3 day sunQ pass or 3 Day North Kyushu JR pass

My husband and I are traveling in mid Dec with the following itinerary:-

Day 1 Fri fly into fukuoka airport at 820 am.

go to nagasaki, stay night nagasaki

Day 2 Sat Stay night nagasaki

day 3 Sun go to yufuin

stay night at ryokan

day 4 monday go to Kurokawa

stay night at ryokan

day 5 Tues stay night at kurokawa ryokan

day 6 Wed go to Fukuoka ( Hakata) stay night

day 7 Thurs stay in fukuoka

day 8 Fri fly off home at 10 am

I have looked at many forums and threads and schedules and am wondering if I should buy the 3 day SunQ pass ( YEN 8000) or the 3 day JR North Kyushu pass ( Yen 7200) for use on the first 3 days?

Checking Hyperdia , the train journey from Hakata to Nagasaki Ekimae ( is this the main station?) takes about 2 hours but then you have to take the subway from the airport to Hakata station and look for the platform etc. The highway bus from Kukuoka international Airport to Nagasaki takes about 3 hours but I presume there is no need to transfer .

On day 3 , I can use the bus ( Nagasaki to Yufuin) which takes about 3 hours or the trains ( (seems trains take at least 3 hours with at least 2 transfers ,looks quite complicated looking at Expedia).

Any advice from anyone on this would be much appreciated. I could also switch nagasaki 2 days to after Kurokawa and before Fukuoka if it makes better logistics sense i.e. start yufuin-kurokawa,nagasaki-fukuoka

Thank you everyone for any help. much appreciated.

No car rent(rent a car) plan?

No , we are not comfortable about driving in a foreign country especially where road signs are in foreign language. Even with english GPS, we are not confident.

If you decide to take bus, you might better buy individual tickets which are cheaper than the SunQ Pass.

You should note that the Bus stop in Yufuin (Yufuin IC) is somewhat long way from the city center of Yufuin. If you will stay near Yufuin IC, you will have no problem.

I would like to recommend train ride, since it is more comfortable and you can enjoy scenic view, especially Kurume-Yufuin part.

oh dear, I thought the Yufuin bus station is just outside the Yufuin train station ( saw that in a Japan Guide map). So Yufuin IC ( is IC meaning Interchange?) is not the same as the yufuin bus station? So highway express bus doesn't stop just near the train station? So on Day 4 when I need to go to Kurokawa which is only accessible by bus, do I also need to go to Yufuin IC to take that bus ( Kyusanko bus?
Is the Yufuin IC a building or just a bus stop? Any taxis around that I can get to our Ryokan? I am currently booked at Baien ( I have no idea where it is relative to either the train station or the Yufuin IC).
If I switch to using trains, should I buy the 3 day North Kyushu JR pass , or its cheaper to buy individual tickets?

No, Yufuin IC (interchange) is not the same as the Yufuin Bus station which is very close to the JR Yufuin station (Probably it is Yufuin Bus Center). The highway bus from Nagasaki to Beppu stops at Yufuin IC, not Yufuin Bus Center.

Yufuin IC

http://goo.gl/EMlFZ9

Yufuin Bus Center

http://goo.gl/G5gOHS

Yufuin IC is just a bus stop, but you might be able to catch taxi at Michi-No-Eki Yufuin which is 100 m away from the bus stop (You might have to ask someone in the shop to call for a taxi). But if you want to go to JR station area, you might better take train to Yufuin.

On the other hand, from Yufuin to Kurokawa, you will be able to catch Kyusanko bus which stops at Yufuin bus center. As you might have noted, there are only two buses that goes to Kurokawa (from Yufuin).

Thank you so very much for your prompt reply to my questions. In that case, I will probably take train Hakata to nagasaki and then nagasaki to yufuin ( i think needs at least one transfer at toss,kumamoto or Aso . I think the JR 3 day North Kyushu pass should make sense then.
I didn't know there are only 2 buses from yufuin to kurokawa. Is the Kyusankyo bus and the Cross Kyushu bus the same ? Would you happen to know what are the departure times of the 2 buses. I managed to find a blog that lists a Cross kyushu bus departing yufuin at 14;50 arriving kurokawa 16.25.
I tried the global.atbus-de.com website but couldn't find this route when I input Oita to kumamoto as the 2 prefectures. I haven't booked any transport and finding it very difficult as quite a lot of stuff is in japanese. Thanks for your help.

Dear Frog1954, I managed to find a timetable of the Kyushu Odan Bus and there are 2 buses leaving Yufuin Bus station to kurokawa per day. No 1 bus at 9am arriving kurokawa 10;35 and No 7 bus leaving14.50 arr 16.25. Are these the same 2 buses you were referring to and so they are the same as Kyusanko buses? Would I be able to reserve seats on the No 7 bus at the Yufuin bus centre the day before when I arrive at Yufuin from Nagasaki? Thanks.

As for train rides, you can obtain almost complete information from Hyperdia. I will show you Fukuoka airport to Nagasaki and Nagasaki to Yufuin itinerary.

Fukuoka airport to Yufuin

http://goo.gl/K2EvrT

Nagasaki to Yufuin

http://goo.gl/1xoUxd

Change at Tosu to Yufuin-no-mori limited express. You must reserve the seat on Yufuin-no-mori, since this train does not have non-reserved seats. With Kyushu rail pass, you do not have to pay extra fee.

Is the Kyusankyo bus and the Cross Kyushu bus the same ?

Yes, they mean the same bus.

Would you happen to know what are the departure times of the 2 buses. I managed to find a blog that lists a Cross kyushu bus departing yufuin at 14;50 arriving kurokawa 16.25.

http://www.kyusanko.co.jp/sankobus/english/

http://www.kyusanko.co.jp/sankobus/english/table/odantt2.pdf

As you will see, the bus departs at 900 and 1450 (which you noticed).

Below is the timetable for the bus Kurokawa to Hakata (Fukuoka).

http://www.kyusanko.co.jp/sankobus/toshikan/kurokawa/table/tt2.pdf

The bus departs at 9:30 and 14:00 and each takes about 3 hours.

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to ask here.

Sorry,

Fukuoka airport to Yufuin

This should be Fukuoka airport to Nagasaki.

Would I be able to reserve seats on the No 7 bus at the Yufuin bus centre the day before when I arrive at Yufuin from Nagasaki?

Yes I think so. If I remember correctly, the bus had more services a day in the past, but not so many tourists are using it now, so they decreased the bus number, I think. You are traveling on December which is the "low" season, you will have no problem. They will happily sell the ticket for you. Yufuin and Kurokawa are quite nice onsens. I hope you will enjoy them.

You are a real gem. I presume the the train fares in Hyperdia should be the "Total" at the top left i.e. fare+seat fee. I did a lot of checking the forums about "seat fee" and its meant to be a supplement for express or limited express trains. In that case a 3 day JR North Kyushu rail pass at Yen 7200 would more than cover my 2 train trips on day 1 and Day 3. I hope I am correct in understanding.
When I went into the Yufu no mori train 3schedule at the JR website, all the Dec days were shaded pink except 16,17,18 left unshaded. does that mean they are unavailable in pink?
Can I try booking my Nagasaki to Yufuin journey at Hakata JR station before leaving for Nagasaki?
I know I can buy the JR 3 day North Kyushu pass at Hakata station so I won't have to get an exchange voucher here at home and then change for the pass when I get there. I hope this understanding is correct too.
You have been most helpful and I really really appreciate your prompt advice.

I did a lot of checking the forums about "seat fee" and its meant to be a supplement for express or limited express trains.

Yes. This "seat fee" is mandatory if you take "limited express" type trains. Hyperdia shows "reserved seat fee" as default, but you may choose "non-reserved seat". However in most of the cases, you must pay for the non-reserved seat fee, which is somewhat confusing. In Japanese, it is 自由席特急券 which means express ticket for non-reserved seat.

All in all, yes you are right, JR Kyushu Pass is quite a bargain.

all the Dec days were shaded pink except 16,17,18 left unshaded. does that mean they are unavailable in pink?

Did you check this page?

http://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/english/time_table/time_table.html

Then click Go to Detail for Yufuin no mori?

I can not find what the Pink means in this page. However, I checked Japanese page and realized that Pink means it runs normally while White means it is operated with a train set not for Yufuin no mori: that is, Yufuin no mori is a kind of special train which is designed for this sightseeing limited express train. You can see the outlook and inside, which I think somewhat fashionable. I think JR Kyushu has only two sets of Yufuin no mori so they must suspend it for maintenance. In this maintenance days (such as 16-18 Dec), they operate Yufuin no mori using normal train set usually served for Yufu limited express. I am not sure I can explain what means pink and white, so please ask more if you have any questions.

Can I try booking my Nagasaki to Yufuin journey at Hakata JR station before leaving for Nagasaki?

Yes, you can. However, since Yufuin no mori is a popular train, the seat (all reserved) might be sold out when you reserve it. You might better have some back up plans, such as other Yufuin no mori or Yufu.

Thank you for your explanation about the yufuin-no-mori train. It makes sense to me now. Yes, I may not be able to get seats on it but if thats the case, then will just take the normal Yufu train.
it now looks like I have more or less settled my transport arrangements but not booking anything till I arrive in Kyushu. I have booked my ryokans in Yufuin and Kurokawa and booked the JR Blossoms Hotel at Hakata Chuo. only still undecided about Nagasaki hotel but I think i will give my eyes a rest as I have been doing so much research this whole week, I am getting cross-eyed.
Thanks again for your great help.I am very very grateful.