Overview of trip: 13 days trip but we only have 11 full days. Will arrive and depart from Fukuoka. We are renting a car. We are travelling as a pair and we're both driving.
Based on the first forecast, our travel dates would coincide with peak autumn foliage in some areas so I would like to take advantage of it as much as possible. We're doing it clockwise because foliage forecasts say it starts at the east.
- D1. ✈️ Arrive at night in Fukuoka. Stay at hotel near Hakata station.
- D2. 🚊 Fukuoka
- Nanzoin Temple in the morning till lunch
- Kushida Shrine, Tochiji, Shofukuji area in the afternoon
- Nakasu yatai at night
- D3. 🚙 Get rental. Yabakei/Daikozenji > Yufuin
- Yabakei Gorge or Daikozenji Temple in the morning till lunch (dependent on weather and foliage 🍁)
- Drive 1-1.5hrs to Yufuin. Check-in/park at Yufuin hotel.
- Yufuin Floral Village afternoon. Kinrin Lake sunset. Yunotsubo St. dinner.
- D4. 🚙 Yufuin > Beppu > Kurokawa Onsen
- Early beakfast with Kinrin lake view and hope for misty scenery. Drive to Beppu around 8:30am.
- Check out the Hells of Beppu. (9am-1:30pm enough time allotment for 3-4 hells including lunch?)
- Scenic drive to Kurokawa Onsen (route Kusuikei > Tadewara Wetlands > Yamanami Observatory). Total drive time is 1.5hrs but with stopovers I'm thinking it will be doubled.
- Need to check-in to Kurokawa ryokan by 5:30pm. (Ryokan's rule because they need to know if they'll prep kaiseki dinner).
- Any tips on how to onsen-hop, especially arriving late? The ryokan has its own but I'd also like to explore the others.
- D5. 🚙 Kurokawa Onsen > Kamishikimi > Takachiho
- Explore Kurokawa onsen area morning and maybe try another onsen.
- Kamishikimi Kumanoisu after lunch. (How long does it take to leisurely explore the area?)
- Check-in to Takachiho Autocamp by 5:30pm (house rules again lol but we rented a bungalow so they might be more lenient with the check-in time)
- D6. 🚙 Takachiho > Aso > Kumamoto
- Takachiho Gorge in the morning. Targetting to reserve a boat between 9-11am latest.
- Check out nearby Amanoiwato Shrine if we still have time. (How long does the Gorge and Shrine combo usually take?)
- Mt. Aso crater and Kusasenrigahama before sunset. Targetting to arrive by 4pm latest.
- Late check-in to Kumamoto City hotel.
- D7. 🚙 Kumamoto
- Kumamoto castle and other city stuff. Spend night in same hotel (finally 2N stay for rest lol. Any restaurant recos?).
- D8. 🚙 Kumamoto > Yanagawa > Huis ten Bosch
- Drive to Yanagawa for 1.5hrs and arrive by 9am. Boating experience and unagidon.
- After lunch, drive to Huis ten Bosch for 2hrs.
- Check-in to Huis ten Bosch hotel by 3pm. Explore park till night.
- D9. 🚙 Nagasaki
- Drive for 1hr to Nagasaki after breakfast.
- Nagasaki City Stuff. Atomic Bomb Museum, Peace Park, Meganr Bridge, Suwa Shrine, Dejima, Dejima Wharf.
- D10. 🚙 Nagasaki
- Gunkanjima Tour
- Glover Garden, Dutch Slope, Mt. Inasayama
- D11. 🚙 Kashima > Dazaifu > Drive back to Fukuoka City
- Drive for 1hr to Yutoku Inari Shrine. (Or 1.5hrs if passing by the fruit bus stops).
- Drive 1.5hrs to Dazaifu Tenmangu (Is 11:30am-4pm enough time for this area?)
- Drive 30min back to Fukuoka City. Need to return rental by 5pm.
- D12. 🚊 Fukuoka
- Fukuoka castle and the parks + Momochi seaside
- Tenjin shopping and yatais
- D13. ✈️ Fukuoka
- Teamlab forest in the morning.
- Last minute shopping and eats (any specific restaurants to check out?)
- 8pm flight so need to head to airport by 5pm.
Soooo…
– How is my itinerary? Do my routes and timings make sense?
– Am I stupid to replace ferry from Kumamoto to Shimabara, drive by Unzen, and end in Nagasaki with Huis ten Bosch? I think the festive winter/christmas stuff would set our mood for December and we do enjoy these fake buildings since they're really different from what we have in our country 😅
P.S. We are not going South this time because there are more autumn spots in the north/central region whereas I feel the coastal south will be beautiful anytime of the year?! Also, car-wise it seems it's also less of a hassle to take the Shinkansen to Kagoshima then drive from there anyway.
by trippinxt