Japan trip plans

[nyanbu]

NOVEMBER 1

Southwest 2002 Leaves Baltimore at 1:55PM EDT 11/1/2012
(1:55PM EDT 11/1/2012)
Arrives in Milwaukee at 2:50PM CDT 11/1/2012
(3:50PM EDT 11/1/2012)

Southwest 2002 Leaves Milwaukee at 3:20PM CDT 11/1/2012
(4:20PM EST 11/1/2012)
Arrives in Los Angeles at 5:50PM PDT 11/1/2012
(8:50PM EDT 11/1/2012)


NOVEMBER 2

ANA 1005 Leaves Los Angeles at 12:55AM PDT 11/2/2012
(3:55AM EDT 11/2/2012)
Arrives in Tokyo (Haneda) at 5:00AM JST 11/3/2012
(4:00PM EDT 11/2/2012)

ANA 241 Leaves Tokyo (Haneda) at 7:20AM JST 11/3/2012
(6:20PM EDT 11/2/2012)
Arrives in Fukuoka at 9:15AM JST 11/3/2012
(8:15PM EDT 11/2/2012)T


NOVEMBER 3 (SAT)

Arriving in Fukuoka at 9:15 AM. 1-2 hours estimated for customs and a quick snack.
With Lauren's pocket wifi we should be able to email home.

Take subway (Kuukou line) from Fukuokakuko Station to Tenjin Station (11 min).
Take subway (Kuukou or Hakozaki line) from Tenjin Station to Meinohama Station (14 min).
Take JR (Chikuhi line) from Meinohama Station to Chikuzenmaebaru Station (17 min).
Take JR (Chikuhi line) fron Chikuzenmaebaru Station to Karatsu Station (48 min).

Arrive in Karatsu around noon and store luggage at train station or at hotel.
Karatsu Festival runs all day. There's also a castle and scenic stuff, like a huge pine
forest right on the beach. Supposedly some of Kyushu's best sunsets are in Karatsu.

Karatsu has no hostels and the business hotels don't offer triple rooms, so we're stuck
with Japanese-style rooms. Karatsu Seaside Hotel (30 min walk from station) has a tatami
room for ¥27000 (¥19500 with early booking).

OR since that's pretty pricey, we could head to Saga on the 7PM train. We'd miss any night
festival, but we'd get to Yanagawa (and therefore Kumamoto) a little earlier the next day.
But we might just be ready to crash wherever, lol.

Take JR (Karatsu line) from Karatsu Station to Saga Station (1 hour 15 min).

Stay at Saga-ken Seinenkaikan, 20 min from Saga Station. Check-in is from 3pm to 10pm, and
we can pick up International Hosteling discount cards if we haven't already ordered them online
(however, it's much cheaper to get them online!). A Japanese-style room is ¥3500 per person, and
a dorm (mixed gender, I think) is ¥3100. There's no online booking, so we'd have to do it by
email.


NOVEMBER 4 (SUN)

Get some breakfast and check out of hotel.
Take JR (Karatsu line) from Karatsu Station to Saga Station (1 hour 15 min).
Walk to Saga-eki Bus Center (3 min).
Take bus (Minami Saga/Okawa-bashi/Kaneki/Yanagawa line) to Nishitetsu Yanagawa (48 min, ¥690)
Walk to Yanagawa Kawakudari pickup (4 min). Take river tour (70 min).

The local specialty food in Yanagawa is eel.

Take Nishitetsu (Tenjin-Oomuta line, limited express) from Nishitetsuyanagawa Station
to Omuta Station (15 min, ¥330).
Take JR (Kagoshima line) from Omuta Station to Kumamoto Station (50 min).
Take Kumamoto Tram (A line) from Kumamoto Station to Gofukumachi Station (3 min, ¥150).

Kumamoto has a well-rated hostel, "Dyeing and Hostel Nakashimaya." They also teach traditional
Japanese dyeing techniques! Check-in is between 4pm and 9pm, and there is no curfew. We can
stay in the female dorm for ¥2500/per person, or get a 4-bed family room for ¥3000/per person.

Since there's no curfew, we can spend the evening chilling around Kumamoto.


NOVEMBER 5 (MON)

Full day in Kumamoto. We can visit Kumamoto castle, Suizenji gardens and/or Honmyou-ji to
get our culture fix, and explore other parts of the city. There are also many laundromats
if we need clean clothes. The local specialty food is raw horse meat. There are many shopping
opportunities - Kamitori and Shimotori are traditional shopping areas, but there are more urban
shops too. There are plenty of arcades and clubs as well.

Stay night in Nakashimaya hostel again.


NOVEMBER 6 (TUE)

Take JR (Houhi line) from Kumamoto Station to Aso Station (1 hour 40 min).
We can leave our luggage at the train station or at the hostel (morning check-in is 8am-11am)

We can reach the top of the volcano by bus and cable car. There are areas for hiking and
even horseback riding, although the horses are a little pricey. Lots of gorgeous scenery.
They do close the mountaintop sometimes if the toxic gases are especially bad, but it re-opens
fairly quickly unless the weather is cloudy. If the weather is bad, we can visit Aso Shrine
in the neighboring town of Miyaji. It's really old, so it should be creepy on a foggy day.
There is also a waterfall accessible via a trail behind one of the other hostels.

Aso Base Backpackers hostel is very close to Aso Station. Evening check-in is 4pm-8pm, and
there is no curfew. English is spoken. The female dorm is ¥2800/per person.


NOVEMBER 7 (WED)

Take JR (Houhi line) from Aso Station to Bungotaketa Station (1 hour).
*Part of this line may still be closed due to landslides, but there's a bus.
Take JR (Houhi line) from Bungotaketa Station to Oita Station (1 hour 20 min).
Take JR (Kyuudai line) from Oita Station to Yufuin Station (1 hour).

Yufuin is very picturesque, and there are many traditional shops and restaurants. There's
also hiking in the mountains, and many pretty little neighborhoods to walk through if we're
not up for a hike. The main attractions are bathing and stuffing your face with huge amounts
of food.

Possible hotels:

Yufuin Country Road Youth Hostel: Unlike most hostels, they serve homestyle Japanese meals.
But we could also stay cheaply and eat expensively at a restaurant. There is a small indoor bath
It's about a 30 minute walk from the station, but there is bus service too.
¥3960/per person for dorm (probably mixed) without meals , ¥5640 with meals.
Private room is ¥6060 per person with meals.

Oyado Mokuren: Specializes in homemade, incredibly gorgeous kaiseki cuisine.
Japanese style rooms, near lake and old shrines. Private and public baths.
¥31950 with breakfast and dinner, might be able to get for ¥25650 through Rakuten.

Hasuwa: Turtle dishes are the specialty. Private and public baths. Japanese style rooms
with mountain view. Some English spoken. Close to the station.
¥25650 with breakfast and dinner.

Shimizu Ryoukan: It's in A CAVE. Very highly rated, fancy Japanese food and many baths.
Seems to be very foreigner friendly. But it's in Yunohira, not Yufuin, and it would be
necessary to take a bus or shuttle from Yunohira Station.
¥33390 with breakfast and dinner.


NOVEMBER 8 (THU)

Leisurely morning in Yufuin. We can stroll around town or check out the lake (20 min
from station) which should be beautiful in November. Head towards station around 11.

Take JR (Kyuudai line) from Yufuin Station to Oita Station (1 hour).
Take JR (Nippou line) from Oita Station to Beppu Station (15 min).
OR take JR (Sonic Nichirin line, limited express) from Oita Station to Beppu Station (8 min).

Beppu is a tourist town, so there's plenty to do. We can see some of the "hell springs" and
embrace the kitsch. And omfg is there kitsch.

Stay at Khaosan Beppu hostel (7 min walk from station). The female dorm is ¥2000/per person,
and a private triple room (with private bathroom) is ¥2800/per person. I doubt there is a
curfew. There's a laundromat next door. Check-in from 8am to 9pm, check-out 11am.


NOVEMBER 9 (FRI)

Take JR (Sonic Nichirin line, limited express) from Beppu Station to Nakatsu Station (1 hour).

Spend the day in Nakatsu~ Lauren can show us around and take us someplace good to eat.

There aren't any hostels in Nakatsu (well, there seems to be one, but they don't have a
website) but luckily hotels are not much more expensive than a hostel. We can stay near the
station for about ¥6000 total. Or just crash on the floor at Lauren's apartment, haha.


NOVEMBER 10 (SAT)

Take JR (Sonic Nichirin line, limited express) from Nakatsu Station to Kokura Station (45 min).

Spend several hours in Kokura. Lauren can give us the tour and show us where to eat.
When we're done in Kokura, we can head to Fukuoka.

Take JR (Tokaidou/Sanyou line, shinkansen) from Kokura Station to Hakata Station (40 min).

Stay at Khaosan Fukuoka hostel (8 min walk from Hakata Station). The female dorm is ¥2400/per
person and the private triple room is ¥2500/per person. There's no curfew, the staff speaks
English, and there's a laundromat nearby. Check-out is at 11am but they'll hold luggage all day.


NOVEMBER 11 (SUN)

Spend the day in Fukuoka. Hostel check-out is at 11am but they'll hold our luggage.
It's a big city, so we'll have no trouble finding stuff to do. We should head for the
airport in the late afternoon, since we'll need to be there a little early to print our
boarding passes.

Take subway (Kuukou line) from Hakata Station to Fukuokakuko Station (5 min.)

Grab some food at the airport and say our goodbyes. ;_____;

ANA 270 Leaves Fukuoka at 7:45PM JST 11/11/2012
(5:45AM EST 11/11/2012)
Arrives in Tokyo (Haneda) at 9:20PM JST 11/11/2012
(7:20AM EST 11/11/2012)


NOVEMBER 12 (MON)

ANA 1006 Leaves Tokyo (Haneda) at 12:05AM JST 11/12/2012
(10:05AM EST 11/11/2012)
Arrives in Los Angeles at 4:55PM PST 11/12/2012
(7:55PM EST 11/12/2012)

US Air 1518 Leaves Los Angeles at 9:25PM PST 11/12/2012
(12:25AM EST 11/13/2012)
Arrives in Phoenix at 11:52PM MST 11/12/2012)
(1:50AM EST 11/12/2012)


NOVEMBER 13 (TUE)

US Air 915 Leaves Phoenix at 12:40AM MST 11/13/2012
(3:40AM EST 11/13/2012)
Arrives in Baltimore at 6:47AM EST 11/13/2012
(6:47AM EST 11/13/2012)