Originally Posted by
angra
As a gift to myself after quitting my job of over 20 years, I booked a trip to Japan for November, figuring I'd fill in the details later.
I have 13 days on the ground, and I'm thinking of spending about half in Tokyo, and the rest exploring somewhere new. Kyushu seemed like a good candidate.
I am thinking roughly of about 3 days in Nagasaki and 3 days in Fukuoka.
My interests are primarily history, nature/hiking, food, and any experience/sights that are unique to Japan. I'll be traveling solo.
Do the FT Japan experts have any thoughts or comments on my nascent protoplan? Is my mix of days reasonable as a starting point? Am I missing something important or shortchanging the region by spending only 6 days?
I'm working my way through japan-guide, but the information density isn't quite as high for this region as Tokyo et al.
I visited Kyushu as a solo traveler this past winter. Spent roughly 4-5 days total traveling from Fukuoka to Kunisaki Peninsula and finishing in Yufuin. IMO 3 days in Fukuoka is a bit much. You can cover the major sites in about a day. If you're interested in history and hiking, Kunisaki Peninsula is a good place. I signed up for a hiking tour that went through a couple of mountain ridges. Along the way we visited temples, shrines, and ruins that played a part in the transmission of Buddhism into Japan. I did a TR, and there might be some info there that could be of use to you. My hiking guide, who lives in Nagasaki, says its an interesting place. There's a mix of Dutch, Chinese, Portuguese, and Christian influence present in the city.