Originally Posted by
hikouki
Looking to spend Dec 26 ~ 30 in Japan. I thought the southern regions have a much more mild climate. Not really looking for the beaches of Okinawa although Okinawa itself is a consideration.
Anyway, flying into FUK would be more cost effective for me. If I choose to fly to either NGS (Nagasaki) or HIJ (Hiroshima), tickets are twice the price!!! However, since I am using points for my stay, the hotels in Nagasaki are way better than what the other two can offer.
So, my questions:
1) Which of the three destinations would be worth visiting in December? I'm more about sightseeing, perhaps shopping some local goods. Not into skiing (plenty of that where I come from. LOL)
2) I think if I stay in Fukuoka, a day trip to Nagasaki as well as Hiroshima are doable?
3) If I fly into FUK, but stay in Nagasaki, are there transfer options from the airport to downtown Nagasaki? I am pretty sure this is doable by train. But I usually carry a roll aboard plus one or sometimes two check in luggages (for shopping. LOL). Are there busses or group transfers available?
4) From Nagasaki, I am seeing that Hiroshima is almost 3 hours away and not doable as a day trip. What other cities are doable and worthy of a day trip from either Nagasaki or Fukuoka? Kumamoto?- isn't that where strawberries come from?
1) If sightseeing is your priority, without question, Nagasaki is much more historical and interesting. If you are taking a day trip to Nagasaki from Hakata Station, you can do your shopping in Tenjin while in Fukuoka.
2) A day trip is possible only if traveling by Shinkansen. The Shinkansen does not yet run directly from Hakata to Nagasaki, you have to take a Kamome Express train from Hakata Station to Takeo-Onsen, where you will catch the Shinkansen to Nagasaki. The entire trip takes about 1 hour and 27 minutes one way. It's actually faster to travel by Shinkansen from Hakata Station to Hiroshima Station, as it only takes 1 hour and 2 minutes.
3) There are buses from Nagasaki Airport (which is actually in the city of Omura) that take 43 minutes or 55 minutes, depending on the bus route you take. Please see the
Nagasaki Airport website for transportation details under "ACCESS". The website does not list any train options into Nagasaki from the airport, because you cannot catch a train from the airport. However, you could catch a bus from the airport to Omura City and catch the Shinkansen from there, but it it's more convenient just to take the bus directly to Nagasaki.
4) Kumamoto would be a fairly convenient day trip from Fukuoka but less so from Nagasaki because of the body of water that you have to navigate around or across that takes up time. From Nagasaki, a day trip to Hirado, Sasebo, or Shimabara would be easy. There is also a ferry from Nagasaki Airport to Huis Ten Bosch that takes 50 minutes.
Ferry｜Access｜Nagasaki Airport. Other possible day trips from Fukuoka are Kita-Kyushu (Kokura), Karatsu, and Takeo-Onsen, especially if you want onsen bathing.