Hello all, thank you in advance for any suggestions and help with itinerary planning. I hope I chose the right flair, apologies if I goofed in my choice.
I’m headed to Japan for one month (mid-Oct to mid-Nov), and our rough itinerary starts us out in Kyoto for a week, then moving from Kyoto to Hiroshima in a meandering line over the next few days, over to Kyushu for a week, and ending in Okinawa for a week. We’re looking to travel via train, ferry, and rented car wherever applicable. Our goal is to see the countryside and interesting villages, do some good moderate hikes, and take some themed trains through the (hopefully) autumnal foliage. We’re pretty flexible for dates so far, aside from our already-booked Okinawa week.
Some places we’ve been thinking of visiting, but kind of having a hard time logistically stringing things together into a good itinerary:
– Kyoto Main (Gion, temples, museums)
– Kyoto Rural (suggestions welcome!)
– Naoshima Island
– Nagoro Village (Tokushima/Shikoku)
– Ōkunoshima/Rabbit Island
– Hiroshima, Miyajima (staying overnight on Miyajima)
– Back-tracking to Osaka to do an overnight ferry from Osaka to Beppu?? Worth it?
– Working our way around Kyushu that gives us a good taste of nature and city/town life starting north (Fukuoka or Oita) and landing us in Kagoshima at the end of the week+ (really need some help with this leg)
– Yakushima/Shiratanai Usui Gorge, weather allowing
– some suggestions for Okinawa also welcome!
Crazy appreciate any help trying to piece together a reasonably-paced itinerary. We’re also looking to do more ryokan-like stays instead of western-style hotels or airbnbs.
Thanks in advance!!
Edit: a word
1 comment
I will just throw in some more hiking related ideas. If you will be in Oita (although I think Fukuoka has more to offer in terms of urban attractions), I would highly advise checking out the Kuju Mountains for a moderately challenging hike and a stay at onsen-top onsen (Hokkein Sanso). Yakushima is sure a very special place (and I spent months there if you have more specific Yakushima related questions, I would love to help) but if it somehow does not fit into your itinerary, Kuju Mountains (and also Mount Aso, active volcano located in the southern part of the Aso-Kuju National Park) are two great alternatives for scenic hikes.