seeisrael

This is our second visit to Japan.
We land in Narita on the 13 Sep this year. We plan to stay 3 nights in Tokyo and visit Nikko because we didn't have time on our last visit. Then we will take a day to kamakura and stay the night in Atami.
( I am going to buy the 14 days JR pass )
We will then stay in Kyoto 2 nights and two days. Continue to Nara and stay the night there 19 Sep.
I am debating between two destinations for the end of our trip.
As we have been the last time in Hiroshima and miyajima and takayama and the free JR pass:
Kyushu for 3 days and night. Or stay a night and day in Koya San, 20 September, and then 1-2 days to Himeji and Kurashiki and the rest in Osaka, until our flight out on the 26 September.
The question is : how is Kyushu in late September, weather vise, and what king of itinerary I should plan for 3-4 days.
Thanks

kja

Sorry I can't answer your key question about Kyushu, but maybe this info will help:

Re: Nikko -- you might want to consider an overnight stay so that you can easily see Kegon-no-Taki and even a bit of Lake Chuzenji on the same day when you visit the temples and shrines of Nikko:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3812.html

Re: Koya-san -- I loved my night there and thought it among the highlights of a highlight-filled trip. From what I've read, one's choice of temples can make a huge difference to the quality of one's stay. I was very pleased with Shojoshin-in:
https://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/...n=Shojoshin-in

I spent 2 nights in Kurashiki, which I used as a base for stunning Himeji and Okayama. I thought it delightful and quite unlike anything else I saw in Japan:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5750.html

For info about Kyushu, including its weather:
http://www.japan-guide.com/list/e1108.html

Hope that helps!

CaliforniaLady

Hello SeeIsrael, I coincidentally spent a couple of weeks circling Kyushu last September, and the weather was quite nice and not too humid, except for a couple of days of rain in Kagoshima. I bust out my Coleman parka, and my hot pink Shedrain umbrella, and I just keep on going.

Can you please be more exact about how much time you have in Kyushu, so that I can help you better? Is that three nights, or four nights? Also, what are your interests--do you like castles, nature, or big cities?

For big cities, I just loved Nagasaki, in that it is very different than Tokyo. The Southern part of the city was spared from WWII destruction, so there is much to see, and the city has an international vive that is atypical of Japan.

If you are a castle fan, I suggest Kumamoto, which boasts a cool castle, and a possibility of visiting Amakusa Island for the day, where I guarantee you will be the only foreign tourist.

Others would suggest Mt. Aso, but I think it is closed due to eruptions. There is some nice hiking in that area, that is always open. Are you Israeli? If you are, you are most likely a very good hiker, and you will probably like the area. It is quite beautiful.

Regarding the JR passes, please proceed with caution. You have to be traveling at a rapid pace to make it worth it. Before you buy one, go to the excellent Hyperdia website and add up the individual fares. I have never found the pass to be worthwhile. BTW, the Kyushu trains are nicer and newer than the ones on Honshu--so that will be a fun experience.

seeisrael

Thank you for your help.
I tried to find a place for the night in Koyasan, but no availibility. Thats why I thought that i should go further south. I will try again. As for the second advise, about Kyushu:
I am from Israel and like to hike, but I dont think that I have enough time, and as you said the volcano is closed. I have 3 nights and 3 days, from the 21 to the 24 September. Is kyushu special and would you prefer it, instead of Kurashiki and Koysan and Osaka?
Thanks for your help.
Mimi

Mara

There is a three day holiday period in Japan from Sept. 21 through the 23rd so maybe that is why there is less availability in Koyasan....

However, it seems sort of unlikely that there is no availability since there are so many temples there. Have you tried to contact them individually? Here's a listing with their websites.

http://eng.shukubo.net/temple-lodging.html

Most are probably in Japanese but with a browser translation tool you can figure some out....as well as finding a form to fill out or an email address....

CaliforniaLady

Hi Again Mimi,

Yes, I think Kyushu is very special indeed, and it is worth the schlep for three nights as it is a whole different world down there. The people speak Japanese with a different accent there, and they tend to be more friendly than on Honshu--more people will smile at you and say hello on the street.

For your destination, a three night stay in Nagasaki would be fun and interesting. The Dutch and the Chinese both settled there centuries ago for trading. Logistically, there are many hotels within walking distance of the train station, and there are four color-coded trolley systems that go around the city (buy a daily pass). One interesting area is called the "Dutch Slope" where there are 19th century houses built by the Dutch, and entry to the houses are free. Moreover, the city has pretty views, and gets lively at night.

Since your like to hike, you can, alternatively, still go to the Mt. Aso area. The trails in the area are still open--it's only the volcano caldera that is closed. It's probably a good idea to rent a car in this area for more trail access. I stayed in Takamori for three nights, and took day excursions from there. The mountains are very pretty and peaceful, with few crowds.

You need to decide whether you want a city experience, or a more rural mountain one.

Hope that helps--you will not regret your time in Kyushu.

Kavey

With just three nights I wouldn't try to cover too much in Kyushu. You'll be able to manage two destinations max, one would probably be better.

Fukuoka and Nagasaki
Fukuoka and Kumamoto
Kumamoto and Nagasaki

Not sure, but I'd likely go for one of those combinations.

We did 8 nights there on our last trip and didn't see half of what we'd love to see. We did 2 nights Kumamoto, 2 nights Kurakawa Onsen, 2 nights Yufuin and 2 nights Fukuoka. We had a hire car so we could tour quite a bit from those bases too.

But I can't tell from your original post whether you already visited Kyoto last time or not? If not, I'd add all the extra time in your itinerary there and leave Kyushu for another visit when you can give it more than three days.

Plus in easy reach of Kyoto, as well as Nara, Osaka and Koyasan for overnights you also have Kobe, Uji (for green tea) and Yamazaki (whisky distillery) which deserve half to full day trips.

kja

"The people speak Japanese with a different accent there, and they tend to be more friendly than on Honshu--more people will smile at you and say hello on the street."

OMG -- While on Honshu, I was so often stopped by people who smiled and said hello that I sometimes took twice as long to get from place to place than the distances would have required! If that occurs even more often on Kyushu, you'll need to plan on a LOT of time there.

CaliforniaLady

Re Kavey's comments: One destination for a three night stay on Kyushu is enough--considering the time it takes to get there, which is why I suggested Nagasaki or the Mt. Aso area. Kumamoto is indeed lovely, but it is farther south than Nagasaki, thus requiring more travel time, and would not be as interesting for three nights. I didn't think Fukuoka was particularly charming, although it is a good base for day trips.

seeisrael

Thank you again. I send request to another temple. I will wait for an answer.
About Kyushu: the bullet train is covering the area from north to south? Isnt that going to be easier and faster to communicate betwern the cities on the island?
Is kagoshima too far? Or not worth the travel?
I have been in kyoto last year for 4 days. So these 2 additional days should cover the places I missed last time.
So much information to gather and no time. Thank again to all if you.

CaliforniaLady

Al Lo Dovar, Mimi.
The Japanese takes trains everywhere, even long distances. I took a train from Kagoshima to Tottori (on Honshu), and it took four hours with one transfer. Just take some food with you that is readily available at grocery stores near the train station.

I did go to Kagoshima for four nights, and it too was interesting. No, it is not necessarily too far for you it that is what interests you. Sakurajima is the active volcano just a 20 minute ferry ride from Kagshima, which is actually an island with cities there. You can do some hiking there, actually, it is quite pretty.

The town of Kagoshima itself has lots of interesting sites--I bought a "cute" pass that allowed me to take the ferry to Sakurajima and get on and off the tourist buses. I also went to the Kamakaze Museum in Chiran by bus--the Ibusuki peninsula is quite pretty and has some great hiking, such as Mt. Kamon.

Kavey

California Lady, I agree that one destination would be better, but two is manageable if Seeisrael really wants to do two.

I didn't suggest Nagasaki only because I've not been, though it's certainly on my list.

I thought Kumamoto charming and very different in feel from Kyoto or Tokyo. I liked visiting the castle and Suizenji Joju-en (park) and just walking around.

Fukuoka isn't charming, you're right, it's much more of a city, but as a lot of the trains pass through there, it's an easy place to stop for either just a few hours or a night on the way in / out of Kyushu.

I'd really like to go to Kagoshima next time, we focused on northern half of Kyushu for 8 days but still didn't make it to Saga, Nagasaki and several other places.

Personally, I think the greatest charm of Kyushu for us was the rural landscape between the towns, and self-driving gave us the best access to that. I'm not sure I'd have fallen in love with the place in the same way had we visited only one place and only via train.