Kyushu - Which city? And more questions

My parents and godfather are probably going to visit me in October 2015 (I will be there for a Working Holiday)

My parents have lived in Japan for 4 years in the late 80s and such, have seen much of the typical stuff. But they have not yet visited Kyushu (me neither) so we are planning to visit one or two cities.

They are around 60 years old, very interested in food, traditional Japanese crafts (pottery, knives, fabric) and culture/history.

I think either Fukuoka, Kumamoto or Nagasaki.

Fukuoka has these food stands, Kumamoto the castle.

What would you recommend?

Our proposed itinerary:

Tokyo (2-3 days)
Nikko (Daytrip)
Karuizawa (nostalgia, they visited it pretty often. Overnight stay in Ryokan?)
Kyoto (2 days)
Miyajima (Overnight stay)
Hiroshima (1 day)
Kyushu (2-3 days?)
Osaka (1 day, will stay in Kyoto though, daytrip)
Tokyo (1 day?)

They are gonna get the JR pass btw. I will be outta luck, probably gonna buy the Kanto pass (for Karuizawa and Nikko), pay for Shinkansen Kyoto+Hiroshima+Kyushu out of the pocket, back via Willer Express.

Should I use the luggage forwarding service when we come back from Karuizawa, have my parents+godfather pack an overnight bag, have it sent to Kyoto, ask the hotel to hold the luggage since we are gonna stay another night?

Sorry for the questions, thanks!

So, keep in mind while reading this that I've never been to Kyushu, so this is just based on my research of it for a trip I was unable to take this summer (*cries*)

Anyway, if they are interested in traditional crafts such as pottery, a trip to Saga prefecture's Arita seems in order. It is famous for the obviously named Arita pottery, and visiting allows you to not only see a few museums, but also kilns to see it made, and a market and shops to buy it. I was interested in seeing the torii gate and shishi guardians made of pottery at Tozan Shrine the most. (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e8300.html)

Fukuoka seems then a logical choice for either your first night's stop, or your base. The Shinkansen from Hiroshima goes there before heading South, and it is connected to both Kumamoto and Nagasaki by major train lines and highways, so even if you were more interested in visiting either of those cities, you would pass through it anyway. At the very least you could stop off and visit for a few hours, but the food stalls are a big draw and they're more night time. Stopping in Fukuoka allows a day trip to both Arita and possibly Dazaifu if you're there for three days.

Of Nagasaki and Kumamoto, it's hard to choose between the two since it depends a lot of both time and interest. If you're interested in going to Arita anyway, its on the way there or back from Nagasaki, while Kumamoto is still connected by Shinkansen, which gives it direct and easy access from Fukuoka. You could easily do a day trip to Kumamoto with a base in Fukuoka.

Nagasaki is one of the best cities in Japan for people who are interested in history. I think Dejima is a must-see (very nicely done), and some of the other sights in the city are also well worth visiting. Plenty of sights there for 2 very full days of sightseeing, especially if you go out to Gunkanjima. (If you do that, three nights would not be too much there.)

I did not find the food stalls in Fukuoka to be particularly appealing. If you happen to be staying there, you could go to look at them as a tourist attraction or (maybe) to have a quick bite to eat, but to be honest you're better off going to a restaurant or better yet an izakaya. (Do some research and find a good local one that isn't a big chain.)

Kumamoto has a really nice castle and a very good Japanese garden and some fairly good nightlife, but if I had to choose I'd probably pick Nagasaki. I also really loved Kagoshima just for the atmosphere and the awesome presence of Sakurajima (and the sho chu...), but that isn't on your list. It's probably not very practical, given your time limitations and the fact that you don't have a rail pass. But somehow, when I think of Kyushu, Kagoshima is one of the first things that comes to mind. It also has quite a history.

For luggage delivery, the carrier usually lets you specify a delivery date from 1 to 7 days after the pickup date. You can have it delivered to your hotel on the check-in date, or even the day before, although if it's a budget hotel they often don't have a lot of storage space. Put your check-in date on the delivery form.

I would stay in Fukuoka/Hakata. I've lived in Kumamoto for 4 years, but Hakata is a better central location to use a JR Pass to get to nearby areas. Kyushu is best appreciated by car once you leave the main lines.

Within Fukuoka/Hakata is a famous pottery on the west side of Ohori Park. It has a step kiln that looks like it operates but I wonder how they use it in the middle of town.
Takatori Pottery
http://www.takatoriyaki.jp/web2/indexe.html

Fukuoka/Hakata is also famous for its non-glazed porcelain dolls. If you ask at the information center in the middle of Hakata Station, they can guide you to places that specialize in them.
Hakata Ningyo
http://www.japanvisitor.com/japanese-culture/hakata-dolls

Better than Arita for pottery, and just a short local/private train ride north of Arita is Imari. From Imari, catch a bus (or take a taxi) to Okawachiyama, a town that has nothing but pottery. It's in a nice rural setting and is worth walking around to see what you discover. This place is reached by an express from Hakata to Arita, then a private line to Imari as the fastest route. You could also take the Shinkansen to Shin Tosu and pick up the express there. I would set aside the whole day for this destination as travel time adds up.
Nabeshima Pottery, Okawachiyama
http://findingfukuoka.com/2011/04/26/okawachiyama/

Down to the SE of Fukuoka is an old Tokugawa gold mining town, Hita-shi. If you like old architecture, it's a pretty little town accessed by JR. It has its own pottery, Ontayaki, and the town specializes in making geta.

Hita City
http://www.city.hita.oita.jp/english_top.html

To the east of Hakata is Sasaguri Town, with the temple, Nanzoin, and the huge bronze reclining Buddha. The temple itself is worth checking out as a stream and small waterfalls come down through the temple area. A tunnel leads you to the new site of the large Buddha. The Buddha is what got me there, but I was more impressed with the rest of the temple. It's also accessed by JR with no transfers.
Nanzoin Buddha
http://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-temples-shrines/nanzoin-temple
Photos:
https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Nanzoin%20fukuoka

South of the main city is Yanagawa, a town designed by its daimyo to be flooded if danger approached. As a result, there were many canals built, which you can now tour by boat. The going is slow but it takes you through some old samurai neighborhoods with some old buildings. Many people make it a party ride and bring their own food and drinks. To get there you have to take the Nishitetsu Line from Fukuoka instead of a JR line.

Yanagawa:
http://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-city-guides/city-guide-yanagawa

Fukuoka/Hakata also has decent hotel rates and many good restaurants which you can find out about in any guide. Most people go there for the yatai food stalls, Ohori Park, the Mongol invasion wall remnants, and Dazaifu to the south. Overlooked are the City Museum, which often has special traveling exhibits, the Folk Museum next to the Kushida Shrine and easy shopping in Tenjin and Canal City. It has big city amenities but isn't so large that it wears you out.

Fukuoka also has some of the best ramen in Japan, and you don't have to go to a yatai to find it. I think the Kinryu (Golden Dragon) shop in front of Fukuoka University is the best, but don't go at lunchtime unless you have time to wait in line.

A bit more on the area in a blog:
http://findingfukuoka.com/

If you really wanted to push it, you could visit Nagasaki on a day trip. The expresses are fast enough to get you there and back again. Since you already would have seen the Gembaku Museum in Hiroshima, I would skip the one in Nagasaki, they're almost identical, and spend time around the Dejima reconstructions and Glover Gardens, where foreigners houses from the Meiji were moved (and every castella shop in Nagasaki). Japanese like to go to Huis ten Bosch, which is mainly a reconstructed earthquake-proof Dutch Town with other attractions attached. I found the MC Escher Museum to be the most interesting thing there for my $65 (at the time) entry fee. I think the place is interesting to Asians a long way from Europe.
http://english.huistenbosch.co.jp/pdf/map_english.pdf

If they have never been to Kyushu, then they are in for a treat. Three days would be better; I'd say spend a day in Fukuoka, ½ a day for Arita if they love pottery, and 1½ days for Nagasaki.
For Fukuoka there is Ohori Park, the Fukuoka Tower, shopping in Tenjin, or Hakata for Hakata Ningyo, and Canal City. The Nanzoin Great Buddha is an almost unknown but must-see sight just 20 minutes by train from Hakata Stn.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT4VQFmHFyM
The Tochoji Great Buddha is also nearby in the Gion area:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7LcPcmoSg-j4RLa6iC7ayvBAbOn8-0...
There is a good full day sightseeing itinerary you can use on:

http://www.thejapanfaq.com/fukpic.html

You could then see the pottery, and if you want to visit some hot springs, Takeo is close-by which is a popular place among locals but unknown to most westerners.
In terms of history and varied points of interest, Nagasaki is really the most interesting city on the island. It is worth some time to explore; not just the usual Peace Park/Museum and Glover Garden but also Dejima, the Koshibyo Confucius shrine, and other areas. Go to its Chinatown and be sure to try the chanpon and saraudon. You can see a number of places to visit on:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7LcPcmoSg-gbw2yXNLK92siHyNqSNx...
Don't miss the mountaintop view of the city from Mt. Inasa at night if the weather is clear!

Everyone,

thank you so much for your suggestions! They were very helpful and I just can't decide haha. So many possibilities.

I think we will use Fukuoka as base and maybe we will go to Arita but Okawachiyama sounds amazing too!

Seeing the reclining buddha is a must, since we have already seen the daibutsu in Kamakura and Nikko.

Any recs for good izakayas? I definitely want to visit them with my family.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Kyushu since my friend spent a good month in Fukuoke and raved about it.