Hello all,
I’m traveling to Kyushu in mid-January and have mostly decided my itinerary, but I have some lingering questions. Here’s what I’m currently planning:
Day 1: Flight to Fukuoka, arrives 4pm. Shinkansen to Kagoshima (~2 hours). Is it okay to not reserve these tickets in advance? I’m not sure how long it will take to get out of the airport. Dinner + hotel in Kagoshima.
Day 2: Kagoshima City. Maybe get the CUTE pass? Lots of things look cool here: ferry to Sakurajima, Sengan-en gardens, Satsuma Kiriko cut-glass shop, Kagoshima castle, Museum of Meiji Restoration. Would love an extra day to check out Kaimondake, Ibusuki sand baths, Chiran peace museum, or the Crane Observation Center in Izumi. What to prioritize?
Day 3: 7:30am ferry to Yakushima (arrives 10am). Get a rental car. Small hike in afternoon? I’ve currently booked a place on the north side of the island near Isso / Miyanoura, but the hotel doesn’t offer food, so will need to figure something out here.
Day 4-5: Yakushima exploration. Every hiking trail looks amazing; which to prioritize? Probably starting with Shiratani Unsui and Yakusugi Land, skipping Jomon Sugi. Mt Miyanoura looks beautiful but not sure how difficult this is. What else is worth seeing on the island? And where to eat?
Day 6: 7am ferry back to Kagoshima. Get rental car. Afternoon, drive to Kirishima Kinkowan, do a small hike, time permitting. Hotel is in Kirishima city (45 min from national park) and I’d rather not drive after dark, so any hike would need to be done by ~4:30pm.
Day 7: Morning: longer hike in Kirishima Kinkowan, such as Mt karakuni (~4.5 hours?), weather permitting. Afternoon: drive to Nichinan, see Obi Samurai town. Hotel in Nichinan city.
Day 8: Nichinan coast road driving day. South to north: Cape Toi (wild horses), Udo Jingu (shrine), Sun Messe Nichinan (park w/ statues), Aoshima Island (shrine), Devil’s Washboard, Miyazaki city (worth stopping here or no?), Cape Hyuga (seaside town, seafood). From Hyuga, drive inland to Takachiho city (~1 hr, ideally do this before dark). Dinner + 8pm Kagura show, hotel in Takachiho.
Google says this is ~5 hours of total drive time, 2 of which is the trip south to Cape Toi and back. It would be much simpler to skip Cape Toi, but the horses are calling to me. Thoughts?
Day 9: Morning: Takachiho gorge, Amano Iwate Shrine; are the boats and the scenic train worth doing? After lunch, drive to Mt Aso, visit Kamashikimi shrine en route. Afternoon: Mt Aso visitor center, observation points or short hiking trail. Hotel in Aso station.
Day 10: Weather permitting, do a longer hike on Mt Aso in the morning. Which one? What else is worth seeing in the afternoon? Kikuchi gorge, Shirakawa springs, Minamiaso villages, Kurakowa onsen, all looked interesting, but they’re spread out.
Currently the plan is to end this day in Kumamoto city, returning the rental car there, which means leaving the Aso area by ~4pm. Hotel in Kumamato city (haven’t booked this yet).
Day 11: Kumamoto city exploration day. Less sure about this. The castle looks neat, but part of me wonders if I should keep the car an extra day and explore more things outside the city. Unzen looked really cool (buried houses, hells, ropeway up the mountain) and can be reached by ferry. I’ve seen Amakusa mentioned, but can’t tell what to do there.
Day 12: Morning: more Kumamoto city. After lunch, shinkansen to Fukuoka, arrive at Hakata at 2pm (is this enough time to get to the airport for a 5pm flight?). Alternatively, could leave Kumamoto earlier and spend a few hours in Fukuoka. Thoughts?
Everything I read about Kyushu sounds great and it’s been very hard to narrow things down. My current plan skews toward hiking and the outdoors, with very little time in cities. That’s partly why I’ve penciled in Kumamoto for the last 1.5 days, even though I’d love to visit more places in the countryside; a couple chill city days are likely needed. I’m still on the fence there and would appreciate any advice.
Other questions I have:
With sunset coming early (~5:30pm), I’m wondering what to do in the evenings, especially in the smaller towns like Kirishima, Nichinan, and Aso where I can’t find much information. Maybe the answer is just eat dinner and relax, but I’m keen for any other ideas (also for Kagoshima and Kumamoto at night).
I’m unsure about the allocation of time on Days 7-8. I originally booked Miyazaki city on night 7, which likely has more nightlife, but I switched it to Nichinan to shorten the drive on Day 8. Alternatively, I could spend less time in Kirishima Kinkowan and get to the coast sooner, to spend more time at each point of interest. Haven’t found much info about these places; since I’ll have a car, I’d love to check out more stuff if anyone has suggestions.
Booking the rental cars has been somewhat confusing. I can’t tell which add-ons are skippable; do I actually need winter tires? Do I need the full coverage insurance? Some cars come with an “ETC device” but have an extra option for “ETC card.” The cost is coming out to 65,000-80,000Y for 5 days, including the one-way fee (I’ve checked Nissan, Toyota, and Orix so far… are there others I should be looking at?). This will be my first time driving in Japan, so any other tips here are appreciated.
Thanks for any help!
by Ivy-Games