9 days across Kyushu, Japan | what to eat and do #roadtrip

Everyone talks about Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto… but Kyushu is unlike anywhere else in Japan. I’ve been putting off editing this vlog (the final part of my 3-part Kyushu road trip vlog series) for months since our trip last autumn. I tried my best to cut down the length, but it still ended up being almost an hour long. I just couldn’t choose which memories to leave out, so I didn’t. I’m not sure if people even watch vlogs this long, but I hope it’s helpful for even one person planning a trip to Kyushu!

Kyushu felt slower, more raw, and less crowded compared to other popular Japan destinations. It’s not overly crowded yet, but it’s slowly gaining attention, and I truly think now is the best time to visit before it gets too busy.

I shared some reflections on my family’s road trip, what I would do differently, and tips for planning your own Kyushu trip (check the comments 👇).

[Please change the setting to 4k]

⏰ Timestamps
00:00 – Intro
00:43 – Day 1 (Fukuoka)
04:50 – Day 2 (Fukuoka, Nagasaki)
09:28 – Day 3 (Nagasaki, Kumamoto)
18:41 – Day 4 (Kumamoto)
24:01 – Day 5 (Kumamoto, Kagoshima)
32:00 – Day 6 (Kagoshima)
39:00 – Day 7 (Kagoshima, Miyazaki)
44:58 – Day 8 (Miyazaki, Oita)
50:41 – Day 9 (Oita, Fukuoka)

#kyushu #roadtrip #japanvlog

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I make videos sharing my career break journey, small adventures, hobbies, and new experiences in Singapore and overseas!

@dreamwithmin 4 weeks ago

Hiiii, sharing some of my reflections from planning this trip :)))☺️

– Do you need to drive: You can definitely do Kyushu without driving a car, but it would be more inconvenient, require much more time and have more restrictions. Most attractions (especially nature ones) are not near the train stations, and the only public transport option would be to take a bus. Buses are not the most frequent and during peak seasons may be crowded. Another option is to book day tours, but the cost adds up quickly, and such tours lack flexibility. Often, I find that once the tour groups reach the location, it no longer feels the same or have the same vibe due to the large number of people arriving at the same time. The more convenient and efficient option would be to rent a car or to pair the JR Kyushu Pass with a rental car.

– KEP Pass: I read online that getting the Kyushu Expressway Pass (KEP) is a must to save money when driving in Kyushu. An 8-day pass costs 19,400 yen. My dad ultimately decided not to get the KEP because some sections of the expressway are excluded. It turned out to be the right choice, as our total toll only amounted to 15,440 yen (we saved around 4,000 yen).

– ETC Card: When you rent a car, remember to add the ETC card, it makes paying tolls so much more convenient.

– Driving car insurance: I strongly recommend opting for full coverage car insurance. We sustained a large scratch (so deep that the rental car lady thought that we had been in an accident) due to a protruding metal fence at a carpark and didn’t have to pay any additional amount when returning the car.

– Car size: Try not to get an extremely large car, as we encountered quite a few roads that are quite narrow. The largest I would suggest going for would probably be the size of the car we drove (Toyota Sienta).

– Itinerary Planning: The itinerary in this vlog, while not fast-paced, is still tiring in that it covers 6 prefectures in only 9 days. There is limited time to fully immerse in each prefecture. My travel mates have also complained of the lack of chill coffee shop stops. If I could redo the trip with the same number of days, I would cut down on one prefecture so that I would have more time to chill and vibe in each city and the surrounding areas.

– Night driving: The way our itinerary panned out resulted in quite a few days of driving at night (eg, itoshima to nagasaki; kumamoto to kagoshima). While it’s not that difficult or dangerous compared to other road trip destinations, I would have preferred to complete the long-distance driving during the day.

– Accommodation booking: When booking accommodations, I would also explore Japan booking websites such as Rakuten Travel, etc and not just the usual booking.com, agoda.com, etc.

3 Comments

@dreamwithmin 4 weeks ago

Hiiii, sharing some of my reflections from planning this trip :)))☺️

– Do you need to drive: You can definitely do Kyushu without driving a car, but it would be more inconvenient, require much more time and have more restrictions. Most attractions (especially nature ones) are not near the train stations, and the only public transport option would be to take a bus. Buses are not the most frequent and during peak seasons may be crowded. Another option is to book day tours, but the cost adds up quickly, and such tours lack flexibility. Often, I find that once the tour groups reach the location, it no longer feels the same or have the same vibe due to the large number of people arriving at the same time. The more convenient and efficient option would be to rent a car or to pair the JR Kyushu Pass with a rental car.

– KEP Pass: I read online that getting the Kyushu Expressway Pass (KEP) is a must to save money when driving in Kyushu. An 8-day pass costs 19,400 yen. My dad ultimately decided not to get the KEP because some sections of the expressway are excluded. It turned out to be the right choice, as our total toll only amounted to 15,440 yen (we saved around 4,000 yen).

– ETC Card: When you rent a car, remember to add the ETC card, it makes paying tolls so much more convenient.

– Driving car insurance: I strongly recommend opting for full coverage car insurance. We sustained a large scratch (so deep that the rental car lady thought that we had been in an accident) due to a protruding metal fence at a carpark and didn’t have to pay any additional amount when returning the car.

– Car size: Try not to get an extremely large car, as we encountered quite a few roads that are quite narrow. The largest I would suggest going for would probably be the size of the car we drove (Toyota Sienta).

– Itinerary Planning: The itinerary in this vlog, while not fast-paced, is still tiring in that it covers 6 prefectures in only 9 days. There is limited time to fully immerse in each prefecture. My travel mates have also complained of the lack of chill coffee shop stops. If I could redo the trip with the same number of days, I would cut down on one prefecture so that I would have more time to chill and vibe in each city and the surrounding areas.

– Night driving: The way our itinerary panned out resulted in quite a few days of driving at night (eg, itoshima to nagasaki; kumamoto to kagoshima). While it’s not that difficult or dangerous compared to other road trip destinations, I would have preferred to complete the long-distance driving during the day.

– Accommodation booking: When booking accommodations, I would also explore Japan booking websites such as Rakuten Travel, etc and not just the usual booking.com, agoda.com, etc.
@hellllooooooooo11 4 weeks ago

wow so nice
@RaelynTan-l3w 4 weeks ago

wow, makes me feel like going to Japan again!!!