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FUK- TOHOKU - HAKODATE - TOKYO - FUK

sarahzen
sarahzen
about 9 years ago
62 answers

Hi,

I plan to be in JApan Sep 28 - Oct 12, 2017 - MAnila - Fukuoka- MAnila.
I really wish to see autumn in North JApan plus a side trip to Tokyo. My first time to use the JRpass. My first time to Tokyo n Tohoku; been to Osaka/ Kyoto/ Nara in spring 2015.

I have earlier planned a FUK - TOKYO - FUK itinerary but i realized I really wanted to see TOHOKU area for the autumn views. So, i changed my itinerary . See below. Is it too hectic if using JR PAss 14 days?
SEP 28 - FUK - arriving 8pm.
Sep 29 - HAkata- Osaka - Tokyo_ Akita - will take breaks in train station; overnite in AKita
SEp 30 - AKITA - AOMORI ; overnite in Aomori
OCT 1 - AOMORI - HAKODATE ( night 1 in HAKodate)
OCT 2 - HAKodate night 2
OCT 3 - HAkodate night 3
Oct 4 - ck out HAkodate ; travel to TOKYO - night 1 in TOkyo
OCT 5 - 11 TOKYO, ck out Tokyo
OCT 11 - travel back to HAkata Fukuoka
OCT 12 - flight out of FUK 8pm

  1. For the TOHOKU part of my trip - Is it really worth the trip up to HAkodate or I can end my JR trip in AOMORI, or even stop at AKITA? I only have Sep 30 - OCt 4 for Akita/ Aomori and HAkodate - one nite each in Akita and Aomori enough? I planned 3 nites in HAkodate. Should I give them 2 nites each? I like ryokans, onsen hot baths, outdoor baths, spectacular autumn views but not very cold climate.

  2. Is there an overnite trip for JR PAss for HAKATA - AKITA or TOKYO - HAKATA leg of my trip ? I do not mind taking the sleeper train.

Thank you in advance for the advice. :]

Toraneko
Toraneko
1303 posts
about 9 years ago

Hi,
A rail pass could certainly help you here, but you are simply biting off more than you can chew. From Fukuoka to Akita will take you more than 10 hours, completely killing the whole day for you. And there are no sleeper trains from Fukuoka. There are some dirt cheap airfares you can take advantage of though - you can use JAL's Visit Tohoku Fare and fly from Fukuoka up to either Sendai or Hanamaki for just ¥5400, and from there use a rail pass to save at least half a day.
It's up to your interests of course, but it's unclear why you'd want 3 nights in Hakodate. A whole day and night would really be enough to see the highlights. The view from the top of Mt. Hakodate at night is a must though. Akita and Aomori Prefectures both have some good sights, but the cities themselves, much less so, particularly Akita City. Aomori City is better, although the festival times are the best. You might like to see the Seiryuji Great Buddha there.

For places with the best autumn colors, see here.

You should not miss seeing Fukuoka also. Don't miss the Nanzoin Temple which is one of Japan's finest yet almost totally unknown to the outside world. See this site as a good guide. Try the tonkotsu ramen there which is a culinary delight.

Good luck.

Useful!1
sarahzen
sarahzen
62 posts
about 9 years ago

Good morning :]

Thank you for the most useful inputs - there's nothing like an expert insider's 'eye' than just reading the articles on the net!

I will revise my itinerary to consider above advice.

Am now more excited about my coming trip :]

Useful!0
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