itinerary in progress

I will be in Japan from Sept 20 to Oct 7, 2007. 7 day JR pass. Plan to visit tsukiji on Sept 22, 2007 Saturday. hope they are open. eating at daiwa.

Kansai: koyasan 1 night
izu peninsula (ise shima, mikimote, ise city), takeyama

kyushu: fukuoka, hakata, kagoshima, beppu.

I don't know how many days per site. Please advise.

Uji, Help!

Plan to visit tsukiji on Sept 22, 2007 Saturday. hope they are open.

It is open, as mentioned in a different thread.

izu peninsula (ise shima, mikimote, ise city)

It sounds you are referring to the Shima Peninsula rather than the Izu Peninsula:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4310.html

takeyama

Takayama?

kyushu: fukuoka, hakata, kagoshima, beppu.

Note that Hakata is a district of Fukuoka.

A possible itinerary for a medium to fast paced journey:

Tokyo (3+ nights) - Takayama (1-2 nights) - Shima Peninsula (1-2 days) - Koyasan (1 night) - Fukuoka (2 nights) - Beppu (1-2 nights) - Kagoshima (1-2 nights)

I am still working on my Kyushu portion of my 14 day jr pass. I want to go to Hakata (2 nights), Nagasaki (day trip), Kagoshima (1-2), Ibusuki (day trip), Miyazaki 1 night, Beppu 1 night.
Uji, is this a good plan? You mentioned Kumamoto in one of the threads ( I can't find it now...) Is Kumamoto worth a visit? How do you like Miyazaki? Please advise. Thanks!

It is a fast paced itinerary, but it looks doable and interesting.

About Kumamoto:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4500.html

If you are into nature, you could also consider a visit to Aso or Kirishima national park.

Is there anything interesting we can see in 3-4 hours? I have seen Himeji Castle which is the best in Japan. I have seen all the gardens in Kyoto which are the best in Japan.

Maybe I can just sightsee along the Kumamoto JR station? Anything interesting near there?

Or I can just sit and enjoy the infamous basashi (raw horse meat) that Kumamoto is known for.

Thanks Uji, I hope you can suggest something good for me.

I am going from Nagasaki to Kumamoto (enroute day trip 3-4 hours) then to Kagoshima (1-2 nights). It will be a long day but possible!

About Kumamoto's attractions:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4500.html

If you have 4 hours, you could see one of the two main attractions or even both if you hurry. Or try basashi. Umasakura is a restaurant in the shopping arcade in the city centers that specializes in all kinds of horse meat dishes, but it does not open until 5pm:
http://www.umasakura.com/contents/map.html

uji,
I do not know what sequence of cities I should visit.
I was thinking of:

tokyo- stay in ginza overnight for tsukiji 5 am daiwa line up. same day go to iseshi ise city (overnight)1-2 nights to see the famous shrines, day trip to toba (mikimoto).

from iseshi to koyasan is 4 hrs with 5 transfers, this scares me. too confusing with all that tsfs. do you suggest I go from iseshi to hakata (5 hrs, only 3 tsfs)?

my hakata portion seems to be okay now hakata, nagasaki, kumamoto, kagoshima, ibusuki, miyazaki beppu.

please suggest a better sequence of cities to visit.

thanks,

from iseshi to koyasan is 4 hrs with 5 transfers, this scares me. too confusing with all that tsfs.

If you break it down and study it in detail, the confusion and scaryness will disappear.

The journey leads via Osaka.

How to get from Ise to Osaka:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4304.html?aFROM=2157_4301

How to get from Osaka to Koyasan:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4904.html

I think I have finalized my trip. Please give me feedback.

14 day JR Pass
Tokyo to Nagoya (base for 4 nights)
Daytrip to Iseshi & Toba
Daytrip to Kanazawa
Daytrip to Takayama

Go to Hakata (3 nights)
Daytrip to Nagasaki
Daytrip to Beppu

Go to Kagshimachuo (4 nights)
Daytrip to Ibusuki
Kagoshima sight see
Overnight at Miyazaki
Kagoshima (I need another daytrip?)

Go back to Hakata (2 nights)
Sightsee in Hakata...

Go back to Tokyo

How does it sound? I have cut it a lot from my original plan, but added a few "free" days to just relax.

Are there any great cities I should include as daytrip?

Thanks for reading and give me your feedback please!

:)

Sounds good. How about returning from Kagoshima to Fukuoka with overnight stops in Miyazaki and Beppu?

Thanks Uji,
I have taken your suggestion into action. I booked the hotels already but for my Miyazaki Hotel, the map says exit from "JR nippo main line". Would I have to transfer from JR Miyazaki Station to "JR nippo main line"?

The Nippo Main Line is the main railway line, that runs along the east coast of Kyushu (from Kokura via Miyazaki to Kagoshima).

I personally find Kenrokuen the most beautiful beautiful Japanese landscape garden. Korakuen is beautiful, too, but not quite as captivating.

Try to avoid the crowds.

Uji, I took your advice and booked overnight stays at Miyazaki, Beppu. But now I have 2 days extra. I tried fitting in an Overnight stay in Osaka and Koyasan, but I cannot stay in Koyasan because all the rooms are smoking only. I am allergic to cigarette smoke.

Can you suggest something? Maybe 2 nights in Okayama, plus a daytrip? Is Okayama expensive for hotel?

I only have a week to plan..........

But now I have 2 days extra.

How come? Did you drop Kagoshima?

If you want to continue to Okayama after Beppu, I recommend to spend a total of three nights and two full days along the Kyushu east coast (Miyazaki, Beppu) in order to slow it down.

My trip is getting very hectic...

14 day JR Pass
Tokyo to Nagoya (base for 4 nights)
Daytrip to Iseshi & Toba
Daytrip to Kanazawa
Daytrip to Takayama

Go to Hakata (3 nights)
Daytrip to Nagasaki
Hakata sightsee, Daizufu/Tenjin

Go to Kagshimachuo (3 nights)
Daytrip to Ibusuki
Kagoshima sight see

Go to Miyazaki overnight

Go to Beppu overnight

Go back to Kurishiki (bec. hotels in Okayama are full.)(2 nights) sightsee in Okayama and Kurishiki. Daytrip to Kobe and Arima.

Go to Ueno overnight JR Rail Pass expires.

Uji, do you think this is will hectic?

Yes, it is a packed itinerary. But then again, since you use a lot of base cities, you will be able to settle down a little bit and, in case you get too tired, replace a planned day trip by a day of relaxation.

The Miyazaki-Beppu-Kurashiki part will be packed, as mentioned above. Lots of travelling and not much time to see the sights of Miyazaki and Beppu.

Hi Uji,
I just got back from my trip.
My itinerary was good but I did not follow it too much. I found I did not like some cities like Hakata--maybe because my hotel (Comfort Inn) suprised me with a bigger bill than I had booked. Plus the bathroom was moldy. Sometimes hotels can make or break a trip.

I liked Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Aoshima (breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean waves), YudaOnsen, Shin-Yamaguchi, Gero, Kanazawa (I had ice cream with gold flakes), Kusatsu Onsen, Ibusuki...