Yesterday I returned home from my second trip to Japan, this time I was for two weeks in Nagasaki, Fukuoka and Osaka.
My first time in Japan was only in September last year where I spent one week in Hokkaido (mainly around Sapporo) and one week in Tokyo. I enjoyed it so much I already went back again.
I didn't write a trip report last time around so I thought I would try it out this time – hope it might be helpful to anyone reading it.
Day 1 – Travel Day
Started my journey by first flying from Zürich around noon to Hong Kong.
Day 2 – Arrival in Osaka
Landed at Hong Kong International Airport and transferred to my flight to Osaka Kansai International Airport where I arrived in the late afternoon. On the train into Osaka from the airport both my shoulders acted as surprisingly comfy head rests for two sleepy locals. Arriving into Osaka I made way to my hotel at Yodoyabashi (Sotetsu Fresa Inn Yodoyabashi), where I first crashed for an hour or two, then went for my first konbini run of the trip, then fell asleep for the night.
Day 3 – Flying to Nagasaki
I opted to go for a domestic flight to Nagasaki – which I do not regret! It was probably the most relaxing flight experience I've had in a long time. Osaka Itami Airport was great. I flew with ANA, and the flight was with a De Havilland Dash 8 (turboprop) which was an experience in itself! The staff was lovely and it was a perfect day to watch the landscape of southern Honshu pass by from the window as we made our way to Nagasaki.
Arriving at Nagasaki airport, the city center was just a 30-40 minute bus ride away. Finally in Nagasaki I checked in to my hotel (Candeo Hotels Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown) where I turned in quite early since I was still halfway running on European time.
Day 4 – Nagasaki Day 1
First proper day of the trip!
Walked by Megane bridge, followed the river up to Nagasaki city hall where the top floor was open to the public, giving a lovely view over the city. I also visited Suwa Shrine, Chinatown, the chinese Confucius Shrine and explored the foreign settlement. I enjoyed the lovely weather and the sea breeze at the Seaside park before heading up to Mt. Inasa where I was just in time to watch the sunset and later see Nagasaki lit up in the night. It was surprisingly easy to reach the mountain top by bus! The bus itself reached a park close to the top, from there it was just a 10-15 min climb to the peak.
Day 5 – Nagasaki Day 2
Atomic bomb museum, Hypocenter monument, Peace park and Urakami cathedral. A lot to reflect over and take in this rainy day.
Day 6 – Nagasaki Day 3
Started the day at Dejima Island, which is probably one of the reasons I wanted to go to Nagasaki in the first place. Really interesting history about basically the only place Japan interacted with the west for two centuries during their isolationist policy.
Later explored Glover Garden, Oura Cathedral and finished the day with a bowl of delicious Champon.
Day 7 – Nagasaki Day 4
Went to Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture. A really nice, well organized museum which I enjoyed a lot. I was almost alone in museum, so was a very relaxed experience.
Spent the afternoon just relaxing and enjoying the rooftop Sento that the hotel provided.
Day 8 – Travel to Fukuoka
The train journey was done in two sections – first with a shinkansen to Takeo Onsen, then from Takeo Onsen to Hakata station in Fukuoka with a limited express train.
Arriving in Fukuoka, the difference in size of the city was immediatly noticable and Hakata station was quite busy. I made my way towards Ohori Park where I first checked in and dropped my bag at my hostel (Unplan Fukuoka), and then walked amidst the blooming Sakura trees in the park. There was a Sakura festival going on just as I was in the city, and there was quite a lot of food stands and such in the park. Later I went into the city center and walked around the neighbourhoods Tenjin and Nakasu around the time of sunset. I also had some time to explore Hakata Canal city mall which was really cool.
Honestly when I first arrived in Fukuoka I was really skeptical and through it felt just like another big city, but the area around the rivers between Tenjin and Nakasu had such a nice vibe to it so Fukuoka already started to win me over.
Day 9 – Fukuoka Day 1
Started the day by heading to Fukuoka Tower and catching some wonderful views over the city. Had some spaghetti with mentaiko (pollock roe) for lunch which was delicious! Chilled at the beach and dipped my feet in the ocean for a bit. Walked over to the huge baseball stadium (Paypay Dome) I had seen from the tower. Was a bit sad I was not able to time my stay in Fukuoka with a game of the local team (Softbank Hawks), but was still cool to see the stadium up close.
Later I explored the Hakata Old Town area, which has some cool shrines and temples. After that I went back to the Tenjin/Nakasu area and took just took in the atmosphere and had some ramen at a Yatai stand. There was a smaller festival going on in Tenjin Central Park, where a small group was performing some traditional music which was quite cool.
I headed back to my hostel where I joined the happy hour with some other hostel guests. After the happy hour we headed out in the local area for a izakaya/pub crawl. Had a little bit too much sake…
Day 10 – Fukuoka Day 2
Recovery day
Day 11 – Fukuoka Day 3
Went to Nanzoin temple, around a 30-40 min train ride from Hakata station. Was surprised how many thai people I heard/saw, apperently the reclining Buddha statue has a close connection to southeast asia.
Later explored the Hakata port area and went up the Hakata port tower – which is free!
In the afternoon I just took in the vibes of the city, returning to my favorite areas in the center, and ended the day watching the sunset at the lake in Ohori park, then making my way to the Sakura festival where I enjoyed some nice Yakitori and took in the nice atmosphere under the fully blooming Sakura trees. I was surprised at how may people where out on a sunday night!
Day 12 – Travel to Osaka
Took the Nozomi shinkansen from Hakata station to Shin-Osaka station. I booked a bit in advance so got a good deal on a green car ticket. Was definitely worth it! A bit more roomy than a normal seat. Like hanging out in an armchair while the landscape swooshes by outside at 300 km/h.
To be honest, I did not get the best impression of Osaka as I arrived. It felt more dirty and rough compared to the other cities I've been to in Japan. Just on my walk to the hostel from Namba station there were some people yelling out loud seemingly for no reason. The hostel I stayed at (Guesthouse – Luck) was also definitely more "spartan" than the other places I've stayed. Although my opinion of Osaka would change over time…
I had some time to explore around Umeda station, which was quite cool. I ended the day having some tasty okonomiyaki cooked right in front of me by a lovely, friendly Obasan and then I explored the Dotonbori area a bit.
Day 13 – Osaka Day 1
A rather cold day that I started by taking the wrong subway train (honestly I don't even remember where I was going in the first place) and ended up exploring Dojima and having a nice brunch consisting of pleny of coffee and a nice Miso Katsu sandwich.
Osaka was still not winning me over so far, but after reaching Tenshiba and Tennoji park I started thinking "Huh, this is not so bad after all…".
I ended up again in Umeda station where I explored the area and also Chayamachi which was really cool!
Day 14 – Osaka Day 2
Wonderful weather! I started the day by going on an organized bicycle tour with a Osaka native where we went to Tenmangu Shrine, Osaka Museum of Housing and Living and around Osaka Castle. Was a really nice way to explore Osaka a bit more and was lovely to cycle along the waterfront in the sun, underneath the blooming cherry blossoms… It was a great way to see Osaka castle since we cycled all the way along around the moat and then stepped off the bike just to go briefly into the Castle park in the middle. The tour ended with some Okonomiyaki plus yakisoba and then some matcha tea.
In the evening I spontaneously decided to catch one of the Hanshin Tigers (baseball) games that was on that week. I bought my tickets second hand through Viagogo, made my way to Hanshin Koshien stadium, decided to commit to the home team and even bought a baseball cap to rep the team… Only to find out that my seat was in the middle of the only section of Tokyo Swallows (away team) fans… I just had sat down and started digging in to my tasty stadium karaage as one of the security guards politely asked me to take off my Tigers cap. I had to admit defeat but was still a fun experience. The game was maybe not the most exciting in terms of results, but the vibe is nice at NPB games.
Day 15 – Osaka Day 3
Went to Osaka museum of history, Shitennoji temple, Shinsekai and back for a bit to Umeda in the dark. Ended the day with some Yakniniku at a local place close to my hostel.
Day 16 – Osaka Day 4
Last day!
On my way to the airport again I had some extra time left so stopped at Rinku-town (last stop before crossing over to the airport) and went for a last Onsen visit at Shenshu no Yu. After having my last onsen bath for this time, and spending some time on the tatami mats in the relaxation area, it was time to say goodbye to wonderful Japan again and make my way back to Europe.
Summary:
Nagasaki:
I was amazed how much there was to see in Nagasaki, especially considering its relatively small size. The city is quite compact, so everything was easily accessible.
I would say that buses are the way to go in Nagasaki. There are trams too, but they kind of feel more like a novelty, they get packed real quick and also get stuck in traffic. I got the impression that mainly tourists use them. I never had to wait that long for a bus, and for the most part there were not that many people on them.
Fukuoka:
I loved Fukuoka! Probably my favorite of the cities I have visited in Japan so far. It is a large city, but not too large in my opinion. There were many people around, but never an overwhemling amount. Not many western tourists, but many asian tourists considering its location just a few hours ferry-ride away from South Korea.
It just has everything, from beaches to mountains, from relaxing parks to more active shopping and nightlife districts. I just wish I had more time there.
Osaka:
I had a bit of a rough start with Osaka, but to be fair it might also partially be to travel fatigue on my side and not making enough research on where to stay in the city. Osaka reminded me of Tokyo in many ways (large japanese metropolis), but in Tokyo I was able to find a hostel in a relaxed neighbourhood (Kuramae) that I really enjoyed.
I also feel like Osaka is the only city I've visited in Japan so far where some places felt like tourist traps. I don't mind some places being "touristy", but there is a difference between tourist traps and places that happen to have many tourists. Mainly Shinsekai did feel like a tourist trap to me.
But Osaka did grew on me with time, I really enjoyed the bicycle tour, and I enjoyed the areas around Umeda station.
Last thoughts:
Just as last time I had an amazing time. If I would go again I would probably want to return to Fukuoka and explore more of Kyushu. I had originally planned to do a daytrip to possibly Kumamoto from Fukuoka, but in the end it did not happen.
I can't wait to go back to Japan again, but maybe I will also try going somewhere else in between…
If you are reading this far, thank you for sticking with me and I hope you enjoyed reading about my second trip to Japan! If you are planning to head the same direction as I did and have any questions, I would be happy to help!
by Mr_Bassplayer