Kyushu Kanto 2021 Itinerary Check

7 comments

1. Day 3 – Sakurajima in Kagoshima …I would say spend 2 days in Kagoshima if you are renting a car. Just be aware that Sakurajima puffs ashes everyday. There’s Kirishima area where hiking and onsens are great. Kagoshima A5 wagyu is cheap there. If you are a fan of pork, they also have great pork.

   You also must have some back up to the trains. Earthquakes can ruin timing. Plus book luggage space on the Shinkansen.

   Off Fukuoka Hakata port, there is a hidden gem across the seas – Iki island. They also have Nokonoshima where autumn colors are awesome (Meinohama side).

2. Kumamoto special dish is Basashi (Matsumoto also have the same ), that is horse sashimi

   Nagasaki, there is one missing thing that is obvious to me, Dejima. Recommend Chanpon or Sara udon in china Town

   Fukuoka, I really liked the Fukuoka City Museum, that is not too far from the Tower (go when it get dark to see the illumination of the tower)… actually you might want to do it one night and an other for the team lab if it’s still at the castle, both area are in the same direction, but form memory, not the easiest to go from one to the other. Food is Hakata ramen, motsu nabe and Mizutaki. Might want to go eat in Yatai restaurant in Nakasu. Also check around Kawabata shotengai, there is some museum and a famous shrine in the area ,that would fit in canal city day (it’s pretty close).

   Hello Kitty Shinkansen, check the [schedule](https://www.jr-hellokittyshinkansen.jp/en/), it’s not running every day. Also, it might sound strange, be do not reserve a seat. The Hello plaza (special room with souvenir shop) is in car 1 and the kawaii room that have the purple seats and hello kitty everywhere is car 2 and is a non-reserve car. So don’t reserve and board in car #2. I you reserve a seat, the inside of the car where you reserve will be normal, just pink on the outside.

   Miyajima, food is oyster and momiji manju, hiroshima is Okonomiyaki

   As you plan a day trip from Kyoto to Nara, you can do Fushimi Inari as an early stop on the way to Nara, as it’s on the same line. Nara you might want to try kaki no ha zushi (don’t eat the leaf) and Natakanido is famous for super fast mochi pounding, and the mochi are good too.

   Osaka is Kushikatsu, okonomiyaki and takoyaki.

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   I hope you understand what Yasukuni shrine and Yashukan museum are. They have a revisionist retelling of the war ([here is you want to see what people think of it](https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/01/stop-talking-about-yasukuni-the-real-problem-is-y-sh-kan/282757/)). I personally went a couple of time to take picture under the snow and for cherry blossom, especially as I worked not far from there, but never spent money at the temple/museum. I do not really want to support them and their nationalistic, far right and revisionist mentality. Even if there is great figure of Japanese history that are enshrines in this temple (like Sakamoto Ryoma), there is also war criminals.

   If you think that kamikaze pilots where hero that hapily gave their life for the glory of Japan, you are in the mindset of the people who love Yasukuni. If you think that kamikaze pilots were victims of a war machine and that they were forces to sacrifice themselves for a lost cause, you will probably not want to give them your money.

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   21 days JR Pass is a big mistake, take a 14 days pass max, from 3 to 16. Local train are cheap and really not worth the extra week. Get a Suica or Pasmo in Tokyo or a Sugoca IC card in Kagoshma, that will make your payment of train easier for local trains when not on the JR Pass, also for the subway in Fukuoka and maybe some other transit that are not JR.

3. Day 4: Hopefully current events haven’t delayed the reconstruction of Kumamoto castle, otherwise you’re just gonna get pics with scaffolding and cranes.

   Also, it’s on the way, why not go to Hiroshima on the way to/from? Or instead of repeated cities you said you had been previously? Idk, just curious. I liked Hiroshima a lot.

4. Great Share OP

5. I would probably spend more time in Kagoshima, Ibusuki is a great area for a day trip from Kagoshima, they have great onsens and great views. I highly recommend Kirishima for an overnight stay in one of the onsen hotel. I also hiked up to Mt. Ohnami-ike in Kirishima and it is probably one of the best views I’ve ever seen in my life.

   If you are near Kumamoto, you can also visit Mt Aso.

   >Day 7 – Train to Fukuoka ; Fukokashi Musem ; Fukuoka Team Lab ; Fukuoka Tower
   >
   >Day 8 – Train to Dazaifu ; Kyushu National Museum ; Kanko Museum ; Dazaifu Tenman-gu
   >
   >Day 9 – Canal City Shops

   I would just go to Daizaifu first and then travel to Fukuoka, it is a bit out of the way to go to Fukuoka and then go back to Daizaifu and back to Fukuoka for Canal City shops. Also in Fukuoka I really recommend checking out the Tenjin area, it is one of the best areas in Japan to shop at.

   Overall I think the itinerary is a little too packed and you will spend alot of time just travelling in between places, I would probably skip the Kansai days to spend more time in Kyushu if its your first time there. Beppu and Miyazaki are also worth a visit.

6. If you’re travelling with more than a couple suitcases – instead of sending everything via takkyubin to Kagoshima, consider sending larger bags to a mid-point like Fukuoka or Kyoto, and just fly with carry-on. That way you have less luggage to deal with for the first few train trips and hotels. You can ask the takkyubin service to delay delivery for up to a week.

7. Fukuoka is famous for their tonkotsu ramen. You could try late night street ramen: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGe45KeY-kY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGe45KeY-kY) and/or Ramen Stadium (which is in a food court in a mall and highlights some of the famous restaurants in the area).