Two week Japan Itinerary - agressive?

Hi All -

This has been a very helpful forum and I am close to finalizing a trip to Japan in mid-May, hopefully after Golden Week travel has eased down.

It%26#39;s my first time to Japan (travelled alot thru asia), but I wanted to try to be a bit off the beaten path, unfortunately its shaping up to be a lot of travel between destinations.

This is what I%26#39;m thinking:

Day 1-3: Arrive in Tokyo, basic sightseeing

Day 4-7: Hokkaido by car, Lake Akan and Shiretoku.

Day 8-12: Fukuoka/Kagoshima/Yakushima Island

Day 13: Depart from Tokyo

The days are a bit flexible and I totally realize that this is quite aggressive. But I%26#39;d love to hear from any experts if this is even remotely doable, and if not, which leg of the trip should be first to go. Or if there is a 2 week itinerary you can think of that is similar in spirit, I would love to hear any recs as well.

Many thanks in advance!

Two week Japan Itinerary - agressive?

How do you plan to travel the following segments:

Tokyo-Hokkaido

Hokkaido-Fukuoka

Fukuoka-Tokyo

I assume by air?

Two week Japan Itinerary - agressive?

Yes - I was thinking about the ANA AirPass.

Thanks

For me personally, it%26#39;s a little much. I would say pick either Tokyo to the north, or Tokyo to the south, but not mix and match--all depends on what you like to see.

My last trip I went south to Fuukoka, Kaogoshima, saw Nagasaki, Beppu, Shikoku etc... I did like Kagoshima. I did not go by air though, I had a 2 week JR pass.

I don%26#39;t really like the idea of a all those flights in a 13 day period, but that%26#39;s probably just a personal thing.

Thanks for all your feedback!

I%26#39;m starting to agree that this is too agressive and I will be spreading myself too thin over the duration of the journey. Better to focus on Tokyo+1 and fully experience each.

So now i am thinking 4ish days in tokyo (maybe tack on a daytrip to Kyoto).

And then fly to Kushiro, pick up a car and drive to Sapporo - stopping along the way at Akan, Shiretoko, Takinoue, Furano. Probably spend around 6 days total in Hokkaido.

WIth Spring in bloom and the chance to catch some late cherry blossoms, I feel like I%26#39;d be more pleased with Hokkaido than Yakushima this time of yeat.

Although I am concerned about driving to a certain degree, I will try to limit myself to 4 hours or so of driving each day. I%26#39;ve heard that driving in Hokkaido is not overly taxing either. I also have read that the GPS systems come in English, and work with Phone#%26#39;s - which would really be turnkey.

If you guys can have any specific recs for a 6 day drive through Hokkaido that would be suited to early May, I would be extremely grateful.

Thanks again!

Driving in Hokkaido is as close to driving in the western world as you can find in Japan. There is less traffic in general and it feels like the country side for sure.

I have yet to see a company with English GPS. Nevertheless, the Japanese version can be manageable once you figure out how to use it. Just ask the rental agents to show you. Some of them also give you an English flyer for reference. Phone numbers are the best way to search for destinations so be sure to have them with you. For attractions, it%26#39;s good to have the local tourist office%26#39;s phone number since it will take you very nearby where you can get information.