6-Day Solo Travel in Kyushu with $130 JR Rail Pass | Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Ibusuki, Hita, Yufuin

6-Day Solo Travel in Kyushu with $130 JR Rail Pass | Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Ibusuki, Hita, Yufuin

Day 1: Osaka to Fukuoka The plane departs at 7:20 am. So sleepy!! Stayed at Izumisano Station, close to the airport. Quite convenient to get to the airport. It’s quite early, still quite a few people. Here comes the train of Nankai Line~ Get on the train.

I need to go to Terminal 2, there’s a shuttle bus. In the queue for checking in luggage. Used a reservation code for check-in, no need of passport. The boarding gate is not open yet. Why not sit and charge my phone for a while~ Boarding time See the plane. It’s not even daylight yet.

Wow, this row is all Peach Aviation planes. The best seat is always by the window. Doesn’t this scene look like a movie? The legroom is a bit narrow for tall people. But it’s just right for me : ) Takeoff! Goodbye, Kansai Airport. It took about 1 and a half hours to reach Fukuoka.

Ugh, don’t like the rain. Take the Shinkansen from Hakata to Kagoshima. Hurry to disembark and head to Hakata Station. Queueing to pick up the JR Kyushu 3-Day Rail Pass. I can ride the Shinkansen and trains unlimited times within 3 days. Got it, cost me JPY 19,000, about USD 130.

Let’s go, take the Shinkansen to Kagoshima. Swipe the pass, so convenient. Remember this Platform 15 it really gave me a hard time later. The train at 9:53, find a seat and sit for a while. Reserved a seat, should arrive at 11am. Silly me, unaware that my backpack was left on the platform seat.

Still happily looking for a seat, filming. Found the seat, not noticing anything unusual. The seat space is quite large, just enough for a suitcase. Also filmed outside the window, see that! Your black backpack!! Inside there are my passport and wallet! 3:00 PM, back to Hakata Station Platform 15.

Got my backpack back. Thanks to the person who brought it to the lost and found. Wait for the next Shinkansen to Kagoshima. This time is a non-reserved seat. I went back to Hakata Station from Kagoshima to find the bag. Luckily, I bought the JR Pass; worth it with the 3 Shinkansen rides.

Arrived in Kagoshima at 5 pm feeling physically and mentally exhausted. The whole itinerary is messed up. Originally planned to go to Sakurajima today, but it’s too late now. Get a guidebook, see what’s good to eat and play around here. The hotel has a shuttle bus. Let’s go to the hotel first.

The trams here in Kagoshima are so retro and cute. The room is nice. The scenery outside the hotel is really breathtaking. You can overlook Sakurajima and the entire city from here. Time to find food; it’s been a day since I ate anything. This area, the Astronomical Museum, seems to be the commercial district.

Let’s have some barbecue. The black-haired Wagyu beef here in Kagoshima is famous. Time for me to judge. The taste is truly amazing, the best I’ve had in Japan. I’ll enjoy it first, no more photos, hahaha. Day 2: Kagoshima to Ibusuki, with a stopover at Nishioyama Station.

I initially wanted to wake up early to see the sunrise. Predictably, I couldn’t get up early. So, let’s take a look before leaving. While waiting for the train, I saw the ‘Ibusuki no Tamatebako’. This is a sightseeing train heading to Ibusuki. Unfortunately, I didn’t reserve a seat for it.

I’ll have to take the ordinary train. All the ordinary train seats are unreserved. Watching the scenery outside the window. Many times, I felt like I was in my hometown, hahaha. Along the way, you can also see Sakurajima. This stretch of the journey is along the seaside.

Although I grew up in a coastal area, I never get tired of the sea. I really enjoy letting my mind wander while looking out the window. Some of the small cities here seem quite quiet. Many people probably moved to big cities for work and life.

Occasionally, there are students getting on and off the train. Wondering if they are experiencing the same as I did during my school days. Yearning for university and work in a big city in the future. Now nearing 30, my mindset has actually changed a lot.

Guess the residences next to the railways, must be noisy with the trains. After almost 2 hours, Nishioyama Station is up ahead. It’s the southernmost station of JR Japan. No attractions around; it’s just a station for photo ops. Everyone is lining up for photos, hahaha. I also joined the queue.

The latitude here is similar to Shanghai. This mountain is truly a highlight. Feel like I’m seeing my future on this solo traveling old lady, hahaha. There’s a booklet in this suitcase; tourists can leave messages on it. The next train to Ibusuki will be in 30 minutes. Have some fun with this spider

The train is here! Heading to Ibusuki. Arrived in Ibusuki~ This one taking photos is the local sunamushi onsen. Manual ticket checking. The hotel is about 1.1 km from the station. Carrying luggage, I decided to take a taxi. The taxi fare is JPY 1000, about USD 7. Indeed not cheap TT.

Hotel staff insisted on helping me with my luggage (thanks!). Figuring out left or right, took a while. Not a patient person. This hotel is a bit old. There are futons in the cabinet. A small bathtub where you can enjoy a sea view while bathing. The overall space of the room is quite large.

The unbeatable sea view from the balcony. Wow, the sunrise over the sea must be beautiful. Forget it, I definitely won’t wake up early for that. The hotel has a free public bath room with a view, might check it out. Go out for a stroll, experience the sunamushi onsen.

Thinking of walking along the beach. That’s the hotel where I’m staying. The beach is not actually dirty, just a bit neglected. Every time I get close to the sea, I feel calm. I’m the only one at the beach. The sound of waves hitting the shore is so soothing.

For now, don’t think about anything, and enjoy the sound of the waves. I always approach the sea with a sense of awe. A single wave from it, and I can feel its power. In front of it, my strength is too small. Maybe it’s this sense of powerlessness that relaxes me.

Life, what’s the big deal? The small hut ahead is the sunamushi onsen. Found a mini excavator. Sunamushi onsen involves burying the body in hot sand. Photography is not allowed inside, this is as far as I can show. Endured 20 minutes of sunamushi (with permission to take a photo).

After the sunamushi, time to get some food. Without tourists, the streets here are almost deserted. By 6 pm, it gets dark, and there’s no one on the streets. There’s only one convenience store near the station. Having grilled chicken for dinner, hahaha. Day 3: Ibusuki to Yufuin, with a stopover at Hita Station.

Waking up for breakfast (a bit sleepy). Waiting for the train at Ibusuki Station. Today, I’ll be on the train for quite a long time. Seeing the stairs, I fell silent (no elevators). Heading to Kagoshima Station first. Not many passengers on this train. Here’s the familiar Kagoshima Station again.

Transferring to the Shinkansen to Kurume. The next Shinkansen is at 11:55 am. Getting ready to board. Also a non-reserved seat this time. Too lazy to reserve a seat. Non-reserved seats are nice too. About 1 hour later, arriving at Kurume. Transferring to the train bound for Hita.

Yufuin, is in the same direction as Hita. A train has arrived. Hita is the hometown of Hajime Isayama (the creator of Attack on Titan). I want to take a look as I will pass by. So many students on the train today, is it after school? Ah, it is youth, youth!!

Finally arrived in Hita. Saw a poster of Eren. Inside the station, there’s Levi, Erwin, Hange welcoming. Elements of Attack on Titan are everywhere near the station. I’ll store my luggage first and then explore. Luggage storage costs JPY400, and they also sell Attack on Titan swags.

As usual, take a map and see where to go. Hungry, grab a meal first. The dam with the Eren Mikasa bronze statue is too far. Just wandered around the station, preparing to head to Yufuin. To Yufuin, there’s also a sightseeing train – Yufu no Mori.

Didn’t make a reservation, but regular trains also offer nice views. Yufuin is most famous for its hot springs. The sky is gradually darkening. Arrived at Yufuin! Surprisingly, with the lights on, it creates a retro vibe. My JR Pass is expiring today, and this is the final journey. Definitely making the most of it.

Wow, stepping out, a mountain immediately comes into view. Kind of pleasantly surprised!! The earliest train to Hakata tomorrow is at 9:07 am. The hot spring hotel I booked is a bit far from the station. Originally thought about taking a taxi. The last taxi left, not sure when the next one will come.

Forget it, let’s walk. Passing by the school’s playground, kids are still playing soccer. The sports atmosphere here is really good. Every time passing by the field, kids are engaged in sports. Ah, youth, youth!! Arrived at the hotel. It’s a very small hot spring hotel with only 4 rooms.

The bathing area allows each person to have their own private bath. This is the most satisfying accommodation during my trip. Let me turn on a light first. There’s a kotatsu! I’ve envied the kotatsu because of Maruko Chan! The room is overall very clean, and the owner is very nice!

Here is the toilet; the bath is used separately outside. Didn’t make the reservation for the hot pot dinner. It’s a bit late to go out, so just had some food in the hotel. Let me show you the bathing area. First, shower outside. Here is the area for the hot spring.

You can use it for as long as you want. Inserting a “Middle-aged man’s love” Haha~ Day 4: Yufuin to Fukuoka. Breakfast is at 7:30 am, so I got up early. After breakfast, I will go to the station. This hotel looks like this during the day. Plain appearance, but the best experience of staying.

It seems the sun has just come out. Let’s go for breakfast. This is the cooked rice. Miso soup. Fried egg. I’ll start eating~ Arrived at the station. The inn owner drove me here, really grateful for it! 9:07 am Yufu No. 2, heading to Hakata. I was told to buy another main ticket.

This train has two tickets, a main ticket, and an option ticket. The train has arrived. This train is an express train bound for Hakata. It only stops at major stations. The interior decoration of the train feels quite retro. The tickets cost JPY 4600, approximately USD 32. Goodbye, Yufuin~

Although the stay was short, it was very enjoyable~ Encountered another Yufu train heading to Yufuin. The itinerary for this trip is quite tight. Most of the time was spent on the train. But riding the train is also part of my journey. There may be regrets during the trip, but it is fine.

Every experience excites me during the traveling. Passed by a very cute train station! Is it a Kappa design? Haha, quite interesting. It’s fast, arrived at Hakata. Don’t have much planned for Fukuoka. Let’s eat first! Going to try Fukuoka’s famous Hakata ramen. Ordered a classic ramen and some dumplings. A brief eating video.

The taste is good. Actually, Fukuoka is more bustling than I imagined. There are many places to explore. But I don’t have many material desires, so I only wander around. Have a tea drink. Approaching Valentine’s Day, there’s a chocolate festival. All kinds of chocolates. Got hungry again, let’s eat some sushi~ Full now.

Day 5: Today, I’ll stroll around Ohori Park. Need to exit from Gate 3/6. This feeling of having no itinerary burden. Just casually walking around anywhere feels great. The weather is very nice today, plus it’s the weekend. There are a lot of people in the park. Strolling, riding bicycles, leisurely wandering, playing.

These are the things we should do in life. Don’t come over here! Oh right, I also encountered the couple I met at Nishiyama Station before. This timing and place, it’s really too coincidental. You can never predict what will happen during a trip. That’s the charm of travel and life.

The red building is the Fukuoka Art Museum. I really love the light and shadows here. Can’t bear to trim it. There’s a Fukuoka High School Art Exhibition. It’s quite extensive, with several exhibition halls. The food is very realistic. That apple person is too cute. Youth, oh, youth! Haha, I like the McDonald’s one.

Is it made of wound-up threads? I’m curious. Let’s have a crepe. The taste is good. Fukuoka street scene (I like the messy lines). Dinner again, going for barbecue. Ordered black-haired wagyu again. Missing Kagoshima’s wagyu. Day 6: Last day, woke up early again to go to the airport. The sun hasn’t fully risen.

Taking a bus from Hakata Station to Saga Airport. The fare is JPY2000. This bus only operates on Mondays and Fridays. Arrived at the airport, see you next trip!

I went on a solo escapade across Japan’s Kyushu for a solid 6 days, hitting up Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Ibusuki, Hita, and Yufuin.
Trains were basically my wingmen, and Kyushu’s got many special sightseeing trains, like Ibusuki-no-Tamatebako, Asoboy, and Yufu no Mori. Make sure to get a 3-day JR Kyushu Rail Pass ($130), the golden ticket to ride the Shinkansen (bullet trains) and local trains, will save you a lot of money.🚂💨

00:00 Highlights
0:20 Osaka to Fukuoka
1:59 Pick up JR Rail Pass
3:43 Arrived in Kagoshima
5:45 The southernmost station of JR Japan
6:37 Arrived in Ibusuki
11:47 Arrived in Hita – hometown of Attack on Titan
12:46 Arrived in Yufuin
13:31 Yufuin hotspring hotel
16:33 Arrived in Fukuoka
17:29 Ohori Park
19:12 Bye!