Please critique this itinerary

Hi all,

I'm planning to go to Japan later this year. It will be my second trip. I covered Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka last time.

My flight departs on Nov 16th. Please critique this itinerary. :)

~ Will be buying 14-day JR Pass.

11/17 Arrive in Narita around 3:35pm
~ Head into Tokyo and check in at a hotel near Haneda
~ Grab late dinner / meet with friend


11/18 Fly to Fukuoka via Haneda
~ Arriving at airport 1:20pm
~ Dump luggage at hotel
~ Canal City
~ Yatai

11/19 Fukuoka
~ Shofukuji
~ No other plans yet. Maybe just stroll leisurely

11/20 Day trip to Daizaifu
~ Still looking at guides but it seems small enough to do on a day trip

11/21 Day trip to Kumamoto
~ Kumamoto Castle
~ Suizenji Park

11/22 Fukuoka to Sasebo
~ Huis Ten Bosch? Maybe? It doesn�ft seem all that appealing...
~ Hang out with friends who are living in the Sasebo area
~ May stay at their apartment overnight

11/23 Sasebo
No plans. May just hang out with friends and see where they want to take me.

11/24 Sasebo to Nagasaki
~ Check in at hotel
~ Peace Park / Atomic Bomb Museum
~ Chinatown (may skip if time doesn�ft permit)
~ Glover Garden

11/25 Nagasaki to Okayama w/ transfer stop in Shin-Tosu
~ I am aware this seems like a very long train ride (~4 hours) but I�fm okay with it as long as it�fs covered by JR Pass
~ Check in at hotel
~ Kourakuen
~ Okayama Castle

11/26 Kurashiki day trip
~ Have yet to think of a plan but it�fs a small place so it should be quick and easy

11/27 Okayama to Osaka by train
~ Check in at hotel, meet up with friend
~ Shinsaibashi/Dotonbori

11/28 – 30 Osaka
~ Reserving 3 days in Osaka for NHK Trophy. If the event is sold out, I will do day trips from Osaka. Tickets should be on sale in October.

12/1 Osaka to Kanazawa
~ Check in at hotel
~ Kanazawa Castle
~ Kenrokuen

12/2 Kanazawa to Shirakawago to Takayama

12/3 Takayama to Tokyo w/ transfer stop in Nagoya

12/4 Tokyo

12/5 Departure from Narita

~ I think Kanazawa to Takayama via Shirakawago is doable with Nohi bus, so I will be looking into that once I get to Kanazawa station. I would assume the tourist information center there would be able to help me book?

~ Does this seem too rushed? I think my Kyushu portion is but the point of going there is to visit my friends. Thought I might as well do Fukuoka and Kumamoto. I am particularly wary about 11/23 and 11/24 though. I just need to get to Okayama on 11/25...

~ I will be using Yamato Transport for my luggage though I'm not sure at which points.

Anything else I should consider?

Thank you in advance!!!

What I see is a trip that is not planned for a 14 day JR pass. The Kyushu seems very leasurly, and the rest seems rushed.

However, that usually happens when you squeeze the most out of a 7 day JR Pass.

I am assuming that you plan to use a three or five day Northern Kyushu Pass, along with a seven day Jr Pass from the 25th to the 3rd.

This works out pretty well.

I looked up Sasebo to Nagasaki, and the Sea Liner is 1650 yen. You are poabably best getting a 3 day northern Kyushu pass for the 21-23, and then just pay the 1650 yen to go to Nagasaki.

The round trip cost to Kumamoto more than pays for the three day pass, and it will also get you to Sasebo. I you wanted to save a little bit, you could go to Nagasaki on the evening of the 23rd, and then have the whole day of the 24th to knock around Nagasaki.

11/25 Nagasaki to Okayama

A 4 hour train trip is okay, but you should do it in the evening, not morning. The reason is that night falls early in Japan, so there is not much to do in the way of sightseeing. So it's a good time to get your train trips done, because if you do them during the say you lose precious sightseeing time.

So I would suggest to do the trip in the evening of 11/24, and spend the night in Okayama instead of Nagasaki.

"If you do them during the *day*," of course. :p

Firas is correct about using the evening to switch locations. If you want to break up the four hour trip from Nagasaki to Okayama, just go halfway, and stay near Hakata Station in Fukuoka that night.

ebaychucky311 and Firas, thank you both so much for the feedback!

@ebaychucky311: I was looking at the Kyushu rail passes prior to posting my itinerary, but I don't think the 7 day rail pass will be able to cover 24th to the 3rd? I will look into splitting the Nagasaki sightseeing into two days 23rd and 24th so I can travel to Okayama in the evening of the 24th.

@Firas: Ah, good point. I was in Japan around the same time last year so I don't know how I've forgotten about that. As I may stay in Nagasaki on the 23rd, I will look into leaving the next evening per your suggestion. It extends my time there and also adds a full day to Okayama.