Hello everyone! I (30F) am very excited to be traveling solo to Kyushu in the middle of October.
I studied abroad in Kyoto when I was a student, but it’s been many years since I’ve been to Japan and it will be my first time in Kyushu. I’m excited to revisit my favorite shops (Loft!) and chain restaurants (Mister Donut, Yayoiken, Marugame Seimen) in addition to seeking out more “local” experiences.
I speak and read Japanese at an intermediate level (but I’m trying to study up a bit before I leave!) I will be in the Tokyo area the week before, so I’m hoping my jetlag will be taken care of by the time I get to Kyushu.
My interests include: hiking & nature, gardens, matcha, train travel, and shopping (stationery, home goods, teaware).
For food, I particularly enjoy traditional Japanese sweets and desserts, noodles (udon and soba), tofu, and katsu; looking forward to eating my way through Kyushu on my trip!
I’ve marked off a bunch of interesting/recommended food places on a Google Map for myself, so if I don’t have any specific plans, I’ll just go with something that’s nearby.
My current planned itinerary is Yakushima → Kagoshima → Kumamoto → Fukuoka (with day trips to Nagasaki and Yufuin). I plan to purchase a 5-day JR Kyushu pass prior to October’s slight price increase.
**Day 1: Tokyo to Yakushima**
\- Morning flight from Haneda at 8:30am
\- Connect through Itami and arrive in Yakushima at 1:10pm
\- Half day island tour?
Sleep: Miyanoura, Yakushima
**Day 2: Yakushima**
\- Explore Shiratani Unsuikyo
\—- AM bus (\~8:10am)
\—- Hike to Taiko Iwa (\~4 hours)
\—- Bus back at 1:45pm
\- Beach walk/snorkeling at Isso in PM?
Sleep: Miyanoura, Yakushima
**Day 3: Yakushima**
\- Yakusugi Land course (210 min to Tenmon no Mori)
\—- Bus from Miyanoura at 8:40am; arrive at Yakusugi Land at 10:07am
\—- Return from Yakusugi Land at 3:15pm
Sleep: Miyanoura, Yakushima
**Day 4: Kagoshima**
\-Check out and transit to Kagoshima
\—- Take 10:30am Jetfoil from Miyanoura; arrive Kagoshima at 12:45pm
\- Ferry to Sakurajima
\- Walk the Nagisa lava trail
\- Sakurajima bus loop if I have time/energy
\- Dinner and onsen in Sakurajima hotel
Sleep: Sakurajima, Kagoshima
Eat: Lunch near port; dinner at hotel
*Note – Calculate if 2-day Kagoshima Cute Pass (¥1,800) is worth it (probably not?)*
**Day 5: Kagoshima**
\-Check out of hotel and ferry to Kagoshima city
\—- Find coin locker somewhere to store luggage
\- Sengan-en garden early (opens at 9am)
\—- Make sure to visit cat shrine; can do short hike to Sakurajima view point (30min each way)
\- Explore Tenmonkan area
\- Go to Kagoshimachuo station
\—- Exchange & activate 5-day JR Kyushu pass
\—- Book Yufuin no Mori tickets once I have JR pass
\- Transit to Kumamoto in PM (46-57 min)
Sleep: Kumamoto
Eat: Breakfast at hotel; Matcha cafe at Sengan-en; Kumamoto ramen for dinner?
**Day 6: Kumamoto**
\- Check out of hotel and store luggage
\- Head to Suizen-ji early-ish
\—- Opens at 8:30am
\- Kumamoto Castle and surrounding area
\- Transit to Hakata station in late PM (39-49 min)
Sleep: Fukuoka
Eat: Breakfast at hotel; Katsu at Katsureitsutei for lunch/early dinner?
**Day 7: Nagasaki Day Trip**
\- Travel to Nagasaki in early AM (\~1h40m each way)
\- Nagasaki Peace Park & Atomic Bomb Museum
\- Shinchi Chinatown
\- Dutch Slope
\- Glover Garden
Sleep: Fukuoka
Eat: Breakfast at hotel; Castella in Nagasaki
**Day 8: Fukuoka**
\-Explore Fukuoka
\- Uminonakamichi Seaside Park
\—- Hakata → Uminonakamichi ; 33 min one way (can use JR Pass)
\- Dazaifu
\—- Hakata → Dazaifu; 42 min (non JR)
\- Nanzoin as alternative to Dazaifu
Sleep: Fukuoka
Eat: Breakfast at hotel; Umegae mochi at Dazaifu
**Day 9: Yufuin Day Trip**
\- Day trip to Yufuin via Yufuin no Mori
\—- Departs Hakata at 9:17am; arrives Yufuin at 11:31am
\—- Departs Yufuin at 3:56pm; arrives Hakata at 6:10pm
\—– Or Departs Yufuin at 5:11pm; arrives Hakata at 7:28pm
\- Walk around Lake Kinrin
\- Yufuin Floral Village
\- Touristy shops/cafes
Sleep: Fukuoka
Eat: Breakfast at hotel
**Day 10: Fukuoka to Home**
\- Check out and transit to Fukuoka airport (\~20 min) in AM
\- Collect forwarded Tokyo luggage at Yamato counter?
\- Fukuoka to Narita flight
\- Narita to USA flight
Sleep: Home 🙁
Eat: Breakfast at hotel; Sakura Lounge at Narita
**Comments/Questions:**
1. I don’t feel comfortable renting a car in Yakushima (although I know it’s highly recommended…) I’m looking into a guided half-day tour of the island the day I arrive (maybe through Yes Yakushima?) so I can see some of the sights I wouldn’t get to see through buses alone (waterfalls, Seibu Rindo Forest Path etc.) Are there any other recommendations for half day activities so I can take full advantage of the first afternoon and evening I’m in Yakushima?
2. I am traveling in mid-October which is still typhoon season for Kyushu. I know flight and ferry cancellations are a possibility for Yakushima and I will need to be flexible. I would love any advice or tips for dealing with sudden cancellations. Is it easy to find/extend accommodations if this is the case?
3. I plan to book Yufuin no Mori tickets once I exchange my JR Kyushu pass on Day 5, and I can be flexible whether I go to Yufuin on Day 7, 8, or 9, depending on seat availability. Any idea if I’ll have trouble getting a window seat for the round trip by only booking a few days in advance?
Thanks for reading!
I welcome any general advice, specific itinerary advice, and food recommendations!
1 comment
Your Nagasaki day looks a bit crowded to me. Considering the travel time to/from Fukuoka and everything (many of the attractions listed aren’t really all that close together). Glover Garden was a lot larger than I expected. Everything closes early in the Dutch Slope (between 3-4 if I remember correctly) but the buildings are quite nice to look at from the outside if you come later like I did (because Glover Garden took longer than I expected). I’d personally recommend staying overnight in Nagasaki for two days there (you’d have time to see Dejima, which is really neat for early Western style buildings, and maybe a museum or two), but then you’d have to cut something else.
You should try to visit the seaside park early in the morning for more time in Dazaifu. The shopping street is quite fun there and the Kyushu National Museum is also great along with the shrine (it’s right behind the shrine). We spent close a whole day in Dazaifu, but if you just want to see the shrine and most of the shopping street an afternoon would suffice. There are lots of traditional sweets here so since you like those you might need more time.
For cancellation worries, I’d probably choose to stay in business hotels if possible since they’ll be more likely to have extra rooms on short notice. It really depends on a lot of factors whether they’d be able to extend your stay.