Planning a trip to Japan in the fall for 21 days. My itinerary is structured the way it is because of the uncertainty in getting back to Tokyo from Izu, so I put Nagoya at the end instead of after the Kanto leg because the Ghibli Park ticket needed to be booked today and the date cannot be modified. Going straight to Aogashima is also mitigating risk when coming back (ferry only one trip and it’s not daily, helicopter also one trip daily). Days 13-19 are flexible; if there are no delays then I will likely fly to Kumamoto a day early.
* Days 1-3 (Tokyo) – arrive in NRT, spend time in Shinjuku, Akihabara, Shibuya
* Day 4 (Kawaguchiko) – Chureito Pagoda, Oishi Park, Lake Kawaguchiko
* Day 5 (Tokyo) – Aokigahara caves, travel back to Tokyo (Ueno)
* Day 6 (Tokyo) – Explore Ueno area, ferry to Hachijojima 1030pm
* Days 7-8 (Aogashima) – arrive in Hachijojima, ferry/helicopter to Aogashima, go to both calderas, explore island
* Days 9-10 (Hachijojima) – ferry/helicopter to Hachijojima, climb Hachijo-fuji, explore island
* Days 11-12 (buffer) – Hachijojima to Haneda, buffer days in case of ferry/heli delay/cancellation,
* Day 13 (Kumamoto) – Tokyo to Kumamoto via Haneda, Kumamoto Castle
* Day 14 (Takachiho) – Takachiho Gorge, Amanoiwato Shrine
* Day 15 (Aso) – climb Mt. Aso, overnight in Kurokawa Onsen
* Days 16-17 (Fukuoka) – Aso to Fukuoka via Kumamoto, Tonkararin Tunnels, rest day, yatai
* Day 18 (Tomogashima) – Fukuoka to Wakayama shinkansen, camp overnight in Tomogashima
* Day 19 (?) – return to mainland, day trip to Suntory Yamazaki Distillery (if open by then), overnight in… Kyoto/Osaka?
* Day 20 (Nagoya) – ? to Nagoya, Ghibli Park ticket entry at 12nn
* Day 21 (Nagoya) – flight home from Chubu
Questions:
1. Should I book the Tokyo > Hachijojima > Aogashima > Hachijojima > Tokyo transportation (ferry/helicopter/flight) now/soon?
2. The ferry from Tokyo to Hachijojima leaves at 1030pm and takes 10h20m, arriving at roughly 850am. The helicopter to Aogashima boards 905-925am and leaves at 955am, and the airport is quite the distance from the port. The ferry leaves at 930am. Is it too tight or is it normal for residents and scheduled that way for efficiency?
3. How feasible is Aogashima on foot, without renting a car? I would likely stay in a minshuku as I’ve read that the town is an hour walk uphill from the campsite
4. The Tokyo Islands website warns that one needs Japanese proficiency for Aogashima. Surely plenty of non-Japanese tourists have visited and relied on translator apps?
5. Is one night each in Kumamoto, Takachiho, and Aso too hectic? I’m treating Kumamoto as a stopover for Takachiho and Aso, which seem to be a one day and done locations? Fukuoka is also more of a catch my breath and binge eat stopover.
6. Is my itinerary too spread out in terms of geography?
1 comment
Can’t help you on much but Kurokawa Onsen and Kumamoto were both so special. About as far opposite as you can get from Tokyo. Not sure if you have booked a place in Kurokawa onsen yet but oyado noshiyu was absolutely breathtaking! One of my favorite places in all of my 5 weeks touring through the country. I stayed in the small building across the driveway from the bathhouses in a gorgeous room (I think there are only 4 rooms). They provide pajamas, yukata, slippers, socks, toothbrush… seriously didn’t need to bring anything with me! The bathhouses onsite were set in a mystical green space and and all but one are private if you are a little shy about sharing baths with strangers. The only public one was a large outdoor rotenburo that was so picturesque it looked like a movie set. There are several private baths that you take turns using (just grab the wooden key and hang it on the door when in use) and each one is beautiful and unique in its own way. You could just go to these baths and be happy enough but you can also buy a wooden pass that will get you into 3 other places of your choice in town, and you onsen hop around town in your yukata and slippers . Was simply magical. Kumamoto was a cute little town; I loved the little streetcars that took me around … like something out of the 1950’s.
Suizenji Jojuen Garden (park) there was gorgeous, complete with herons posing for pictures smack in front of the teahouse platform. Make sure to get a matcha tea there in the hut… just the way they serve it to you is worth the price. Right next to the park there’s a line of shops. About halfway down on your left is an antique shop with the most incredible japanese trinkets.. I found some teacups from the war era and old kimonos for gifts. In town there’s the castle; watching them try to reconstruct post earthquake is a testament to Japanese engineering…. dozens of men suited up in the summer heat attempting to replace each stone in it’s original spot!
Don’t miss Sakura machi; while it might just be a shopping mall it has some incredible restaurants inside. The Japanese do everything over the top especially their shopping malls. One restaurant was inside a camping store so we ate breakfast inside a tent using all camping gear for sale in the store. Brilliant marketing! Across the street is the shopping promenade and they have a don quijote if you miss the one in Tokyo or Osaka. Great place to buy gifts and souvenirs. (or extra suitcase to fit them all in) We rented a car in Kumamoto and drove to Mt Aso, Takachiho Gorge for a gorgeous hike and then on to Kurokawa Onsen. Not far at all.
As far as the language I can’t stress enough to take some time and learn a little. Unlike anywhere else I’ve traveled, there is little to no English and knowing some key phrases helped immensely and really added to the experience. If you can learn the Katakana alphabet you can read signs, menus and you’ll know a lot of borrowed english words. You can seriously learn it on the plane ride over. The interactions I had with the locals was one of my favorite parts of the trip. The Japanese are sometimes shy when they can’t communicate and google translate misses so much in the translation. Have fun !
edit: spelling