Third time in Japan - My itinerary

Hi everyone,
I've been to Japan twice before, once in 2012 (Tokyo) and once in 2017 (Kansai). In mid-March I'll return with a friend for a 2,5 weeks holiday. We want to focus mainly Kyushu and Southern Honshu this time, however we'll spend a few days in Tokyo as well since my friend has never been there and we'll fly back home from there as well. We'll buy a 14-day Japan Rail Pass. I already have a vague itinerary in mind, but I'm still unsure about a few things and I'm also open to suggestion if parts of it could be improved.

- 3 nights Fukuoka: This is where we'll land. I think Fukuoka should have a lot to offer, but we might also do some sidetrips, e.g. Nagasaki
- 2 nights Kagoshima
- 1 night Yakushima: This one I'm uncertain about. A single night might not be enough, and maybe it's better to do something on Kyushu instead and stay based in Kagoshima, or even another day in Fukuoka? Really not sure.
- 1 night Kagoshima (after returning from Yakushima)
- 3 nights Hiroshima: Exploring the city and probably also a day-trip to Miyajima
- 1 night Onomichi: We want to do the Shimanami Kaido cyclepath. Not sure yet what we'll do about our heavy bags.
- 1 night Oshima/Omishima: We'll stay on one of the islands along the way of the Shimanami Kaido so we don't have to rush the path in one day
- 1 night Imabari
- 2 nights Kyoto: We've already been there, but want to go see the Miyako Odori
- 3 nights Tokyo

What do you think? I'm unsure if it's too rushed, so maybe there's something I should leave out? Keep in mind I've already seen Kyoto and Tokyo though, I'm well aware you can't really see those in 2/3 days. :)

Have you checked if a 14 day JRP is paying off? I am no big expert on this, but there are regional passes, and as you are only doing one direction, it might be cheaper to get a pass for Kyushu and then either pay out of the pocket for the rest, or a 7 day for Kyushu to Tokyo. Just play around a bit, if there are cheaper options.


- 1 night Onomichi: We want to do the Shimanami Kaido cyclepath. Not sure yet what we'll do about our heavy bags.
- 1 night Oshima/Omishima: We'll stay on one of the islands along the way of the Shimanami Kaido so we don't have to rush the path in one day
- 1 night Imabari

Japan has a very good system with luggage forwarding. I.e. you can bring only a small luggage (back-pack? saddle bag? for what you need for the Shimanami Kaido and send all your remaining luggage already to your next accommodation. E.g. in Imabari, or even directly in Kyoto.
It normally takes about 1 - 2 days for luggage to arrive, so plan accordingly. Shipment from a lot of Conbini's is possible.
Even if you are not staying at a hotel (which would receive your luggage while you are away), you can use the service, by sending your luggage to a closeby Yamato Kuroneko (or other company) pick up point. Beware, they might be closed on weekends though.

Kuroneko has a good English service as well, including phone service where you can get all your questions answered: http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/

For riding the Shimanami Kaido, I agree that 2 days is best, as it gives you a lot of time to explore the islands. I did it 2 years ago (as part of a 2 months trip through Japan) and enjoyed it a lot:

Day 1 http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2017/11/day-48-shimanamikaido-p...
Day 2 http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2017/11/day-49-shimanami-kaido-...

Assuming that you do not bring bicycles with you for your trip, please research before where and how you can rent bicycles. You might need to reserve them before.

Enjoy your trip to Japan!

Thanks! I've mainly looked at the train fare if I bought the train tickets one by one, where the rail pass would save a lot of money. I've only glanced at the regional passes, but maybe I should have a closer look.

Sending the luggage to Kyoto from Onomichi could be a good idea. I haven't come around to using the luggage forwarding system on my previous trips though I know most Japanese people use them. It probably doesn't help that the last time I used such a system in Germany, I spent a week without my luggage. ^^ In Japan it's probably more reliable though.

I�fd question 3 nights in Fukuoka - it�fs too long for me.
Also, I�fd think about staying a night in Nagasaki as it�fs a fair amount of travelling to go there and back in a day.

I think for the first day in Fukuoka we'll most likely be horribly jetlagged and won't want to do too many things, so we planned a bit more time in Fukuoka. I'll think about spending a night in Nagasaki though, thanks for the suggestion!

Japan Rail Pass sales rep here.

From the looks of your itinerary, it is definitely more efficient to get a single 14 day nationwide pass rather than multiple regional passes.

14 day pass: 47,250 yen

5 day All Kyushu Area pass: 18,330 yen
5 day Setouchi Area Pass: 17, 310 yen
Kyoto to Tokyo single ticket: 13,320 yen
Total: 48,960 yen


With all that travel you're doing it is assuredly cheaper to use a pass over individual tickets. As your trip exceeds the 14 day limit of the pass, make sure you activate it only on the second or third day in Fukuoka so that it incorporates the Kyoto > Tokyo leg of the trip.

Itinerary-wise, I also recommend that you spend one less night in Fukuoka and one more in Yakushima, it's an expensive trip, make the most of that place! Also since you have 3 days in Hiroshima I recommend a quick daytrip out to somewhere else in Chuugoku, perhaps Okayama or Yamaguchi

It is quite an adventurous trip you're taking here, I wish you luck in your planning and hope you and your friend have fun!