Feedback on Kyushu itinerary

Old Sep 21st, 2017, 11:46 AM
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Feedback on Kyushu itinerary

Dear Fodor friends,
DH and I are lucky enough to be taking another trip to Japan in May. We have 3 weeks and are focusing on Kyushu. I have a rough itinerary and would appreciate comments. We will arrive in Fukuoka late and then have an additional 16 days.There is some back tracking, I couldn't find a way around it because when we leave Kyushu on Day 17, we are going to Mt Koya - - that's why we have to leave from a city with an early nonstop flight to Osaka (so Yakushima is not at the end of the trip). After our overnight at Mt. Koya we wind up with 3 nights in Kyoto. So I have Plan A and Plan B which differ only in the middle days and not by much.
Day 1: arrive FUK
Day 2tay Fukuoka
Day 3: fly to Yakushima, stay 3 nights
Day 6: fly to Kagoshima, stay 2 nights
PLAN A
Day 8: Drive to Kirishima Onsen
Day 9: Drive to Yufiun/Shirakawa Onsen, stay 3 nights
Day 12: Drive to Amakusa, stay 2 nights
Day 14: Drive to Nagasaki, stay 3 nights
PLAN B:
Day 8: Take Orange Train to Kumamoto. Either stay there or go on to Shirakawa.
Days 9 – 11, stay in Yufuin/Shirakawa area, maybe 2 nights in each place
Days 12-16 as above.

With a car, we will do day trips to sights on days 8-11. Distances don't seem great between spots. We like to stay at least two nights in an area, three is better. We'll be staying at very comfortable places that we already have our eyes on which explains some of the overnight spots.

Thanks to all.
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Old Sep 21st, 2017, 08:48 PM
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When in May?

If there is a baseball game on then in won't get rained out at the Hawks Dome in Fukuoka.

You might like Chikae restaurant in Fukuoka.

Where would you stay in Kirishima Onsen? Why is it on on Plan A?

Kumamoto is worth some time.

Nagasaki is the only other place that I have been to that is on your list. If you are planning to get the view from Inasa-san then you might want to give it priority to preempt your plan. For example, if the first night has clear sky then you might want to go up while the going up is good, even if that was not the plan for the night.

Am not sure of the driving logistics but Yufuin seems to be an outlier from the rest of the plan.

Do you mean Kurokawa, not Shirakawa?
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Old Sep 21st, 2017, 08:53 PM
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Amakusa-jima was mentioned once on this forum. It was a poster who's family was from the island. I suggested that they look into their family history there. I wonder how that worked out. Am curious as to why it is on your plan.
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Old Sep 21st, 2017, 10:03 PM
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I have the same question; Shirakawa= Kurokawa? It is a nice onsen town. Just make sure you monitor the roads around Mt. Aso.
I'd trade Yufuin for more time in Kumamoto.
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Old Sep 22nd, 2017, 01:26 AM
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We enjoyed Kurokawa, but didn't love Yufuin, however it worked as a base for sightseeing in Beppu and also further south.

We really liked Kumamoto, both for the park and the castle, and just the general laid back small city vibe.
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Old Sep 22nd, 2017, 11:01 AM
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Unfortunately the Kumamoto Castle was badly damaged in the big earthquake of 2016 and is not open to the public...but there are other places to visit there....

I haven't been further south than Kumamoto so can't comment on much of your itinerary. Looks like you're really into onsen but I am wondering about 3 or 4 nights in the Yufuin/Kurokawa area...I spent two nights in Yufuin but I didn't have a car...and that was plenty - very touristy...at least in April...
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Old Sep 22nd, 2017, 11:06 AM
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I wondered if the castle might still be closed.

We visited Yufuin in early November and still very crowded with tourists in that old town little bit.
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Old Sep 22nd, 2017, 02:41 PM
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The castle is definitely closed and it will be for a long time to come. The earthquake was devastating and damaged it right down to the foundation. Luckily it is a reconstruction and not one of the surviving originals.
Aso was slammed hard also - although even before that you couldn't go up to see the crater due to increased gas emissions.
https://youtu.be/Tyh_nKrv5tY

If you are up to driving in Japan, then your freedom to see a lot of great places goes up considerably. There are a lot of good places to see by car. Near Aso is the Kuju Flower Park (May would be ideal), the Daikanbo Lookout, and Nabegadaki waterfall, and well worth seeing. But without a car, it's all but impossible.

Like the others, I question if you got the name right. Probably you mean Kurokawa onsen - and it is well worth some of your time. I doubt 2 nights in Yufuin are for you though; unless you want to base yourself there and see Beppu for a day.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...2lUNTr46ApKXxZ

Amakusa has some sights, although I am not sure what you'd do there with 2 nights. If you want to see some historical areas, you might consider Hirado. Lots of history and old churches.
For Nagasaki, with that amount of time, you could add in visiting Unzen, plus a visit to Sasebo - you might like the island cruise.
http://travel.sasebo99.com/en/99islands.php
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 04:56 AM
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Thanks for the input, everyone. Much of this itinerary is driven by a dear friend in the hospitality sector who is emphasizing wonderful hotels/ryokans, because this is a splurge trip. I do mean Shirakawa Onsen, we'd be staying at Takefue and doing day trips: one to Mt Aso and one to Yufuin.

MrW: We loved the BB game we went to in Tokyo a few years ago and will check the schedule for FUK as well. Kirishima Onsen was one of the places recommended but I'm less inclined to it.

In general, I could cut Shirakawa/Takefue to 2 nights and skip the day trip to Yufuin if I knew what to substitute without significant backtracking. So either add a day somewhere before going there or after on the (roundabout) way to Amakusa. Or, I could add a day to FUK at the beginning and see sights from there.This is where I need the help. I'm inclined to do PLAN B because I think the train would be a fun thing to mix in. Stay in Kumamoto one night, then either 2 or 3 at Takefue.

So, with that in mind, more suggestions welcome.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 07:59 AM
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Ok, googling "Shirakawa Onsen Kyushu" finds some good links. No surprise that there is a shira-kawa, "white river', in a mountainous region. That spot looks a place where some children, at least, have never seen a non-Japanese IRL. The whole region from Beppu to Aso to Kumamoto and around is very scenic.

I stayed at a large onsen tourist hotel in Kirishima Onsen. I chose it in order to experience that type of Japanese lodging again. Nice view of Sakurajima in the distance. It was at the end of the road through town. Steam was rising from several spots in town and I am sure there a few gems there that could be a delight. K.O. is well off the gaijin-beaten path. Not Kyoto, it is a more-foreign part of Japan. This can be a source of joy as well as a bit of frustration. The more I traveled in Japan the more that I realized that, for me, the wonderful shrines, ballgames, castles, scenery, etc. are all just a backdrop, the means, for experiencing what interested me the most: the Japanese. That visit incrementally helped to overflow my cup, so to speak.

Kirishima Jingu is interesting and may have more meaning to someone with a better appreciation for shrines. It would not be a must-see shrine, like Izumo or Meiji Jingu are.

I've read about good hiking (japan-guide) on the Kirishima Plateau.

But, Kirishima would be a stop to cut, esp. if you are ambivalent.

Unzen Onsen and Shimabara Peninsula are high on my list of places to visit and are on your route.

So is Saga. There was a recent TR that included Saga.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 09:37 AM
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I visited Amakusa as a day trip from Kumamoto. I took a public bus, and then I joined a tour group to go dolphin watching. It was quite rewarding, and the scenery on the way from Kumamoto to Amakusa is stunning.

I enjoyed Nagasaki and Kumamoto, but Kagoshima not so much. Kumamoto is charming, and Nagasaki has many interesting sites. Kagoshima seemed too large and spread out for my tastes.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 10:28 AM
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Kagoshima has a lot of historical sites (Last Samurai etc.) if that interests you, and a spectacular volcano. A massive Jomon site, and the Kamikaze ("Peace") museum are nearby,

It's often cheaper and faster to route international flights to Western Japan via Seoul rather than Tokyo.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 01:10 PM
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Thanks everyone. I'm thinking that we'd arrive in Kagoshima late in the day after flying from Yakushima, so it would really be one full day there. Here's my next iteration:
Day 8: Orange train to Kumamoto, spend night there. Has anyone done this??? The scenery is supposed to be spectacular and it means DH could admire it instead of having to drive.
Day 9: Drive to Shirakawa Onsen, 2 or 3 nights depending on below
Day 11: Drive to Amakusa, 1 or 2 nights
Day 13: Drive to Unzen (my friend orginally recommended this but I didn't think I could fit it in)
Days 14+ Nagasaki
Mr W, I was hoping to fit in Saga but didn't see how I could do that logistically - - do you have a suggestion on that?.

I'm thinking 2 nights in Amakusa because we' probably get there late-ish, but I admit the Shirakawa area seems more appealing.

Your comments are all helping.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 06:11 PM
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I stopped in Saga en route via train from Fukuoka to Nagasaki. I was there for a few hours, and it was sufficient time to see the castle, which I really enjoyed. Your routing is different than mine, so I'm not sure how you would fit it in.

The trains on Kyushu are quite nice and newer, so I would plan on taking them whenever possible instead of driving.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 09:47 PM
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The L'Ex Kamome from Fukuoka to Nagasaki is/was particularly nice:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...meInterior.jpg

>>Mr W, I was hoping to fit in Saga but didn't see how I could do that logistically - - do you have a suggestion on that?.

No, not really. I just put it out there.

The Orange Train looks like fun and a stop on the way might be worthwhile. I have doubts about the edibility of the oranges and would want to try one before buying a bag of them.
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Old Sep 25th, 2017, 12:40 PM
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Thanks everyone. Any more suggestions about specific sites, routings, etc., let me know. I'll probably start making reservations soon.
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