Planning for a 10 day trip in western Japan

I'm planning for a 10 day trip to western Japan starting from Osaka, and ending in Fukuoka, but I'm not sure where exactly to go yet, and how much time I should spend in each place. I toured Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara earlier this year.

My original plan is to spend 2 days in Osaka, 3 days around Hiroshima/Miyajima, and 5 days around Fukuoka (Kyushu). I'm not sure if that's good. I've read many comments around the Web saying I should spend only 1 day in Hiroshima/Miyajima, but I thought about allocating 3 days in there so I can do a day trip or 2 in some other nearby spots. I don't really like changing hotels too often, although I'm aware that's quite difficult given what I want to do.

Speaking of Hiroshima and Miyajima, where is it better to stay in?

Also, which passes will I greatly benefit from? I still have my ICOCA card so I can also use that.

The 7 day JR Pass works for you.

Staying in Hiroshima is great if you want to try Ryokans. Hiroshima has western style hotels that ain't bad either. overall, miyajima is a nicer place to stay but if you plan to make day trips, then Hiroshima is better as it has access to the train.

1 to 2 days for Hiroshima and Miyajima is enough. Plus a day trip to Iwakuni, and Okayama. So three days seems fine.

Two days in Osaka doing what exactly? One seems to be enough.

5 days Fukuoka is too long but if spread around to include Sage, Nagasaki, Kumamoto & Aso, a hot spring town, then 5 days sounds good.

The more you travel the better your pass would be. If you want, you can stay in Okayama and then travel to Hiroshima/Miyajima (one day), see Okayama's garden and do some cycling (one day), then you have one free day to ... no idea... see bunnies?

Ill recommend going to Kinosakionsen for some Onsen/Ryokan. Otherwise great idea to have about 4-5 days in Fukuoka and area.
I would say two days is enough for Hiroshima/Miyajima unless you want to also visit Seto Inland Sea area. I still need to visit Takehara for the Bamboo festival and of course because of the Anime Tamayura is based there.

Hope this helps!
Have Fun!

I'm also thinking of going to Himeji and/or Kobe from Osaka that's why I'm allocating 2 days in there.

Based on my searches, Okayama and Hiroshima are around 2 hour train ride away. Is that doable in a day (4 hour round trip)? I remember Kyoto and Nara are around 1H20M train ride apart.

Any advice about the Kyushu part of the trip?

With a 7-day JR Pass , I would go from Fukuoka to Nagasaki, then by bus or train to Shimabara (not covered by the pass), then take the ferry across to Kumamoto, then the new Kyushu Shinkansen down to Kagoshima to see Sakurajima a very active volcano. The Kumamoto-Kagoshima leg takes less than 1-hour.

I'd also question what the point is for spending 2 days in Osaka, when you say you've been there already. There are some great places at night like Dotonobori, and the night views from the Umeda Sky Bldg and Abeno Harukas Bldg are mind blowing (and not the same).
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7LcPcmoSg-jkgQdiQlK2bcKCzr2pJQ...
Spending a night at Koyasan would also be very worthwhile.
It's also amazing that nobody above has mentioned seeing Himeji, which has the finest castle in the whole country. You could make a whole day trip seeing the castle, Kokoen Garden next to it, and Mt. Shosha. You could use a Kansai Area Pass for a day and use a 7 Day Pass for the longer travels.
Okayama is not far and it is famous for its castle, plus Korakuen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zAI3_N7NEM
Garden which is one of Japan's Top 3, and also the Handayama Garden is beautiful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGQ8o7k9GbA
The half day hike up to Konpirasan in Kotohira, Kagawa
is magnificent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ley9rVIewoQ
Going to Takamatsu is also nice - it has one of Japan's finest gardens also, called Ritsurin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afx-Ju52FiY
Hiroshima also has a number of good places with Miyajima being the most famous. Everyone goes to see the Itsukushima Shrine with the 'floating torii', but it really doesn't take long and the real gem is the Daishoin Temple - a place you will find unforgettable.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7LcPcmoSg-iCNZ6AdsKGUB-HPKNxP1...
And aside from Hiroshima City itself, Onomichi with its temple tour and Kosanji Temple is spectacular.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Q5EjEOXI8
Just beyond Miyajima also lies Iwakuni with its historical bridge and mountaintop castle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0COOZXi66mM
And if you really want something mind blowing, go see the Akiyoshido Limestone Cave in Yamaguchi - a 300 million year old marvel with an underground river going through.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqIKC9S8TFQ
If you want to base yourself out of Fukuoka and do several day trips to avoid lugging stuff around, that is fine. There is a lot to see in the local area, more than most realize. To see what Fukuoka has, you could have a look at
http://www.thejapanfaq.com/fukpic.html
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7LcPcmoSg-j4RLa6iC7ayvBAbOn8-0...
You could also see Kitakyushu a bit along the way down - Kokura Castle is not bad, the Moji Retro area preserves a Japan from a century ago that's now long gone, and the view from atop Mt. Sarakurayama is a secret jewel that none of the tourist guidebook "experts" even have a clue about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl1pCW9Ibbk
You could do Nagasaki as a day trip, but better to do an overnight there and spend the time to see all that the city offers.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7LcPcmoSg-gbw2yXNLK92siHyNqSNx... is stunning and takes up 3 hours alone, but it's like walking by Chernobyl without the cancer.
Kagoshima is also easily reached by the bullet train, and Sakurajima is a place you'll be quite amazed at.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7LcPcmoSg-irtXXB8IJMdkB9mF0qjn...
Going to Kumamoto and Beppu are also worth considering. Kurokawa is also superb but you'll have to pay extra for a bus or renting a car.

I'm also thinking of going to Himeji and/or Kobe from Osaka that's why I'm allocating 2 days in there.
Based on my searches, Okayama and Hiroshima are around 2 hour train ride away. Is that doable in a day (4 hour round trip)? I remember Kyoto and Nara are around 1H20M train ride apart.

Any advice about the Kyushu part of the trip?

Himeji Castle and Kobe beef could be done in one day.

I have also done Tokyo to Kyoto and back on the same day once before (To see the fall colors at Arashiyama because the day before was delays) so 4 hours roundtrip day trip is fine as long as you are okay with early starts and late ends

Hope this helps!!
Have Fun!!

People can do Hiroshima + MIyajima as a day trip from Osaka, so a day trip from Okayama is surely possible.
Okayama is famous for cycling routes, and the garden, plus perhaps the castle. All takes about half a day. You would have enough time to even stop by some other place. Perhaps a side trip to Kurashiki or Bitchu-Takahashi in the evening will help make this a pure zen-like day. Peace & quiet for meditation and soul searching.

It takes a full day to do Korakuen Garden, Okayama Castle, and the Kibi Plains cycling path. You can end in Kurashiki for an evening stroll but there would not be enough time to visit Takahashi the same day. Takahashi is well worth the trip, though. Its one of my favorite towns in Japan.

@rabbityama
That's why I used "or" and not "and". One or the other.

In total, I'll be spending 12 calendar days in Japan but the the other 2 will be for my flights to the country, and back to mine. So, here's a general overview of my itinerary so far:

Day 0 (arrival at night, Osaka)
+ Check in to a hotel in Osaka
Day 1 (Osaka)
+ Day trip to Himeji and/or Kobe
+ Travel back to hotel in Osaka
Day 2 (Osaka to Hiroshima)
+ (Half) day trip around Osaka (Amemura, Dotonbori, etc.)
+ Transfer to Hiroshima later in the evening
Day 3 (Hiroshima)
+ Day trip around Hiroshima

Of course this isn't final. As for spending a few days in Osaka, I just really want to do it because I'm the type who loves going back to places I come to like. Actually if only Kyoto was more strategic place to stay, I'd choose staying there for my first 2 nights. It's just that Osaka is closer to KIX, and I think Shin-Osaka as well.

I did some initial research on the passes and I'm considering the following combination:
+ Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass (5 days, JPY13,000)
+ Northern Kyushu Pass (5 days, JPY10,000)

That's a total of JPY23,000, which is around JPY7,000 less than JR Pass. HOWEVER, that doesn't cover the travel between Hiroshima and Hataka (Fukuoka). Too close!

There's a Sanyo-Sanin Pass that covers the route up until Hataka but it's only available in JPY19,000 for 7 days. If I combine it with the Northern Kyushu pass then it's still JPY29,000. If, however, I decide to spend more time around the areas covered by Sanyo-Sanin Pass, I can get the 3-day Northern Kyushu Pass worth JPY8,500 making the overall cost JPY27,500, just a few thousand Yen less than JR Pass.

@jh: I read what you wrote. But if you go to Takahashi in the evening after doing Korakuen Garden, the castle, and Kibi Plains you would not be able to do anything there. The castle, temple, and samurai residences will be closed, so there would be no point in going there. It would be disappointing. Kurashiki is at least scenic at night and often lit up.

I'm considering getting the combination of Sanyo-Sanin pass and 3-day Northern Kyushu pass. This means I'll be spending more time around Chuugoku and less around Kyushu.

In general, I'm thinking of staying in the following places (with durations).
- Osaka (3 days)
- Okayama (2 days)
- Hiroshima (2 days)
- Fukuoka (3 days)

Sanyo-Sanin pass is consumable for 7 days. Does this sound good?