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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/WingdowsZeven on 2024-11-27 21:49:09+00:00.
I just returned from a 26-day solo Japan trip focused on Kyushu and thought I should do a write-up for my trip as I did my last trip in 2023. I spent 18 days in Kyushu before heading to Seoul for 6 days and then wrapping it up with 3 days in Tokyo at the end. This is my third trip to Japan and second solo, so I just did what I wanted in my Tokyo days. This write-up will focus on my experiences in Kyushu. The main focus was food and sightseeing, with shopping scattered throughout the trip.
My flight was from YVR to NRT with Japan Airlines and was CAD$1,100. I landed in Narita Terminal 2 from YVR at 4:00pm and cleared immigration in about 20 minutes. I filled out my customs and immigration forms on the plane just before landing. Unfortunately, I shared my flight with two classes of Japanese students who were returning to Japan, and all had checked luggage, which meant waiting for my own luggage took longer than normal. I took my AER Travel Pack 3 with a Bellroy 6L sling onto the plane while I checked in my MUJI 75L suitcase with a smaller 32L carryon inside of it.
I cleared customs shortly after and I bought tickets for the Skyliner at 4:50pm from the machine. I had to travel to my hotel next to Haneda because my flight to Miyazaki was from there and settled in.
Weather
- The weather in Kyushu was spectacular. It was 20-25c everyday and the only day it “rained” was when I landed in Miyazaki. It was sunny and humid and I actually got tanned there. On most days, I wore a t-shirt and had to head back to the hotel to shower and change before heading out in the evenings again.
Expenses
- I took 300,000 yen (around CAD$2,500 when I exchanged it back in July) and ended up using it all for shopping and eating. Being Canadian, the only option for a FX fee free credit card was one from ScotiaBank, but I did not travel frequently enough to open the card just for this trip. There was also a FX withdrawal fee associated with my debit card so I wanted to limit using that as well. I took out an additional 100,000 yen from the 7/11 ATMs throughout my trip as well.
- I had exchanged my cash back when CAD$1 = 116 yen, back in July. Of course I took the risk that it could keep going higher, but it fell back down and was much lower during my trip.
- Cash was still the best form of payment in many areas that I was headed to. Many temples and related shops were cash only, parking lot payment machines were cash only, and many smaller restaurants and souvenirs shops I came across were cash only. Even at the Canal City Ramen Stadium, I watched some tourists get turned away because all the ordering machines were cash only.
- All my accommodations (hotels and ryokan), flights, and rental car fees totaled around CAD$6k. Along with my shopping and eating, I spent around $9k for the entire trip.
- For hotels, I stayed at mostly 3-star hotels which were more than sufficient.
- In Kyushu, I stayed at a few JR Kyushu branches. JR Kyushu Miyazaki, JR Kyushu Kagoshima, and JR Kyushu Blossom Hakata Station. In Kumamoto, I stayed at The Blossom Kumamoto. My average cost was CAD$150 a night as I did value having a bigger room and bed.
Transportation
- I had my Sugoca from my previous trip and used that as my main IC card. I loaded it with 5000 yen every so often to pay for trains and smaller purchases at convenience stores. It was a great way to avoid the dreaded 1 yen coin.
- I purchased a 5-day North Kyushu JR Pass and used it for my days there. With the JR pass, I did not reserve for any train and simply got on the next train available in the unreserved seat cars. For my trips from Miyazaki-Kagoshima and Kagoshima-Kumamoto, I booked tickets at the station the day of my departure for the next available train with no issues.
- Rental car costs averaged around $60~ per day. This was with the basic insurance option selected and the basic car tier.
Food
- As with my previous trip, I did not line up for any food or restaurants. I had ideas of what to eat and would look up options when I felt hungry. I defaulted to the massive food halls common in many larger stations and department stores.
- I had around three meals a day at restaurants, and often a late-night snack. The theme for this trip was food, so I made sure to try as many options as I could. I often ordered side dishes and drinks with my meal as well. Because of this, I averaged around 5000+ yen a day on food.
Driving in Japan
- I had three separate rentals throughout my trip, and they were with Times Rental and Toyota Rental. Both agencies were very easy to work with and had clear guidelines on the rules on renting a car. Both agencies had English versions of their pamphlets available.
- I recommend renting an ETC card to make toll driving easier and not having to pay for tolls individually at every toll gate. The ETC card is returned when the rental is returned and a printout of all the tolls you passed through is provided and you pay it at the rental agency.
- Bring your own car mount and car charger for your phone. I believe some agencies have some for rental, but they are limited and quickly rented out. Best to be prepared and bring your own.
- I used Google Maps exclusively for all my navigations as I didn’t want to mess with the built-in one.
- The biggest difference driving on the left side of the road is remembering to look right for your rear mirror and hitting the turn signals with your right hand instead. It took a few hours to get used to driving on the other side but after repeatedly chanting “to the left” every time I turned, it became second nature.
- Driving in the cities is the same as driving in any other city – I would avoid it in the city centre if possible. Thankfully, most of my driving took part in the more rural areas, where there is less traffic and much less stressful driving. Take it slow, be alert, and don’t be afraid to pull over into one of many roadside stops and convenience stores to organize yourself.
- Getting gas was very easy at the full serve stations. I pulled up and said three words: “mantan – full tank”, “regular – regular gas”, “genkin – cash”. The attendant handled the rest. As I was provided with Hybrid vehicles, fuel efficiency was really good, and I only paid around 9000 yen total in gas for the trip.
- I highly, highly recommend downloading the offline Google Maps for the areas you plan to drive in, especially if you plan to head out to some more rural areas. Sometimes, the cell signal will drop and having no maps either is a big stress.
- I noticed that on expressways and roads, most road signs are accompanied by English as well even in some of the more remote areas.
Miyazaki
Overall, Miyazaki is a very quiet and laidback city and reminded me a bit of home. It was big enough but also not Tokyo or Osaka big. There are not many people, let alone tourists, here and I guess you get that “real Japan” or “off the beaten track” vibe everyone asks for in every other post. When I was shopping at GU and asked for the tax-free process, they had to grab a manager and pull out a manual to help me. I stayed at JR Kyushu Miyazaki which is attached directly to Miyazaki Station in a very convenient location. The hotel itself was very nice, and I believe that it was built or renovated recently as there were USB-C ports in my room. I would 100% stay here again on my next trip.
Day 1
- My flight to Miyazaki arrived around 9:30am and I was out of the airport and off to pick up my rental car. It was ridiculously hot and humid, and the intermittent rain did not help. I picked up my rental at 10:30am and was off to my first stop of my trip.
- I drove down to Aoshima Island (around 30 minutes) and parked in one of the big parking lots. I walked through the city and across the sand bridge/beach. The views were stunning, and I made it to the shrine on the island. I spent some time exploring the shrine before heading back and grabbed some souvenirs and a crepe from Aoshima Crepe.
- The next stop was Sun Messe Nichinan to check out the cool Moai statues. Unfortunately, I only really took some photos as the rain started up and the wind was picking up as well. I wished that the weather was nicer to really take in the area, but it was super interesting seeing the Moai Statues!
- I drove down to Udo Shrine and was directed to an appropriate parking lot by a flagger using my broken Japanese and hand gestures. The shrine ground and the areas around it were stunning. I think this is my top 3 favourite shrine to visit. You walk through the main tori gate, over a small bridge, before descending down the side of the cliff to the actual shrine hidden in the cliffs. The sound of the waves crashing into the cliffs makes everything see so serene.
- Originally I was planning to drive down to Cape Toi, but due to the weather I decided against it. I drove my way back up to Miyazaki and spent the night exploring the station area. I grabbed some tomato broth ramen from a nearby shop and later on some sushi from the supermarket.
Day 2
- I left my hotel at 6:15am and started the drive up to Takachiho Gorge. I had rented a ETC card (recommended) so I did not have to deal with the hassle of stopping and paying tolls at the gates. The Kyushu Expressway, and I suspect many of the other expressways in Japan are similar, is one lane each direction with long distances between passing lanes. While the speed limit is 70, if you get stuck behind someone going...
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