Possible 2nd trip to Japan for 2 weeks?
 

Hi, all,
We’re thinking of returning to Japan and going to Taiwan (thanks for your great ideas and trip report, yestravel !) for about 2 weeks each next year (October/November) and I’m struggling to limit my plan for Japan. I’d love some suggestions as how best to organize the trip.

We’d probably fly into KIX (late arrival) and, depending where we end up, we’d probably fly to Taiwan from KIX as well.

We prefer to go slow but generally like smaller cities to bigger cities. We are traveling by train or bus. We’d prefer to stay longer in a place and do day trips rather than a lot of short stops. The total visit to Japan would be about 14-16 nights.

I’m thinking of the following places (not in any particular order) but not committed to them:
Hiroshima
Okayama
Naoshima
Kurashiki
Onomichi
Kinosaki
Osaka - fly to Taiwan

I’d like to see Himeji Castle. I’m also intrigued by Matsue and Hagi.

Finally, looking into the parts of Kyushu that are accessible by public transportation and taking a tour to see the gorge.

Okayama and Kurashiki are 15-20 minutes apart by train so you can easily visit one from the other. But honestly if you are short on time, you can give both a miss. Okayama Castle will be a letdown after Himeji.

You can visit Onomichi from Hiroshima or vice versa. This in part depends on whether or not you want to include Miyajima, which would be easier from Hiroshima. The crowds, though - I would have concerns about whether you would find Miyajima enjoyable with the heavy crowds.

Thanks so much, tripplanner. I’ve been wondering if some of the stops would be anticlimactic after this past trip. I’ve pretty much decided not to visit Miyajima - I’m not keen on huge crowds and there are other places that seem more interesting without the crowds. I forgot to include Tomonoura on the list but I was taken by it from your photos. But I’m still very unclear where to focus the trip.

You can fly to Taiwan from Fukuoka. The immigration line was quite long when I arrived at FUK in November largely due to a China Airlines widebody arriving at the same time (probably from TPE). EVA can get you to Kaohsiung KHH. ANA is another option, maybe JAL. The Fukuoka airport is easy, cheap, quick to get to by subway and then a shuttle to the international terminal.

IDK if you can find a nonstop from NYC to KIX but there are nonstops to Tokyo Haneda. A morning arrival at HND means you can connect to anywhere in Japan. ITM, OKJ, HIJ, FUK. Yonago airport is 1.5 to 2 hours from Matsue. The 2 hour bus ride to that small airport was not pleasant. There is also an airport in Izumo and there used to be commuter flights to Osaka.

Kinosaki Onsen is a very good choice. It is an onsen town.You can visit multiple public onsen baths that are a short walk from each other. Probably better to stay at a place on the street with the canal, though it is a small town and easy walking. (onsen water contains minerals that are said to be good for the skin (and other health benefits) which is why the advice is not to rinse or wash up after a soak because that removes the benefit of the minerals. That is the common advice but not what i do).

Arima Onsen is near Kobe, over the mountain, so closer to Osaka that Kinosaki. It is still on my wish list.

Matsue is a great visit. I think I mentioned it (and Hagi) before. Must visit the castle, of course, but also the nearby Izumo Taisha. One thing about Matsue-jo was that there was an opening (window-size) to a space that had unrestored castle. That gave me the realization that restoring a castle is a lot of work.

Yes, you want to visit Himeji-jo and Hiroshima. Okayama and Kurashiki are nice, if you stick to traveling the Sanyo side of Chugoku. I day-tripped to those places from Hiroshima, though it was a bit far. I think I read on another thread where the person did a day trip from Hiroshima to Matsuyama (great idea). IDK about Onomichi or Naoshima.

The gorge in Kyushu - do you mean Takachiho?

Agree with tp with passing on Kurashiki. I am interested in the comments as I hope we get back to Japan in 2025.

Thanks for your thoughts, mrwunrfl. As far as flights go, unfortunately (since biz has become a necessity for those long trips), the only realistic option for us is a Turkish Airlines flight which is considerably less expensive than the major Japanese and US airlines. I keep wishing the rates would come down, but….

I’ve looked at Arima Onsen - it looks a little more built up so if I can swing it, I’d rather go to Kinosaki onsen. It does sound very cool to be able to wander in my yukata from onsen to onsen. Having gotten “bitten” by the onsen bug, I’d love to experience that place.

I do like the idea of flying out of Fukuoka to Taiwan. In fact, my husband is curious about a stop in Okinawa so, I’m throwing that into the mix of possibilities. It appears we can fly from Fukuoka to Okinawa and on to Taipei. It’s an option that is intriguing us though not sure if we have the additional time.

So if we were to fly out of FUK (I’m sorry, it does make me smile to write that!), then, from Hiroshima we could stop in Kumamoto. And there are tours from there to Takachiho Gorge which sound nice. IF we brave it and decide to rent a car, I’d consider skipping a visit to Kinosaki and stay in Kurokawa onsen instead. But if we stick to public transportation, we could then go to Fukuoka for a few days and fly out of there. It looks like a nice city with good day trips. This might work nicely.

Of course, I keep finding more places I want to see in Kyushu…Beppu also looks like a good onsen stop. But I could go on and on…and I do need to remember that Taiwan is the reason why we’d be going in the first place! I’m just sneaking in a second trip to Japan….

So, the current iteration of the itinerary now looks like this:

Osaka -3
Kinosaki - 2
Himeji (day visit on the way to..)
Hiroshima- 3/4 (day trip to Onomichi, if a 2nd day trip, visit Matsuyama)
Kumamoto (day tour to Takachiho Gorge)
Fukuoka -3/4 (day trips)

Fly to Taipei or Okinawa

Ok, a route could be:
1) Osaka, Himeji on the way to Kinosaki Onsen then 4 hours to Matsue then four hours to Hagi, then Hiroshima and Fukuoka.
2) Osaka, Himeji on the way to Hiroshima, Kumamoto, Takachiho, Kurokawa Onsen, Fukuoka

Kurokawa Onsen has an onsen route where you can walk between several baths (wearing street clothes).

I took a bus from Kurokawa Onsen to Kumamoto Airport (KMJ). It made a rest stop at JR Aso Station. If I had wanted to go to Kumamoto-shi then I would have taken the train from there.

On a different trip, I traveled from Takachiho to Kumamoto. That involved taking a bus to some town where I got on a 1- or 2-car train to Tateno. I think it was Minamiaso Railway as I remember it as being south (minami) of Aso. This was scenic. I did have a long time (couple of hours or more) to make the connection from the bus to that train (and the bus and train station were a few blocks apart). I had a small adventure in that town (Takamori, I think) and the train to Tateno was amusing. There could be better connections. At Tateno I transfered to a JR train on the line between Kumamoto and Aso. So my route was Takachiho - Takamori - Tateno - Kumamoto. Of course, at Tateno I could have taken the train to Aso and then maybe on to Kurokawa Onsen by bus. (it might be worth it to take a taxi between Takamori and Takachiho).

If you get all of that then you understand that Kumamoto, Takachiho, and Kurokawa Onsen (and to some extent, Aso Kumamoto Airport) can be connected by public transport. A car would make for easier travel.

The bus I took to KMJ is along the route: Kumamoto, Kumamoto Airport, Aso, Kurokawa Onsen, Yufuin, Oita, Beppu. Highway bus / night bus from Kumamoto to Beppu February 8, 2024｜WILLER TRAVEL (willerexpress.com)

There is also a bus from Kurokawa Onsen to Fukuoka Airport.

And this one from Takachiho to FUK. Highway bus / night bus from Miyazaki to Fukuoka Airport February 8, 2024｜WILLER TRAVEL (willerexpress.com)

I do want to suggest skipping the bus tour if it doesn't include the nightly kagura performance at the shrine in Takachiho, but this is YMMV thing. I loved it even though it involved sitting on a hardwood floor. Take a pillow or cushion to sit on.

I have yet to find a good reason for me to visit Okinawa (other than it being in Japan). I think you need a car there.

Thanks for the suggestions. It sounds like you really like Matsue and Hagi. I’m really not keen on the 4 hour train ride to get there and between them, though. I like that there is a fast train from Hiroshima to Fukuoka and on to Kumamoto. That makes it more doable.

I really don’t know if we’d rent a car or not, but I wouldn’t do public transportation between Kumamoto, Kurakowa and/or Takachiho Gorge. There are several small group tours through this company that look nice: https://explore-kumamoto.command I’d consider taking one of these tours if we go to Kumamoto. It doesn’t look like they stay late enough for a performance at the shrine.

It is good to know about the Kumamoto airport, too. We could fly out of there as well.

Heh-heh. You know, when it iches, you gotta scratch it. And that bug bite itches a lot!

I think that is what I missed the most when we were in Taiwan. They have them but different than in Japan,

Interesting. I noticed they have numerous hot springs but I didn’t know if they’d be anything like the onsens in Japan. I guess not. Boo.

Taiwan is very different in most if not all respects from Japan.. That was a difficult adjustment for us after being in Tokyo for the week. I might suggest you go to Taiwan first.

I understand what you’re saying as far as the culture shock. Weather-wise, though, I think we’re better off going to Japan first and Taiwan later. But I’ll definitely look more carefully at the options. If we do that, I’ll need to rethink the Japan plan. Oh no!

it may not bother you as much as it did for us. We typically stick to one country/culture.

I don’t think the culture shock would be as difficult as the weather shock!

The Takachiho Gorge Tour looks really good. It is convenient and efficient with the dedicated transportation - better than using taxis You'll walk the gorge and go up to the viewpoint where you can see for miles.

The first itinerary I gave was one that focuses on Chugoku. I had to mention the travel time between the three San-in stops that you were interested in. You can drop one, keeping Matsue. Matsue is definitely more intereresting than Hagi. Or drop two, but tough choice. Kinosaki has onsen, so for an an onsen fan that is a trump card. The route from there to Hiroshima goes via Himeji. When I mentioned visiting Himeji on the way to Kinosaki that route has Himeji out of the way. That is, you could take a train from Osaka to Kinosaki that doesn't go via Himeji. There is also an "Onsen Bus" from Osaka to Kinosaki Onsen and I gathered that it was useful for a day trip, a long one. There is also an onsen bus to Arima which would make for a better day trip, I think. [one route coiuld be shinkansen to Shin-Kobe then the ropeway up the mountain to take in the view, then down to Arima Onsen on the other side somehow, and then that hiqhway bus back to Osaka. That Shin-Kobe ropeway is right next to the station.

The second itinerary was one that focuses on Kyushu while also visiting Himeji and staying in Hiroshima on the way. Ok, I see you "\wouldn’t do public transportation between Kumamoto, Kurakowa". It would be JR from Kumamoto to Aso and then 50 min by bus to Kurokawa with two rest stops for about $8. Or taxi for 30 min for $80.

Kumamoto to Aso is 67 min ad $15 on a JR limited express.

The tours you found require the use of public transport:
"[color=#281300]begins and ends from Higozu Station, a 35 to 40 minute train ride from Kumamoto City."

Here is a good map of the area, not sure if their times/fares are correct: Kumamoto to Aso: How to get to and around Aso - Access, Transport and Orientation (japan-guide.com)

mrwunrfl, Thanks again for so much detailed information and suggestions. I do like the Takachiho tours I posted the link to as well - but then I saw that we’d have to get to a station a good distance away by 9am or so and realized that we would never manage that! We’re not the get up and go types! We’re more the wake up slow and easy and eventually go out types, so that wouldn’t work. I somehow don’t think we’ll end up in the center of Kyushu.

Matsue looks lovely but it isn’t the most accessible place. If I can figure out a good route that isn’t too busy or takes too long that would end in a place where we can fly to Taipei easily (nonstop flight - not all airports offer that).

I’m still attached to the idea of going to Kinosaki - somehow, that place has called to me for a while. I’m going to see if I can keep it in my plan. Right now, I’m thinking more along the lines of Osaka/Kinosaki/Himeji/Onomichi/Hiroshima, possibly flying out of Hiroshima or traveling to Fukuoka and fly to Taipei from there.

Osaka to Kinosakionsen is under 3 hours. Could route via Himeji without adding much time at all.

Kinosakionsen to Himeji is 1:49 on a limited express. Himeji to Hiroshima 1:01 on shinkansen. So it is a 3-hour trip if you just change trains at Himeji and don't go to Himeji-jo.

Matsue to Hiroshima is aboiut 3.5 hours via Okayama.
Okayama to Himeji is about 20 minutes north. A visit to Himeji on the way from Matsue to Hiroshima would add 40 minutes.

The other Himeji option is an easy and inexpensive day trip from Osaka.

You are going to fly to Taipei nonstop from Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kumamoto (if Kyushu comes back to the plan) or possibly Osaka KIX. I would not use HIJ if it required a connection and would just go to FUK. Same for Kumamoto. If you use HIJ then take the airport bus, not the train+bus route which was a PITA to me, not worth any saving a JR Pass can give.

How long is too long? My limit is four hours but I might go up to five hours if I must. I learned to make that limit after traveling Miyajima to Takayama.

Matsue is not a "busy" trip, just one change of trains. The four hours from Kinosaki Onsen is at my limit, but I think it is worth it and think it might be a good experience given that there won't be many gaijin traveling that route (might be good to stop enroute in Tottori0.

Kumamoto-shi is a great destinatipn by itself and 1 hr 45 min from Hiroshima - from there to Takachiho would be a busy trip but Kurokawa Onsen is not - just train and scenic bus ride away from Kumamoto-shi and then bus to KMJ.

But, I just remembered that this is not a trip to Japan. It is a trip to Taiwan with a stopover in Japan. So, in that context Matsue, Kurokawa Onsen, Takachiho would be a bit of a stretch. Kinosaki Onsen is not, given your interest. Osaka/Kinosaki/Himeji/Onomichi/Hiroshima works well.

Thanks again, mrwunrfl. As far as flights, I would only do non-stop from Hiroshima and there seem to be a few days of the week when they’re available. However, assuming we do the last variation on the itinerary (Osaka/Kinosaki/Himeji/Onomichi/Hiroshima), it’s most likely travel we’d go to Fukuoka for our last few days and fly out of there. It looks like there’s a lot to see in that area, too.

In Hiroshima, I like the Sheraton (next to shinkansen side of the station) and the Rihga Royal (walk to Peace Park, castle, underground walkway to the bus center). The Granvia was just ok.

I love Fukuoka. I really like the Grand Hyatt in Fukuoka (taxi to airport only about $20-25).

Kyushu Bassho, the grand sumo tournament in Fukuoka is November 10-24 this year sumo.or.jp

I had a kaiseki dinner the last time i went to Chikae 福岡・博多の和食、会席料理 | 博多料亭稚加榮 (chikae.co.jp) which was great food and service by a sweet young lady. I maybe should have had something else considering I had a couple of ryokan stays coming up and they have a lot of great seafood dinner options. You can get the freshest possible fish there. Mentai / mentaiko is something you want to get a taste sample before ordering one of those hot dog sized portions (IME).

Beppu is about 2h 20 min by limited expredss from Hakata station.

I feel so bad to hear that Miyajima is very crowded now as it wasn’t when we were there four years ago.

Thanks so much, mrwunrfl! Fingers crossed, this will all fall into place. I’m comfortable with this overall itinerary and like the idea now of ending in Fukuoka.

I do remember going back and forth on which hotel to stay in when I was originally planning a visit to Hiroshima.. As soon as we finalize our decision, I’ll check out the hotels you recommend. What I’m really looking forward to? Okonomiyaki!

HappyTrvlr, unless there are any changes over the year, I’ve no desire to be one of a zillion day trippers to Miyajima. I’m sure it’s pretty in spots, but I don’t need to be part of the crowd experiencing it. There are enough other places to visit in Japan! You’re lucky you were able to be there without the crowds - and the instagrammers!

progol, I realize how fortunate we were to see an uncrowded Japan just before Covid was about to arrive. We have traveled a lot but Japan unexpectedly really grabbed me. Magical. I also hope to return.

It was unexpected for me, too. It wasn’t a mind-blowing experience like our trip to Egypt and Jordan last year, but a gradual appreciation for the aesthetic and the warmth and generosity of all the people we met. By the end of the trip, I was very sad to leave.

We certainly saw that there were crowds, though we minimized our experience with them by missing some of the most popular sites and visiting an few off the beaten path places. But there’s no doubt that Japan is busy and there are lots of people traveling there.

progol, you might be interested in this thread at flyertalkL
My sister wants business class from NYC to Tokyo. How to get cheaper than $5.7k? - Page 2 - FlyerTalk Forums

Thanks, I’ll check it out. The best I can find is Turkish airlines for just under $4,000pp. A long stopover and lengthy flights but a whole lot better than the $5,700 and higher.