**General Details:**
* We are a group of two, consisting of me and my wife, travelling from Australia to Kyushu, Japan. We will land in Fukuoka on the morning of Feb 17 and depart on the morning of Mar 12.
* First time in Kyushu but been to other 20-ish prefectures before.
* The flight dates are final.
* No problem communicating or reading in Japanese.
* Will be using only public transportation.
* We don’t have a strong desire to see ume or cherry blossoms, but if there’s an event happening, that would be great.
* Strong preference for places similar to small towns that feature Japanese historical film sets, such as Narai-juku in Nagano
**Date & Spot:**
|Date|Prefecture (Where we sleep that day)|Spot(s)|Travel method(s)|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|17 Feb (Sat)|Fukuoka|Hakata (jetlag)|Train|
|18 Feb (Sun)|Fukuoka|Hakata (Kushida Shrine etc..)|Train|
|19 Feb|Fukuoka|Miyajidake Shrine|Train|
|20 Feb|Fukuoka|??|Train|
|21 Feb|Kumamoto|Kurokawa Onsen|Bus|
|22 Feb|Oita|Yufuin+Beppu|Train|
|23 Feb|Oita|Hells of Beppu|Train|
|24 Feb (Sat)|Miyazaki|Nobeoka|Train|
|25 Feb (Sun)|Miyazaki|Takachiho|Bus|
|26 Feb|Miyazaki|Noboka|Train|
|27 Feb|Kagoshima|Aoshima|SKJRP1|
|28 Feb|Kagoshima|Ibusuki|D&S+SKJRP2|
|29 Feb|Kumamoto|Sakurajima|SKJRP3|
|01 Mar|Kumamoto|Aso-san (Helicopter)|Train|
|02 Mar (Sat)|Saga|??|D&S+Train|
|03 Mar (Sun)|Saga|Yoshinogari Historical Park|Train|
|04 Mar|Nagasaki|Atomic Bomb museum+Inasayama|D&S+NKJRP1|
|05 Mar|Nagasaki|Shimbara+Unzen Onsen|NKJRP2\*|
|06 Mar|Nagasaki|Huis Ten Bosch|NKJRP3|
|07 Mar|Saga|Arita+Tara|NKJRP4|
|08 Mar|Fukuoka|Shimonoseki|NKJRP5|
|09 Mar (Sat)|Fukuoka|Daizaifu|Train|
|10 Mar (Sun)|Fukuoka|Momochi Seaside Park|Train|
|11 Mar|Fukuoka|??|Train|
|12 Mar|Depart|N/A|Plane|
**Remarks:**
* D&S: JR DESIGN&STORY train, NKJRP(1-5): Northern Kyushu JR Pass Day 1-5, – SKJRP(1-3): Southern Kyushu JR Pass Day 1-3.
* NKJRP2: Most likely wasting a day of the JR Pass here since JR doesn’t operate there.
* We are aware that certain places (e.g., helicopter rides at Aso-san) are subject to weather and volcanic activity conditions.
* Mild interest in Gunkan-shima and Glover Garden, which is why they are missing from the list.
* We assume that the D&S train (SL Hitoyoshi) between Kumamoto and Tosu is extremely popular. Therefore, if we wait to obtain our JR Pass after landing in Fukuoka, it will be too late. That’s why we’ve decided to book as soon as it’s available and outside of our JR Pass period.
**Questions & Concerns:**
* Should we be concerned about anything in our itinerary, such as buses to and from Kurokawa-onsen and Takachiho due to weather conditions?
* How popular are other D&S trains (4047, Ibutama)? Is it likely that we can secure a seat on February 17 after obtaining our JR Passes?
* How feasible is cycling around Sakurajima compared to taking a bus and walking to different spots for a half-day trip?
* Should we swap the Southern JR Pass for the Seishun 18 Kippu to save money but spend more time on the train?
* I believe we can ship our luggage to another hotel up to 7 days in advance. Would it be okay if it’s 8 days instead?
* We have been to Noboribetsu Jigokudani. Would Unzen Onsen offer a unique experience or a similar one that we should consider skipping?
* We wanted to visit Takeo-onsen for its own sake and for TeamLab. However, since we’re going to Kurokawa-onsen and TeamLab’s exhibit runs until November 2023, we’ll pass unless TeamLab returns during that time.
**Bonus Question:**
* Are there any ryokans in Kurokawa-onsen or Takachiho that are not too expensive (less than 40,000 yen) and offer a shuttle service between a major city and the hotel?
Cheers in advance!