Kyushu spring itinerary

Thanks so much to everyone who's helped me in my previous posts about visiting Kyushu in spring 2025. I made a rough 2.5 week itinerary and would appreciate any feedback. Some questions/thoughts at the end as well.

4/16: depart for Tokyo
4/17: land in NRT mid afternoon, connecting flight to Fukuoka and overnight Fukuoka
4/18: Fukuoka
4/19: Fukuoka
4/20: Kagoshima day trip
4/21: rental car, Itoshima, Karatsu, Okawachiyama pottery village, overnight Takeo or Ureshino Onsen
4/22: Mifuneyama Rakuen, Yutoku Inari Shrine, Huis Ten Bosch afternoon/evening, overnight Takeo or Ureshino Onsen
4/23: Nagasaki Bio Park, overnight Nagasaki
4/24: day in Nagasaki, overnight Nagasaki
4/25: Shimabara/Kyusho ferry, Kumamoto, overnight Aso
4/26: day in Mt Aso, and overnight Aso
4/27: day in Takachiho Gorge, overnight Aso
4/28: Kuji Flower Park and Kurokawa onsen, overnight Yufuin
4/29: explore Yufuin/Beppu, overnight Yufuin
4/30: Kawachi Fujiuen, return rental car and late afternoon flight to HND, overnight Tokyo
5/1: Disneyland, overnight Tokyo
5/2: Tokyo, late afternoon flight home

Disneyland during Golden week could be bad I know, though I picked a day that isn't a weekend or any of the actual holidays, I suppose? I'm not sure how busy the later half of my Kyushu itinerary will be when it starts becoming Golden week. I will try to see if I can do Tokyo first and then Kyushu..

I picked Takeo/Ureshino Onsen as a base to see the attractions in Saga, but is there a better base?

Same question for Aso, seems like a number of hotels scattered around the north, west, and south sides of the park.

This Kagoshima Day Trip seems crazy to me. Its so far south and not fitting at all in the itinerary. You know its about 4 hours in just one direction, even with rental car? Yet alown there, you want probably see Sakurashima or Sengan-en which will costs you even more hours (e.g. for the ferry)

Yep Kagoshima Daytrip is crazy and not worth it. At least spend 1-2 nights there or skip it entirely.

Generally I think you need to check how long all theses routes take and reconsider some of your choices.
For example going from Nagasaki to Kumamoto and then to Aso in one day is crazy. The trip from Nagasaki to Shimbara alone already takes almost the same time than using the train from Nagasaki to Kumamoto... Via ferry it takes much longer than using the overland route via train. Also that ferry and the bus (kumamoto-aso) only goes a couple of times a day, timing it is probably impossible. The bus from the Kumamoto Port to the Train station (from where the bus to Aso departs) also already takes 40 Minutes.


Unless you want to spend a night in shimbara, it's not worth taking that detour.

We would be driving. Either via the Kyusho ferry or just taking the overland route by toll road. Yes that is the main driving/transport day in this itinerary.

Ah sorry, I missed that you have the rental car for the whole time. Still the Daytrip to Kagoshima is a bit much I think.

I am going to be doing this in reverse with Tokyo first. That gives me the option to fly HND to Kumamoto or Nagasaki as well. I believe rental cars are still best picked up and dropped off in the same location, so it makes most sense to do things in a loop.

Dividing the main areas of interest up, it still seems hard to connect Nagasaki, Kumamoto/Aso, Kagoshima, Beppu/Oita nicely. There seems to be a major travel/transport day needed in there at some point.

As suggested, if you have your heart set on going to Kagoshima, then taking the shinkansen is the only practical way - you'd be there in just 90 minutes or so. You can get the 3-day Kyushu Rail Pass and it would pay off. If you want to drive around Sakurajima, you could rent a car locally after you arrive. Though there are other good sights there like Senganen and Amami no Sato.
https://goo.gl/ir1cA5

For Apr 23rd, the Bio-Park is good but doesn't take the whole day. Actually the park is very close to Huis Ten Bosch, so you could see both in a day. The park closes at 5 PM, and Huis Ten Bosch at 7 PM at the earliest. Actually the latter is currently closed - I hope they open soon, and be aware in case you reschedule they're closed on Wednesdays - be sure to check.

Very easy to connect all those locations. You are just trying to do too much in the limited time you have.

Time to make some hard choices and omit a few locations.

Since you are flying in to Fukuoka. It make sense to drop the Kagoshima and Kumamoto stuff. Just do Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki and Oita.

Here's a revised itinerary. Spouse wants to go back to Disney, plus then we can fly into Kumamoto, Nagasaki, or Kagoshima if we want. I chose Nagasaki as out of all 3, seems like we would want to spend the most time there (and not have a rental car until we leave).

I made some dummy bookings with Toyota rent a car and the one way surcharge was very reasonable to me. This then avoids the Nagasaki - Aso one day transit that a lot of you criticized. Kagoshima day trip can be a last minute decision depending on our energy levels perhaps, but I still think it is do-able via shinkansen.


4/16: fly to Tokyo
4/17: land in NRT mid afternoon, overnight Tokyo
4/18: Disneyland, overnight Tokyo
4/19: fly HND-NGS, rest of day in Nagasaki, overnight Nagasaki
4/20: day in Nagasaki, overnight Nagasaki
4/21: pick up rental car, Nagasaki Bio Park, Huis Ten Bosch afternoon, overnight Takeo/Ureshino onsen
4/22: Okawachiyama village, Mifuneyama Rakuen, Yutoku Inari Shrine, overnight Takeo/Ureshino onsen
4/23: over to Kumamoto, overnight Aso
4/24: day in Mt Aso, overnight Aso
4/25: day in Takachiho Gorge, overnight Aso
4/26: Kuju Flower Park and Kurokawa onsen, overnight Yufuin
4/27: explore Yufuin/Beppu, overnight Yufuin
4/28: Kawachi Fujiuen, Karato fish market, return rental car, overnight Fukuoka
4/29: Fukuoka
4/30: Kagoshima day trip
5/1: Fukuoka
5/2: morning flight to NRT, wander Narita town, depart home in early evening