9 days Kyushu

Hi,

Appreciate comments if the itinerary is doable. travel date is 10-18 Apr

Day 1: Kushida Shrine, Hataka Machiya Folk Museum, Tochoji, jotenji, shofukuji and tenjin

Day 2 - Nanzoin and Hakata Canal city

Day 3-7 JR pass

Day 3 - Nagasaki

Day 4 - Huis Ten Bosch

Day 5 - Kagoshima

Day 6 - Beppu (any onsen to recommend?)

Day 7 - Yufuin

Day 8 - Daizaifu and Marinoa City

Day 9 - any suggestion?

Many Thks

Hi,

What to see depends a lot on your interests of course, but whatever it is, Kyushu has a lot to satisfy nearly any traveler.
For your Fukuoka itinerary, it is easily doable; in fact it looks rather slow unless you like to linger and browse. There is a good one day itinerary you might want to look at on:

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

which mentions a lot of good sights. Be sure to try the tonkotsu ramen at least once - there are many yatai (stalls) in Nakasu and Nagahama. The former is more scenic but the latter has more of where the locals eat.
In terms of history and varied points of interest, Nagasaki is really the most interesting city on the island. It is really worth a couple days to see the city. Gunkanjima, while it takes 3 hours, will blow your mind.
http://www.ngs-kenkanren.com/eng/
http://www.at-nagasaki.jp/foreign/english/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdWRyHGW3rk
Be sure to see Mt. Inasa at night if the weather is clear, and try the Nagasaki chanpon and saraudon! Also the Koshibyo temple is an often overlooked shrine that is quite unique in Japan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu_JnkVInTU

Huis Ten Bosch will either really impress you or leave you bored. It really does capture the feeling of being in Holland, and you will likely be there in tulip season which is the best. But some find it just a nice Potemkin Village.
Kagoshima is great to see the live Sakurajima volcano, hiking, and hot sand baths such as on Ibusuki. Plus the Senganen garden has a superb backdrop view of the bay and the volcano. See:
http://www.kagoshima-kankou.com/for/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxDmLuq6ssI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpnDK_Wux9Q

For Beppu hot spings, you might look at:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4701.html
There is more than the hot springs there of course; the Hells Tour is a unique sight and the monkey park/aquarium are good also:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7LcPcmoSg-hOggZamc2lUNTr46ApKX...

Yufuin will be quite different than Beppu. Some find it relaxing, others find it dull. There is some hiking there as well, but you may find it is not worth a full day.
For your day 8 you could easily squeeze in some more - you might consider going to Yanagawa and riding the canal boats there.
For your last day, you might consider Kitakyushu. Kokura Castle is one of the better ones, plus the Moji Retro area has some interest. You could even venture into Shimonoseki and see some good sights there. Plus there is Sarakurayama, a nearly unknown gem in Kitakyushu with one of the best mountaintop nighttime views in Japan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl1pCW9Ibbk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y4K6erVyvA

Hope you enjoy your trip.

Two things. A JR Pass would not pay off your trip. Get a Kyushu Pass.

Secondly, you are spending about a day in each city. Although, this is acceptable for hot spring towns like Yufuin and Beppu, for places like Kagoshima two days is recommended. Especially for Kagoshima due to the time taken needed to go to Kagoshima, Sakurajima, and Ibusuki. (The trains, buses, and ferries may or may not be convenient)

I would recommend spending either a night in Ibusuki and a night in Kagoshima/Sakurajima or two nights in one place. If possible, spend another night there to explore Kirishima area.

Fukukoka is not overtly interesting. Spending a full day and night is sufficient. Ramen + ramen + castle park + temple in a day is more than enough. If you are interested in trying out as many Yatai as possible, day trip to Nagasaki and night in Fukuoka. (Not possible if your Nagasaki includes island hopping)

Stay a night in either Beppu or Yufuin and day trip to the other. I recommend Beppu as it is the most accessible one. However, if you are not staying in Suginoi (Good for sunrise onsen and buffet dinner) then Yufuin is the better choice due to the traditional shopping lanes that open till after sunset.

Thanks Ken and Joshua for all the useful advice. :)

My first trip to Kyushu so i am going for a sampling of the cities. Going with elderly folks makes packed schedules tough and I am also concerned with constant travelling with many luggages. so going easy for the trip.next trip i will focus on cities i like.

For Nagasaki, i only have 1 day. I intend to cover Atomic Bomb museum, dejima, Glover garden, oura church, hamanomachi, fuchi shrine. Mt Inasa at night. is it still possible to set aside time for Gunkajima? are some of the places i listed not so interesting so i can skip?

Many Thks.