Originally Posted by
dmflys
Super helpful, thank you so much!! I'm so excited to go to Takefue, and as of right now I am leaning towards Asaba for our second ryokan stay although also contemplating Nishimura Hokan as we will be hitting the tail end of crab season. I still have a hole in our itinerary between Kanazawa and Takefue. I have been trying to find someplace not as busy as Kyoto or Osaka but that doesn't increase travel time by a huge margin. I looked into Wakayama but it seems it might be a little bit difficult to get too.
Options are endless, but here are three of them:
1) Go from Takayama to Gero, and stay at Shogetsu. It's a 45-minute train ride (no transfers needed) on the JR Hida. From Gero, it's another 1 hr. 45 minute train ride on the same line (JR Hida.) Then you can go onwards to Kyushu from Nagoya Station. You can also fly from Nagoya (Chubu Centrair Airport) to Fukuoka (many flights a day) or Kumamoto (2 flights a day.)
2) Fly to Fukuoka Airport or Oita Airport, and head on over to Yufuin. From Yufuin it's a 90 minute bus ride to Kurokawa Onsen (where Takefue is located.)
3) Fly to Kumamoto Airport and take a 2-hour limited express bus to Takachiho Station. Stay at Shinsen. To do this, you'd have to get an international driver's permit (easy to get) and rent a car. It's 75 minutes from Shinsen to Kurokawa Onsen. Return car at Kumamoto Airport, or pay a surcharge and drop it off at Fukuoka Airport.