Fukuoka arrival Golden week

Hi
I am in the planning stage of reserving flight ticket from Helsinki to Fukuoka in May. As the flight departs only on saturdays, tuesdays and thursdays I am deciding between arrival on 4th, 6th or 9th of May.I want to arrive early in May but as it collides with Golden Week I am not sure which would be the best. Is 6th still too early or is Fukuoka less affected?

Too early for what?

Fukuoka is far less impacted by Golden Week crowds than more populated places like Tokyo or Kansai.
It would help if you gave more info on your plans - where are you going? For how long?
Everyone laments travel during Golden Week, and it can be hell, but it is also a good opportunity to see some great places, like the wisteria at its peak at the Kawachi Fujien in Kitakyushu or Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi, the tulip festival in Toyami City, Toyama, the Nanohana Festival in Iiyama, Nagano, and countless other places. If you have to go to Japan during Golden Week, then make the most of the season.

If you are concerned, fly in early, get the jet lag done away with, and see some local sights. Fukuoka has its share too and is often overlooked by people who don't know what is there.
http://www.thejapanfaq.com/fukpic.html
http://bit.ly/1KAm8cU
Remember that people are rushing out of the big cities at the beginning of Golden Week and rushing back in at the end of it - if you are going the opposite direction, you can avoid a lot of the grief.

I went to Fukuoka this year for GW and it was no problem. So just choose the day of the flight that best suits you. In my experience so far GW is much less dramatic than we imagine.
There is a festival in Fukuoka during GW you might want to arrive there in time to see it for 1 day.

Enjoy your trip to Japan!

Thank you for your replies.

I have been to Fukuoka before several times and seen most of Kyuushu. Usually I arrive in Tokyo or Osaka when going to Japan. My aim is to head eastward toward Tokyo seeing some things on the west area of Chugoku before heading to Shikoku for a week.

I wanted to try a different approach than Tokyo Osaka arrival as the Fukuoka direct flights were not available when I traveled before.

Well what I heard of GW is the issues of reserving hotel rooms (full or overpriced due to GW), a lot of Travellers on trains and tourist destinations.

I went to Japan in early April a few years ago and during the cherry blossom in Kyoto the trains and shrines were packed with people it felt really intimidating...

And when in Japan during rainy season before that I felt lonesome insteas as there were barely no people at all.

Well I guess it is a bit more pricy during GW than outside of GW, but at least in Kyushu and Shikoku you don`t need to be afraid of insane crowds. I have been to both places in the last 2 GWs and no issues at all.

Now obviously if you have the luxury to decide the days you want to take vacation (as opposed to the Japanese who just have GW), then I would come right after GW.

During rainy season hotels etc. might be quite empty and cheap, but you get that at the price of rain. While May from GW onwards and up to early June is really very perfect weather in the general.

Your plan to see Kyushu and Shikoku sounds perfectly nice.

Enjoy your trip!

I will probably stay in Toyoko Inn chain or some cheaper hostels or hotels along the way when needed.

Actually I plan on renting a car to explore the south of Shikoku which is not as acessable by train as the other parts ( though I heard areas away from Shinkansen equals slow travel). I was somehow thinking of renting a small minicamper (a little longer, "normal" sized car with "beds") but havn't found any in the Shikoku area so far.