is also possible. When re-visiting Japan we can stay longer in Osaka for the Expo 2025.
Takayama is also interesting, but during the spring festival there on days 25 & 26 it will be very crowded/difficult to reach, so visiting it on the way to Tokyo is not an option afaics.
Is a day trip or overnight stay in Nagoya (just looking at the Shinkansen route) worth it?
So the options for overnight stays are:
Kobe -> Nara? -> Kyoto -> Osaka -> Tokyo
Kobe -> Nara? -> Osaka -> Kyoto -> Tokyo
Day 28 – Tokyo
* arrival at Tokyo station by Shinkansen from Osaka/Kyoto, last day of JRRailPass
* transfer to Shinjuku station by Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line
* check-in at hotel nearby Shinjuku station
Day 29 – 35
* explore Tokio, maybe day trips to Kawaguchiko and/or Yokohama
Day 36
* departure of our plane at Narita, terminal 2, is around 10pm
* take the Airport Limousine Bus service departing from the hotel
**Questions:**
* Are Nagasaki and Nara interesting enough to switch a day trip into an overnight stay?
* Is it difficult to reach Yoshino mountain without car?
* Are there better alternatives than the bus to get to Narita from a hotel nearby Shinjuku station?
* Anything important missing?