Been to Japan one time, in which I did the standard tokyo osaka kyoto etc. type thingby bus with a lot of shrines and castles. My favorite site that time was shirakawa-go, which I took a detour to. Trying to see a lot more nature and the onsens of kyushu this time, indexing less on castles and shrines.
I’m mostly concerned about whether the itinerary seems impossible at any point, but if you think I’m missing some key poi of Kyushu go ahead and shout!
a few of the things I looked into, and decided I would skip.
* spending more time in Fukuoka. Fukuoka seemed like one of the less interesting destinations in kyushu tbh, but there were still some things I wanted to see and the starting location is too convenient.
* spending more time in nagasaki. Since I’m mostly only interested in the history stuff going on, I decided 1 full day + some portions of the day before and after for buffer would be good enough.
* takachiho gorge. I’m not gonna lie it just doesn’t look that interesting to me. Hate me for this take I formed over internet photos. But I’ve seen some waterfall gorge type stuff over the years across different parts of the world and it’s just not really my thing.
* doing things in kumamoto. I dunno, it just didn’t seem that high ROI.
* visiting sakurajima. I felt like if I had to pick between spending time on aso or sakurajima, I’d rather see aso.
I’ll start in fukuoka and rent a car, though I’m not sure of the timing of it. maybe day 2 in the morning or day 1 before they close. Or maybe
Day 1
arrive in fukuoka around 11 am from previous destination. see a few POIs, maybe eat at a yatai stall, not much to say here. One thing I really wanted to go to was uminonakamichi seaside park. starting here since it’s convenient from my previous location (hiroshima), end in fukuoka. I don’t really feel like I need a car this day but it might be more convenient to just do the rental on this day out of convenience.
Day 2
visit dazaifu, see the museum, start heading to nagasaki, check out the pottery towns, end the night in nagasaki.
Day 3
Full day in nagasaki. end in nagasaki
Day 4
some buffer in the morning for more nagasaki stuff, then I’m driving to kumamoto via the car ferry at shimabara. I’m considering stopping through a few points in shimabara just to take a gander, but not for anything too long. End in kumamoto
Day 5
Day trip to mount aso. end the day at kurokawa onsen
Day 6
yufuin
Day 7
beppu
Day 8
drive to kumamoto, return the car, JR to kagoshima. (This seemed reasonably possible based on my research) I wanted to return the car here since it didn’t seem liked I needed a car for the rest of the trip. There seems to be a high speed ferry from kagoshima to yakushima, and I’m assuming I can’t take a car. Visit some 1 or 2 kagoshima POIs before ending in kagoshima.
Day 9
ferry to yakushima and spend the day there. Not planning on doing anything intense during my time here like the jomon no sugi. Mostly lighter things like Shiratani Unsuikyo and yakusugiland.
Day 10
yakushima buffer, take the ferry back to kagoshima. Fly to tokyo (next destination) and stay in tokyo OR just stay in kagoshima and take a flight the next morning to tokyo.
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So, is day 8 actually possible to do? What’s a good time to rent the car in fukuoka? It seemed like I didn’t even need one to go do things in dazaifu, but I definitely need it before I leave the area, probably right after or by the time I check out on day 2. Anything else here seem amiss? Thanks in advance.
4 comments
cut out either Fukuoka or Nagasaki and spend more time on Yakushima if you’re a nature lover
Maybe check out Mifuneyama Onsen on the way to Nagasaki, just outside the town of Takeo Onsen. Entry includes access to a teamLab installation in the hotel buildings and in the gardens (latter is not running in the winter).
It looks like you did a lot of research and a lot of stuff you are skipping is reasonable.
I live in Fukuoka and have been here almost 10 years now. I can understanding not spending a lot of time in the city if you have been to other big cities in Japan. Kumamoto too.
Takachiho gorge is one of the most overrated places in Kyushu in my opinion. It’s way out of the way and there is a reason every photo is from only one angle (that part of the gorge is tiny).
So, for my comments.
1. I would skip Uminonakamichi. I take my kid there all the time, I even have a season pass to the aquarium. But, if you are a traveler that doesn’t live in Japan, I don’t think it’s that special. An argument could be made if you go during certain flower seasons (like cosmos season). Otherwise, it’s just a big park for families that has an aquarium and a zoo. You don’t need to visit Japan to see something like this.
2. I would skip Daizaifu. If you have been to Kyoto, Daizaifu probably won’t be that special.
3. If you are interested in pottery, the only village worth visiting is Okawachiyama village (in Arita area). Imari is a normal costal town and there is only one real place to visit. Arita city proper has a lot of pottery stores, but it’s not that special. Okawachiyama village is a really interesting old-style town.
4. Good choice to spend time in Nagasaki. Nagasaki is one of my favorite cities in Kyushu. It has it’s own charm that is different from other cities. The Dutch slope is famously one of the biggest disappointments in sight seeing attractions, but everything else is good. The view Mt Inasayama at dusk/night is great, Chinatown is cool, the atomic museum is interesting, Dejima is cool, etc.
5. I don’t know why you hold seeing Mt. Aso in such high regard. There isn’t a whole lot to do. Normally, the peak is closed due to volcanic fumes, so there really is only some rest stops and vistas.
6. Beppu is worth cutting in my opinion. There are better onsen towns in Kyushu. The jigokus in Beppu feel artificial, even if they aren’t. They are basically colored pools surrounded by concrete. If you are interested in a better alternative see point #5.
7. There isn’t much to see in Shimabara itself. The castle is big, but you are burnt out on castles. However, I recommend Mt. Unzen. Since you are in the area, you should stop to see the Unzen jigoku. It only takes an hour or two to see everything, but it’s a lot more cool than the jigoku in Beppu. Personally, I would cut out Beppu and spend a half day in Unzen and gain time for other stuff. I recommend Mikado ryokan if you stay in Unzen because it’s a great deal and the food is good.
8. Yufuin is good, but I don’t think it requires a full day. Unless you are really into shopping for trinkets and stuff.
9. Kuju (the area between Kurokawa onsen and Yufuin) is really pretty for people who like nature. I recommend going to Kokonoe Yume bridge.
10. Kurokawa onsen is my favorite onsen town. I’ve been to a bunch, my favorite is Yamabiko ryokan.
In general, your plan is possible to do. I would be more in favor of a slower paced trip, but it’s reasonable with a car. But, remember that Kyushu is more spread out than it looks. Each major city takes 2-4 hours to drive to. Plus, every highway has tolls. You can expect to pay about 1000 yen for every one hour driven.
If you have any other questions about potential places to visit, just ask.
Why yufuin? It’s a tourist trap, do an extra day in yakushima instead. And rent a car, the bus is infrequent/slow and doesn’t go to a lot of places.
Also second kuju renzan and I loved the aso area! Lots of beautiful scenery, do some of the smaller 1h long viewpoint hikes.
Would do kuju renzan as a daytrip from beppu and then relax in the onsen at night.