Where to start my Japan trip?

Old May 29th, 2016, 03:17 PM
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Where to start my Japan trip?

I'm headed back to Japan in October - some may remember that I limped round Japan back in 2010. I enjoyed it anyway and am looking forward to returning. That trip I visited Kyoto, Koya-san, Kanazawa, Shirakawa-go, Takayama, Matsumoto and Tokyo on Honshu, and Tokushima and Takamatsu on Shikoku. This trip I have a bit over five weeks, and I'm thinking of spending them working my way from Kyoto down to Okinawa, visiting both the San-yo and San-in coasts of western Honshu, more of Shikoku, and Kyushu, on the way.

I'll have lots of other questions, but right now I'm trying to decide where to start. I'll be coming from Busan, in South Korea, aiming to leave October 10th. I could fly into KIX, there's a reasonably cheap flight ($48) at a reasonable hour on Eastar Jet, an airline I've never heard of. I could take the overnight ferry to Osaka, although not until the 11th, arriving on the 12th. The trip through the Inland Sea is said to be scenic. A berth in a four berth cabin runs $145. In either case I would need to switch back and forth between the two coasts in western Honshu.
Or I could take a flight or the fast ferry to Fukuoka, which is $62 or $79 depending on the boat, and work my way up the north coast to Kyoto and back down the south coast. This would put me into Kyoto a week or so later.

Is Kyoto likely to be more or less crowded later in the month? I suspect I may run into the koyo season. Is it better to travel up the coasts, or switch back and forth?
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Old May 29th, 2016, 08:55 PM
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The Koyo season for Kyoto is typically from mid-November. You would be able to see some good change in the autumn colors later in your trip. Your post kind of suggests that you want to avoid the koyo season. But it is one of the most beautiful times to see Japan, and Kyoto is one of the best places to enjoy it.
As to the route, even with a generous 5 week trip, the less backtracking you do, the more time effective your trip will be.
Seeing how long your trip is, I suggest you make use of regional rail passes as well as low cost carriers like Jet Star, Peach, and Vanilla Air.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357.html
http://www.jetstar.com/jp/en/home
http://www.flypeach.com/home.aspx
http://www.vanilla-air.com/en/
I suggest you take the Beetle hydrofoil to Fukuoka, and after seeing Kyushu/Okinawa, you can work your way northward.
http://www.thejapanfaq.com/fukpic.html
https://goo.gl/aGU8uT
If you want, you could see Ehime and Kochi on Shikoku as well - you have the time, and it's easy to take the ferry from Oita.
Yakushima just south of Kyushu world take a couple of days, but it gives an almost primordial experience you won't find elsewhere.
http://bit.ly/20QcTu9
Sakurajima is also a live volcano puffing away, and offers a great way to spend the day.
https://goo.gl/novUi0
Nagasaki is really the most interesting city on the island, and you can branch out to see Unzen, Sasebo, Huis Ten Bosch, etc.
https://goo.gl/DZM7xX
Other good places to see are Takachiho, Kurokawa for hot springs, Beppu & Yufuin for hot springs, and Kumamoto, although the area is still recovering from a bad earthquake.
From there you can see the Chugoku Region, including Shimonoseki, Akiyoshido, Hagi, and Iwakuni.
https://goo.gl/1GEJZq
If you wish to see the San'in side of Japan, this would be one of the easier entry points. The other way is typically from Okayama. Be aware that with the bullet trains, it is very quick and easy to get around the Sanyo side, but the San'in side is quite slow. I myself would probably work my way up to Okayama first.
The biggest sites in Hiroshima are the city itself and Miyajima. But there are several other gems closeby - Onomichi, Bitchu-Takahashi, Kurashiki, and Okayama. Kotohira in Kagawa is also an excellent half day hike.
A JR Sanyo Sanin Area Pass might suit you well for this area.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_sanyo_sanin.html
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Old May 29th, 2016, 09:14 PM
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I suggest taking the flight into Fukuoka. I don't trust the ferries from Korea after that huge accident from Busan a few years ago, when all those people died. Anyway, I began my last trip by flying into Fukuoka. You can easily get into the city by a direct subway train to various points in the city.

Fukuoka is a good starting point for your trip. Although it's not necessarily a gorgeous city, you can take a couple of day trips from there while you get acclimated to Japan. It's unclear what you are planning to do next--are you going to circle the island? I went counter-clockwise from Fukuoka, and took the train north from Kagoshima. However, there are endless iterations once you land in Fukuoka--it depends on what you want to see. I do recommend the Dormy Inn Hakata-Gion, which has single rooms for a good price, and the breakfast is amazing--they're grilling fish and veggies right in front of you, and of course, they're smiling.

I'm glad that Adastra mentioned the San-in region on Honshu--I hope you'll include that area in your itinerary. It's so beautiful with almost no foreign tourists.

BTW, I still am having trouble finding a link where I can contact you directly for Romania logistics help--can you post it here? Thank you.
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Old May 30th, 2016, 06:50 AM
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Thanks for the replies!

@Adastra2200:

I was trying to avoid koyo, or at least full-blown koyo. I do not like crowds, and haven't booked any accommodation yet and thought it would be more difficult and expensive during koyo. However, I fly home Nov 17th from Narita, so maybe I will just catch the beginning.

Thank you for the tip about regional air passes, however I prefer to travel on the ground when possible, although i will certainly fly in or out of Naha. Peach showed up when I was looking at flights from Busan.

I am puzzled that you suggest starting in the south and working north. Is that because of the timing for koyo? I thought that as I was traveling later in the year, because of the weather it made more sense to travel north to south. Is that not the case?

Thanks for all those recommendations. I will have to look some of them up, although Yakushima was already on the list. I had hoped to visit Kumamoto but after the earthquake thought I might have to miss it. I have read that Beppu is very touristy and that Yufuin would be a better experience? I was thinking of Hagi, Tsuwano and Matsue on the San-in side, but have also seen a recommendation for the sand dunes in Tottori?

@CaliforniaLady

I thought that the ferry disaster was a local ferry from Incheon to Jeju? I was thinking the international boats should be safer, especially going to Japan.

I do plan to visit Fukuoka, and appreciate the Dormy Inn recommendation, I'm just not sure whether to start there. I had to skip Matsue last time because of my bad ankle, so it is definitely on the list this time.

I don't want to post my email address here, but if you post a comment at https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...and-moving-on/ I will be able to email you, and the comment won't post to the blog if you haven't commented before.
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Old May 30th, 2016, 08:54 AM
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Hi Thursday

For what it's worth... when we were in Kyushu in 2013 we were a touch early for koyo; nowhere we went was very crowded, especially compared to Kyoto, Tokyo, Kanazawa, Takayama; the weather was lovely - sunny with a little warmth but not too much heat or humidity; self-driving was a gentle pleasure.

We arrived in Kumamoto on 28th October and left Fukuoka on 5th November.

Also, the internal flight from Fukuoka to Tokyo Haneda was super quick and simple, both airports being pretty quick to reach from the centre. So you could decide based on flight prices / dates / convenient travel times if you wanted, rather than pay more for open jaw or accept travel times that aren't as suitable for you. Some of the airlines still do those cutprice domestic flights for anyone with a valid international flight - we used those for the Fukuoka-Haneda flight thanks to a tip from a fellow Fodorite.
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Old May 30th, 2016, 09:46 PM
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Hi again Thursdays,

I reread your opening post, and I realized that you left out some critical information. From where is your return flight leaving? Is it Tokyo? Or do you have a connecting flight from somewhere else in Japan?

Most people, when they visit more than one island in Japan, complete the one island tour and move on. I would not begin in Osaka, travel all the way down to Kyushu, and slowly make my way back. So, based on the assumption that you are leaving from Tokyo, and your interest in taking a ferry, I propose the following options:

A. Take a ferry from Busan to Fukuoka or Nagasaki, and then tour Kyushu, then Shikoku, and Honshu.

B. Take the ferry into Osaka, then slowly make your way south. When you are finished touring Kyushu, on the day before you flight leaves, either take a very long train ride (with at least one train change) back to Tokyo, or fly back.

Whether you travel North to South, or North to South depends on your autumn leaf philosophy, I suppose. Do you want to go with the current (option B), or against it (option A)?

I'm glad that you are headed to the San'in region on this trip. I toured the area beginning in Tottori, and ended in Matsue. There are lots of cool places along the way, including the historic town of Kurayoshi.

Also, here's two more hotel recommendations for Kyushu:
Hotel Bellevue in Nagasaki--modern hotel with single rooms on ladies only floor.
Kyukamora Hotel in Takamori--nice location next to a beautiful nature center, amazing food.
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Old May 30th, 2016, 10:02 PM
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I'm flying home from Narita Nov 17. I was planning to work my way south by train and boat to Okinawa, and fly to Narita from Naha.

I was basing the north or south decision on the weather. Is that not relevant? If koyo doesn't start in Kyoto until mid Nov (see first reply above), it shouldn't be a factor further south, right?
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Old May 30th, 2016, 10:11 PM
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Ah, that makes sense, now that we know you are leaving from Okinawa (via Narita). Going north to south gives you a better chance of seeing the leaves change, based on last year's dates.

I have never been to Okinawa, so it will be interesting to hear what you have to say about it. This will indeed shape up to be an interesting trip.
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Old May 31st, 2016, 07:49 AM
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Thanks - I hope it will be a good trip, I really enjoyed Japan, even limping. Another reason for going north to south is to hopefully avoid typhoons. Last time I was in the area i arrived on Taiwan a day ahead of a typhoon!

BTW, you can also contact me through tripadvisor - I have the same screen name there.
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Old Jun 7th, 2016, 04:13 PM
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Hi thursdaysd,

I hope you'll include Matsue on your itinerary. I've read a lot of great things about it, but would love to get some fodorite feedback on it before we plan our next trip. We are definitely planning to spend a few nights there.
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Old Jun 7th, 2016, 04:57 PM
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Hi Russ,

Yes, I didn't get to Matsue last time, because of my sprained ankle, so it's definitely on the agenda this time. Have been considering Tottori as well on that side of Honshu, but I think I've seen enough sand dunes and camels. Will be posting a first pass at the Honshu itinerary soon.
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Old Jun 7th, 2016, 08:25 PM
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I guess I'm the resident Matsue expert by default. I hope that both of you, Russ and Thursdays, will get there soon, as it is a beautiful and fascinating city. One of my favorite parts was taking the boat that goes around the moat of the castle. If you buy a ticket, you can go as many times as you like that day. The boat driver sings, so one time I had a lady, and one time a man--both of their voices were beautiful. I spent four nights in Matsue, and I was busy the whole time. If you like scenic views with no foreign tourists, then Matsue is your place.

Thursdays, you will be glad to know that I didn't see any camels in Tottori when I was there in 2014. I am hoping that the Japanese got the message we are all trying to convey here about animal cruelty, and removed them. I found Tottori to be a nice city. It's like a retro city from the 1960's that has not changed one bit. There are some really scenic parts of the city with rivers, and you can take color-coded buses to get around.

I did like the sand dunes in Tottori. Try to take the first bus there so that you can see the patterns in the sand before people start trampling on them. I've been to Egypt, and this was a different experience, especially with the ocean right there. I actually enjoyed the museum (free) there immensely. I spent about 90 minutes there, and I read everything--it's all about geology. The sand dunes are worth a half day of your time, and Tottori is a good starting point to see the San'In region. Two nights in Tottori is sufficient.
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Old Jun 7th, 2016, 09:49 PM
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"...camels in Tottori when I was there in 2014. I am hoping that the Japanese got the message we are all trying to convey here about animal cruelty.."

http://little-green-bug.blogspot.jp/...n-tottori.html (poor Camel in Tottori. these two humans might be too heavy for her. but http://rakudaya.info/camel of Tottori says that they do not allow more than one adult to sit on a camel)
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