⛩11D10N Japan Travel Guide 🎎

• Day 1 to 3: Fukuoka

• Day 4: Yufuin

• Day 5: Kumamoto

• Day 6: Day trip from Kumamoto to Aso and Kurokawa

• Day 7: Kurashiki

• Day 8: Day trip from Kurashiki to Okayama

• Day 9: Travel from Kumamoto to Tokyo

• Day 10: Day trip to Hakone

• Day 11: Tokyo

Jon and I travelled to Japan in November 2019 (autumn to winter). We enjoyed clear weather on all days of our trip, really blessed! As both of us have been to Tokyo before, we decided to spend majority of our trip in Kyushu region, where we spent time in Fukuoka, Yufuin, Kumamoto, Aso, and Kurokawa. 

This is the first time we did a multi-city long holiday that isn't a road trip. Compared to driving around in a car, it is definitely more tiring to drag the luggages around on trains and buses. Regardless, we are thankful that everything went pretty smoothly and we somehow managed to catch all the right shinkansen that brought us to our destinations!  🥳We bought the JR Pass as it is more worth it if you are travelling to multiple cities in different prefectures. Tip: You can book your ticket and seats in advance for the shinkansen (bullet trains), so do that upon arrival!

Day 1: Arrive in Fukuoka
Accommodation: Airbnb 

We took an overnight flight and arrived in Fukuoka in the morning. From the airport, we bought bus tickets that took us straight to Hakata station where our Airbnb is located nearby (very convenient, and about the same price as taking the train).

As it was still pretty early, we couldn't check in yet. Thus, we went for lunch at a popular Unagi Don store, Yoshizuka Unagi (博多名代吉塚うなぎ屋). We spent time shopping at Canal City Hakata, a large shopping and entertainment complex.

After checking in to our Airbnb, we walked back to Hakata station for more food and shopping. There's so many things to do around the station, as there are many shops close by. Be sure to go to the Depachika (underground of department stores) as this is where you can sample lots of food and buy them back as omiyage (souvenirs). 

Fukuoka is the birth place of Tonkotsu Ramen, so we tried one of the famous ones called Shin Shin for dinner. It was pretty hard to find, as the directions on the map and website weren't clear. But it's so worth the search (and the queue!).

Day 2: Kimono Rental in Fukuoka
Accommodation: Airbnb - (A703) 10 min from Hakata Station

On our second day in Fukuoka, we rented Kimono from Vasara Kimono Rental and explored the city! We visited Joten-ji Temple (承天寺) to take some pics (because Fukuoka city doesn't offer much photo-opportunities with the typical traditional Japanese backdrop).

Lunch was none other than Ichiran Ramen - a MUST-TRY especially when visiting Fukuoka. We prefer Ichiran over the Shin Shin Ramen we had the night before, as we could customise the noodle texture (well-done or al-dente) and even the broth's richness.

We basically spent the rest of our day eating and taking photos in our kimono. I think we ate the most food on this day as it was our first full day in Japan and we wanted to eat everything.

Day 3: Fukuoka to Yufuin
Accommodation: Yufuin Iyotomi (Ryokan)

We travelled to Yufuin from Fukuoka by train. Yufuin is a popular hot spring resort with many traditional and modern ryokans. There are many charming stores along the streets of Yufuin, and you can explore the place freely without planning an itinerary.

The highlight from this visit is definitely our ryokan with a private onsen, as well as a multi-course meal prepared by the ryokan chefs. They even prepared a breakfast buffet for the next day. Super healthy and tasty.

Day 4: Yufuin to Kumamoto
Accommodation: Airbnb

We took the Shinkansen from Yufuin to Kumamoto. The 3 hour ride passed by really quickly, and before we knew it, we had arrived and checked into our Airbnb that was conveniently located near the station.

One of the things I always look out for when booking an Airbnb is whether or not it offers a washer and dryer, because being able to do laundry during the trip means bringing less clothes - pack light with more space for shopping! 😉Thankfully, we were able to do our laundry at this Airbnb, and the timing couldn't be more perfect (mid-way through our trip).

We had amazing Tonkatsu from Katsuretsu Tei Shinshigai (勝烈亭 新市街本店) - MUST TRY when you are in Kumamoto! The pork is extremely tender and juicy. If you watch our travel vlog (around 6min 30 sec), you can hear Jon raving about the pork 😂😋To quote him, "Wah, the pork got standard man!" (pardon the Singlish haha).


After lunch, we headed to Suizenji-jojuen (水前寺成趣園). There is a small entrance fee to enter the gardens. We spent time feeding the fish and just enjoying the scenery. Right before the garden, there is an old-school shop selling Ikinari Dango (a Japanese steamed confectionery made with yellow sweet potato and wrapped in mochi). It is famous in Kumamoto, so we decided to give it a try despite being very full from our lunch.


We ended the day with sushi at a restaurant at Kumamoto station. Jon tried Basashi 😨

Day 5: Day trip to Aso and Kurokawa

From Kumomoto, you can take a day trip to Aso and Kurokawa by booking a car rental. The drive to Aso is slightly more than an hour. Along the way, be sure to take the Aso Milk Road Route, which is a scenic drive. You can also stop by the Daikanbo Lookout for a great view.

Aso is famous for Mount Aso (阿蘇山, Asosan), which is a large active volcano in the center of Kyushu. On the day we visited, there was a warning, so we could not get close to the crater. On good days, you can go to the Nakadake Crater.


In Aso, do visit the Aso Mizuki Meguri - a charming old street with quirky shops. Unfortunately, many shops were closed on the day we visited (Wednesday). Despite that, we still enjoyed walking down this photogenic street.


If you have time, you can drive further down to Kurokawa from Aso. Kurokawa is another popular hot spring town. There are many options you can choose from, and you can even purchase an onsen hopping pass there.











We then took the Hakone Sight Seeing Cruise that ferries visitors along Lake Ashi. We were lucky enough to catch a clear view of Mt Fuji from the cruise (it looked majestic! 🗻)


It was getting pretty late, so we took the Hakone Tozan Cable Car to head back towards the Hakone-Yumoto Station. We couldn't visit the Owakudani, a volcanic valley, which is actually one of the stops of the cable car as it was closed for safety. But we did manage to view it from the cable car!


The sun had set by the time we reached back to Tokyo. We had Shake Shack for dinner as the queue for Shake Shack is too long in Singapore. 😋🍔 We chanced upon this waffle shop that also sells ice cream with 70% cocoa. A sweet finish to a tiring but fulfilling day.

Day 10: Tsukiji Outer Market & More

On our second last day in Japan, we had breakfast at the Tsukiji Outer Market. Tsukiji Outer Market is packed with many shops/eateries and is located near the site of the former Tsukiji Wholesale Market. From morning to noon, the place is filled with people hustling to get fresh seafood. Some of the food we ate include grilled unagi (eel), ichigo daifuku (mochi with strawberry) and not forgetting the highlight - fresh Kaisen don (a bowl of sashimi on top of a bed of rice).


After eating a variety of food at the market, we helped our tummies to digest by shopping at Don Quijote (Donki). There's simply so much to see and buy at Donki, and the good news is tourists get tax rebate for every 5000 yen spent!

One of the places I really wanted to visit on this trip is the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, and I'm so glad we did! The space is huge and there's so much to see, eat, and drink. "The massive space houses the roasting factory on the fourth floor, with each floor below devoted to a different type of Starbucks hangout. The first floor is a bakery and café; the second floor is a Teavana tea room; and the third floor is a Arriviamo cocktail bar. The fourth floor factory also has a lounge area and workshop space." - Source


After feasting for almost the whole day, we shopped at Shinjuku. Jon actually managed to find shoes in his size (US 12) at a plus-sized store! It's surprising because most stores in Japan don't carry such large sizes. We ended the night with affordable soba from Nadai Fujisoba (名代富士そば).

Day 11: Last day in Tokyo

Our last day in Tokyo was pretty chill. After checking out from our hotel, we stored our luggages in the lockers at Shinjuku station as we didn't want to be dragging them around while we did some last-minute shopping.


Before long, we collected our luggages and made our way to Haneda International Airport and took our flight back home.

Overall, it was a tiring but fun trip, with sooooooo much eating. Looking back at the videos we took, it seems like we spent most of our trip eating 😂Japan simply has so much good food, it's hard to resist! Arigatou, Japan!