TL;DR
- We skipped Tokyo and built an over 2-week Japan itinerary around Osaka, Kyushu, and Kyoto;
- The highlight was a Kyushu road trip combined with a unique overnight ferry (onsen included!);
- This approach made the trip more relaxed, less crowded, and surprisingly cost-effective;
- Best for travelers who prefer nature, flexibility, and off-the-beaten-path experiences;
- Not ideal if you want a classic “first-time Japan” itinerary with all the major highlights.
Intro
Whenever I hear someone talking about taking their first trip to Japan, I always hear about the Big Three – Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Similarly, when I explained our plan to anyone I talked to, the majority were seriously surprised that we wouldn’t see Tokyo at all. So why did we skip it in our itinerary?
First of all: I know myself and my partner, and we enjoy cities to a certain limit – the idea of spending over two weeks in large cities was not very appealing to us. We like to balance busy places with nature and more local, relaxed experiences.
The second reason was that I didn’t intend this trip to be my only visit to Japan, so I didn’t feel the pressure to squeeze in absolutely every attraction into one trip.
Spoiler alert –this turned out to be the best decision we could have made!
How did I plan it?
So what did we decide to see?
After hours of research and saving my favourite spots on Google Maps, to my surprise I found that there were many bucket list locations in the southern island of Kyushu. Many of those places I really didn’t want to miss, so I started to dig deeper into Kyushu, transport options and overall logistics. The moment I found out about an overnight ferry with an onsen on board, that runs between Beppu and Osaka – I was totally sold. I started to plan the itinerary around this ferry crossing. I was excited about the unique and comfortable way of traveling, which on top of that was extremely cost-effective, as it covered accommodation and transport in one price. It was much cheaper than combining a hotel stay with a separate Shinkansen ticket – the cabin option we chose was roughly the same price as a mid-range hotel in Osaka. However, the price range on Sunflower ferry is huge – starting from around 13.000 yen and finishing at most luxurious suites of 87.000 yen.
Trip Overview
We had 17 days of holiday in May and we travelled quite budget-consciously. The general plan was as follows:
- Flight to Osaka, recover there from the flight, enjoy the food scene and take the bullet train (Shinkansen) to Fukuoka
- Sightseeing in Fukuoka and move by train to Beppu, where we rented a car for our road trip and ended the circle there, to board the night ferry from Beppu. Car rental was very easy and surprisingly affordable. The fuel is also very cheap, however the costs of toll roads surprised us often exceeding 1200yen per toll gate. Just a quick reminder: Japan has a left-side traffic, so if you don’t have experience with it, make sure you choose the driver well.
- In Kyushu we made the full circle – from Beppu we went to mount Aso, Takachiho, then Miyazaki, Kumamoto, the surroundings of Fukuoka and Saga and back through Yufuin to Beppu.
- Then the ferry took us back to Osaka and we moved to Kyoto for the last five days and flew out of Osaka.
Detailed Day by Day Breakdown
Highlights of the trip
It was really difficult to select a few highlights, because we had such a diverse trip and each day felt quite unique, but if I had to choose five experiences I wouldn’t want to miss out on and would recommend to everyone, they would be:
· Driving through the beautiful and diverse landscapes of Kyushu – the views are changing every hour (from rolling green hills, to volcanoes and coastal roads with palm trees and fresh sea breeze) and driving gives you freedom to stop everywhere you see something interesting. You can also get to the most remote and less well-connected locations.
· Temple hopping in northwestern Kyoto by bike – renting an electric bike in Kyoto was a great choice, the city is very bikeable and friendly for cyclists. Additionally it makes temple hopping much more efficient and less tiring, you can cover more temples in a shorter time and stop at every little café you see on your way. We paid 3000yen for 24h, which was more expensive than public transport but much cheaper than taxis and gave us incredible flexibility;
· Ceramics treasure hunting in the city of Arita – I found Kouraku Kiln online and needed to visit it as I planned to buy some Japanese ceramic. The “fill-the-basket” concept is amazing and feels like a combination of thrifting, challenge and treasure hunt. The smell of the wooden boxes filles with all kinds of dishes and the sensation of handling them in special cotton gloves is unforgettable. The price for the baskets is incredible value for the number of pieces you can get;
· Sunset at Tsutenkaku tower in Osaka – we got extremely lucky and after waiting long in the queue to get to the upper levels of the tower and ended up there around 18:00. The beautiful pink-orange glow over the city, combined with slowly lighting up vibrant lights in the streets and the sun slowly disappearing behind the mountains was spectacular;
· Full traditional makeover photoshoot in Kyoto – I chose a photoshoot with Studio Kokoro in Arashiyama. The team was so professional, quick and organized, they had the most beautiful embroidered ceremonial kimonos to choose from and made the experience truly unforgettable. The photographer was excellent at guiding poses and directions. On top of that the pictures will be the most unique souvenir from the trip.
What would I change if I planned it again?
To be honest, I was quite surprised by my reflection on our itinerary. I planned Kyoto as the last stop of the trip, because I was expecting it to be a total highlight and wanted to finish on a high note. However, I didn’t expect that Kyushu would be so relaxed and non-touristy and that the contrast between the rural part and Kyoto would be so stark. If you enjoy nature and off-the-beaten-path destinations, in the order we travelled Kyoto may feel quite overwhelming with the number of tourists, intense commute and much higher prices compared to Kyushu. My recommendation to anyone planning a similar trip would be to do the big cities first and then move to the south to relax.
Who is this itinerary best for?
If you enjoy a variety of environments, you are not primarily focused on shopping and viral spots, but prefer unique experiences and local vibes, and enjoy spending time in nature, this trip could be great for you. Don’t get me wrong – we got our fair share of shopping and visited some Instagram-famous food spots, but that was not the main part of our trip.
Final thoughts: Was skipping Tokyo worth it?
For me – absolutely. I know that all three major cities would be extremely overwhelming and tiring for me and my partner. Additionally in Japan it’s really hard to stop yourself from shopping on every corner and big cities encourage it the most – thanks to our itinerary we were also able to make this trip more cost-conscious (I will write another article about the full cost breakdown). Kyushu is an absolute hidden gem, the beauty of the scenery, the serenity of sleepy onsen towns, tropical vibes in Miyazaki, local food spots, free temples and quiet, unattended shrines made this part of the trip truly special.
I know I will come back to Japan in the future and probably start from Tokyo next time, but for the first time and experiencing a more local, less tourist-heavy side of Japan, our plan was perfect.