Travel from Kumamoto - Aso - Fukuoka?

Hi Everyone,

Thank you to all the contributors to this forum - it has been extremely helpful for planning a holiday I will take in Japan. Apologies for the long question - I am quite confused. If it is too long, please just read the first part.

I am struggling to plan the transport for one leg my journey. At the moment, I have booked hotels in the following places:

1st July, Kagoshima
2nd July, Aso (near Aso station)
3rd July, Kurokawa Onsen
4th July, Fukuoka
Then I will be going to Hiroshima by train.

How do you recommend getting between those places? I can rearrange the order I stay in them without much trouble.

I would like to avoid driving in cities where possible, though I know this might be unavoidable. Also, the cheaper and faster the better, unless one option is more enjoyable (like a train passing by some beautiful sights, or if using a car is the only way to see something). I will have a JR pass, and public transport is an option. Will I miss out on seeing beautiful sights around Aso if I only use public transport?



Further details (not necessary to answer my question, but if you have time please read):

My current idea is to take a train from Kagoshima to Kumamoto. I will then rent a car at Kumamoto station (I can spend a few hours in Kumamoto if you think there are things worth seeing, but I will be seeing several other Japanese cities), drive to Aso and explore the area by car. The next day drive to Kurokawa Onsen, and on the 4th July drop the car off at Yufuin, Kumamoto station, or somewhere near Fukuoka (I would like to avoid driving into the middle of the city if possible - this could be stressful!). Ogori or Dazifu seem to be on the way and might have good trains to Hakata station in Fukuoka. My main questions are:

-What are some good routes for getting between these places by car? Are there any scenic/ beautiful routes you recommend? I saw that some roads are quite beautiful, but I do not know how to integrate them into the journey. Apparently the road between Kurokawa Onsen and Yufu is particularly nice, but again I have little more information.

-Is the driving stressful? Will using public transport be significantly cheaper, and do I miss out on seeing things by using public transport?

-Where are the toll roads? Are these scenic roads, or are they normally ugly but fast motorways? Roughly how much would a trip like this cost in tolls overall? Are there any discount options for foreigners on these toll roads?

-If I have an English GPS, will I be able to navigate without too much trouble? I can learn a few Kanji if I need to, but my Japanese will be extremely basic by the time of the holiday, and road signs might cause problems.

-I cannot understand the car rental websites. Where are the outlets? Can you think of a good option to fit my trip? Is it more expensive to pick up a car in Kumamoto and drop it off in Fukuoka than to pick the car up at Kumamoto and return it at Yufuin, for example?

-Other than Aso-san, are there any specific sights you recommend seeing in the Mt Aso area, and are these only accessible by car?

-If you recommend public transport, would you be able to help me find an up to date timetable? Again, these websites are mostly in Japanese.


tldr
Should I take the car between these places (and if so what routes and scenic detours do you recommend to a tourist?), or should I use public transport?

If you managed to read all that, thank you very much!

Hi there,

as you ask alot if public transport is better or car:
I think that is mainly up to you and your linking.

Japan is not stressful usually, neither on the road nor in the train. The trains and busses are reliable and safe. Sure, if you have enter a city by car, make sure you have any idea where to park (e.g. hotel parking lot).

You can get information about publica transport timetables here: http://www.hyperdia.com/

I would just return the car to Kumamoto after you visited Aso and Kurokawa, then shinkansen to Hiroshima. It will take just as long to return the car in Fukuoka and will cost more for relocation fee.

Kumamoto to Aso is an OK drive, but it will take a while (2.5 hrs is a fair estimate- the speed limits are low). We've done that trip twice. There aren't many places you're likely to want to stop off at until you get near to Aso, so maybe train to Aso and then hiring a car from Aso station might be an option? I'd look into that if I was doing the trip again. In general, driving in Japan is fine, but some of the more rural roads around Aso and Kurokawa are narrow so (for me at least) they involve slow and careful driving.
For the part of your trip around Aso and Kurokawa I would definitely recommend a car. Public transport is scarce and not so frequent- and it's a lovely area so stopping off in places can be fun. A car lets you do that.
Re one-way fees for car hire, I would recommend checking out different hire companies. We had a car from Kumamoto which we dropped off in Kokura a few days later, after visiting Aso and Kurokawa, and there was one company which didn't charge a one-way fee. Can't remember which one, but we used ToCoo to book the car and I would recommend them as they allow you to compare the offers from different hire companies so you can see what the fees are.
Kumamoto is a nice small city. The modern art museum is well worth half an hour to see the James Turrell and Marine Abramovich and Yayoi Kusama pieces (all free of charge), as is the city museum of local arts and crafts (on the east side of the castle grounds). The castle suffered heavily in the last earthquake so you'd need to research on the status of reconstruction work before deciding to go there.

Thank you all for taking the time to read my question and giving an answer, especially Winter Visitor's very helpful first-hand experience.

Sounds like car hire is a good idea around Aso. It appears the train line has been closed between Higo Ozu and Aso station because of the 2016 earthquake, so I would have to take a bus from Higo Ozu station to Aso - is this correct? I would guess that a bus takes at least as long as driving, so it sounds like renting a car at Kumamoto or Higo Ozu (if a place there exists) is the best option.

Does anyone recommend some things to do or scenic places and views in the area besides Aso's caldera (which I'm aware is currently closed off - I intend to take a helicopter over it)?

The drive from Kumamoto Station to Ozu along Route 57 is not worth driving unless you like urban traffic. I usually take a bypass from Mifune under the airport on the east side into Ozu just to miss the outside Kumamoto traffic between Ozu and downtown.

Take the train to Ozu from Kumamoto Station and the bus shuttle around the landslide, or just go to the Kotsu Bus Center down by the castle in Kumamoto and take a bus all the way to Aso. There are several car rental places at Aso Station and a Toyota Car Rental a couple of blocks away. You can then drive around Aso, up to Kurokawa, along the Milk Road, and parts of the Yamanami Highway before returning the car to Aso City, where you can either return back to Kumamoto City by bus or take a train to Oita and then up to Beppu and back to Hakata. The bus ride from Aso to Beppu along the Yamanami Highway is also a nice scenic drive.

Thank you very much Anaguma - all excellent advice! I'm looking forward to exploring some of those routes.