kevincrumbs

The non-stop flights from HKG, TPE, etc. seem to suggest that.

I'm in midst of planning a Shikoku visit in November and everything I've read and come across besides FT doesn't really sell Kochi very well. I guess if I'm into Sakamoto Ryoma I should go? The more obvious attractions seem to be up north while Kochi seems like it's more about the vibe as you point out.

freecia

Mostly nature, it seems Outdoors in Kochi ?????????? ? There's also a limestone cave https://jprail.com/category/travel-i...spring-shikoku

Tosa Kagura is held between October to December
Tosa Kagura Dance ??????????
Journeys in Japan episode featuring Monobe, Kochi (I missed this episode) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGNw1JqnZPs

ETA: Here's what NHK World J-Trip features in Kochi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SyFr9zS0_A

Jay71

Just a quick follow-up.
We home based in Fukuoka and used a regular 7 day JR rail pass (used the latter half to get to Kyoto and Tokyo) supplemented with a day of point to point to Dazaifu to get around Kyushu.
Fukuoka. Love it. Wish we had more time to explore other parts of the city. Didn't get around to trying a yatai stall. We came across a few along Nakagawa street and were going to go back but never got around to it.
Dazaifu. Daytripped to Dazaifu. Nice town and temple grounds. Happy we visited.
Nagasaki. Overnight stay. Happy we overnighted instead of a day trip. Lots to see. Could have spent another day there. Didn't get around to doing gunkanjima. Sunset views from Mt Inasa were a highlight. The streetcars were handy destination-wise but they got so packed.
Beppu/Yufuin: Daytripped. Beppu was kind of a disappointment because as stated above, it felt like a bit of a concrete jungle. We didn't give it a much of a chance though because it was raining. Might give it another try during another trip. Loved Yufuin. It's a nice, though somewhat touristy, walk from the train station to the lake.
Kagoshima/Sakurajima: Somewhat surprised we could daytrip to Kagoshima so fast on the shinkansen whereas it took so long to get to Nagasaki and Beppu/Yufuin. Happy we visited Kagoshima and Sakurajima. Interested in going back. The ash'iness was a bit of a pain in the rear though.

Would like to do another trip to Kyushu. Loved Fukuoka would like to revisit some places and see some of the places we missed: Kumamoto, Saga, Kokura/Mojiko.

Again, thanks for all the help and suggestions.

abmj-jr

Sounds like you had a great trip. ^

If you plan another trip to Kyushu, an interesting and engaging day trip from Fukuoka/Hakata or Nagasaki is Shimabara. The last Christian hold-out castle from the feudal era is interesting and a bit disturbing and the rides on the local trains down the coast to get there are very scenic. I also recommend the volcanic eruption museum, which is just across the parking lot from the castle. The movies shown in the tiny museum theater are primarily in Japanese but some are subtitled in English. It is a little eerie, looking up at the volcano looming over you and seeing videos of the destruction it caused quite nearby. The tiny, quaint little Shimabara station is impossible to ignore if you are a photographer.

Jay71

Thanks, I'll add Shimabara to my spreadsheet. I love scenic. Sounds like a cool town to tack onto a stay in Nagasaki.

Jay71

Just to build on this thread...
We've cashed in some loyalty points and are heading to Japan again, this time stopping in Tokyo for 6 days in June 2019 so are looking for suggestions again. This trip, we're probably going to try to keep our exploration in and around Tokyo and at furthest, do some easy day trips. And I'm guessing it's going to be pretty hot and humid.

Grabbing some of the suggestions in this thread already, we're going to:
Check out day trips to Nikko, Hakone, Kawagoe, Chichibu, Mito, Nagano, and Aizu-Wakamatsu. Nikko and Hakone are likely at the top of the list at this point.
Do some preliminary research on Chiba, Tama and Kanagawa.
Likely make it out to Akabane-Jujo this time around. We didn't have too much time in Tokyo during this past May's trip so we just visited the common districts in Tokyo plus a side trip to Kichijoji. Would love some additional neighbourhood suggestions.

TIA

abmj-jr

The earlier part of June is the rainy season. Be prepared.

Jay71

Thanks for the heads up. That kind of sux but prep for the worst, hope for the best I suppose.

kaka

freecia

How did you get a reservation? I had my Visa Concierge call and was told they don't take reservations from CC & hotel concierge I'm probably going to try tableall/voyagin which comes with a premium.

runningonfumes

hardly in and around tokyo for day trips for many of these. it would be dumb to do a day trip from tokyo to Aizu-Wakamatsu. heck, it would be easier to do a day trip to Sendai...but hardly in and around tokyo. it seems like you fall into the trap of many that don't actually visit tokyo at all.

Jay71

We ended up choosing Tokyo because the routing worked out on our rewards redemption and we love Japan. However, we purposely don't want to focus exclusively on Tokyo on this trip because I visited Tokyo last year, twice this year (a few days at the tail end of the 2018 trip I initially sought guidance for in this thread and another few days connecting on the way back from a last minute business trip), and a couple of more times before that. We don't want to go as far as Kansai region (done) or Hokkaido (which I also mused about in the thread for 2018) but wouldn't mind some day trip options and new neighbourhoods to layer onto to a few favourites in Tokyo we always re-visit.
The main daytrip list was from someone I recognize as a longtime contributor to Japan forum so I'll be researching those options. But thank you for your feedback too.

abmj-jr

Not everyone thinks Tokyo is the end-all, be-all of a trip to Japan.

runningonfumes

I misunderstood. Sorry.

I thought you wanted to visit Tokyo but then posted many day trips.

I do stand by 3.45 minutes back and forth to Aizu is insanity for a day trip but I see so many stupid day trips from so many places in Japan I bite my tongue. There is some fantastic onsen hotels there. The issue as many know in Tohoku is you can't just sit on the shinkansen line. That's the issue with Aizu.

Personally, an open one way redemption of avios will get your far and 7 day rail pass back can make the flight into tokyo moot.

But perhaps my post count makes me unknowledgable.

Let all the kind pleasant experienced posters come to your rescue and support an almost 8 hour round trip day trip.

kaka