Hi! GF and I are visiting Japan for three weeks in March/April, and I’m working on sketching out an itinerary that suits us.
We are very much looking forward to experiencing both the craziness of the big cities and the beauty of old towns, temples, gardens and such. Other trips we have done before have most often had a strong nature component, and I’m looking into what we can include in Japan that would run along these lines and still fit into a reasonably paced itinerary. One area that stands out from my own research is Yakushima, as it looks absolutely spectacular and very serene. (It’s also a part of the setting for a book from one of my favorite authors – David Mitchell’s “Number 9 Dream”)
We are intending to spend a few days in the Hiroshima area. How reasonable is it to travel from there down to Yakushima? It looks to be a 3-4hr train down to Kagoshima, plus some layover time and then the 2,5-3hr ferry over. Considering the round trip getting back as well, how reasonable would you say this would be, for a 2 night stay in Yakushima? If not, are there any other setups that might work better?
Also, do you know of any other areas that could be of similar interest?
Thank you very much in advance!
1 comment
You need to give more information. How long is your trip total?
If it’s any shorter than 3 weeks then I would not add yakushima UNLESS you are flying from osaka.
The train+wait+ferry is an insane waste of time unless you are already exploring the area south of fukuoka to begin with and can cut the travel time to yakushima down to 4 hours or less. You are literally losing minimum 10 hours each way.
I looked into that exact path of travel and realized this is insane. Who has time to sit and wait for 10 hours each way on a vacation?
If you want a nature component it’s much more reasonable to add something in the nagano area without being too out of the way