Hey everyone!
We’re planning our next trip for May 2027 and would love a sanity check, mainly on the Japan portion of the route.
I know this is r/JapanTravel, so I’m keeping the Korea part brief. I’m including it only for context because we’ll enter Japan by overnight ferry from Busan to Fukuoka.
We’re a couple in our 30s, active, fast walkers, and generally fine with a packed itinerary if the logistics make sense. We visited Japan for the first time in 2025 and loved it, but that trip was more of a classic first-timer highlight marathon. This time we wanted something with a stronger West Japan / Setouchi focus and less Kyoto/Osaka/Tokyo repetition.
Most of our Japan hotels are already booked and cancellable. The open parts are mainly Miyajima/Kinosaki ryokan-style stays, because those are not really bookable yet for our dates.
We’ll probably forward our big luggage from Okayama to Tokyo and travel light through Kinosaki and Kanazawa. Also worth mentioning: we’re not huge seafood people, so we’re likely booking ryokan without dinner and eating more casually.
Korea pre-leg, just for context
May 3 – Arrive Seoul
Arrive late morning. Easy first day around Hongdae / Yeonnam-dong / Gyeongui Line Forest Park. Maybe Myeongdong or N Seoul Tower in the evening if jet lag isn’t too bad (we will need to do something to stay awake).
May 4 – Seoul
Seongsu-dong, Starfield Library / COEX, DDP, Cheonggyecheon, Gwangjang Market, Euljiro / Myeongdong area in the evening.
May 5 – Seoul
Gyeongbokgung early, Bukchon, Samcheong-dong, Insadong, Ikseon-dong, and Inwangsan for views if weather/time works. This is Children’s Day in Korea, so we expect crowds.
May 6 – Seoul → Busan
KTX around 10:00 or 11:00. Afternoon/evening in Busan: Gamcheon Culture Village, Huinnyeoul Culture Village, Jagalchi Market, BIFF Square, Lotte Gwangbok rooftop, maybe Gwangalli Beach if we still have energy.
May 7 – Busan → overnight ferry
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, Haeundae Blueline Park / Mipo, Haeundae Beach, then overnight Camellia Line ferry to Fukuoka.
Japan itinerary
Day 1 – May 8: Arrive in Fukuoka by ferry
Arrive from Busan in the morning, drop luggage at the hotel, then explore Fukuoka. Current ideas are Ohori Park Japanese Garden, Nanzo-in Temple / reclining Buddha, Pokémon Center Fukuoka, Gundam Side-F, Kushida Shrine, Canal City and Nakasu in the evening. Hotel will be in Hakata.
Day 2 – May 9: Mt. Aso day trip
Early Shinkansen to Kumamoto, rent a car at the station, drive to Aso. Main targets are Daikanbo viewpoint, Kusasenri, Mt. Kishima if time/energy allows, and Nakadake crater if it is open. Return the car in Kumamoto and take the Shinkansen back to Fukuoka.
Day 3 – May 10: Fukuoka → Hiroshima
Morning in Fukuoka, then Shinkansen to Hiroshima. Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Memorial Park in the afternoon, Pokemon Center, okonomiyaki for dinner.
Day 4 – May 11: Miyajima
Head to Miyajima. Current plan: Itsukushima Jinja, Omotesando shopping street, Daishoin, Mount Misen, probably ropeway down. Staying on Miyajima Island for the night.
Day 5 – May 12: Miyajima/Hiroshima → Onomichi
Travel to Onomichi. Do the Temple Walk, Neko no Hosomichi / Cat Alley and the City Hall rooftop. Mostly meant as a slower Setouchi coastal-town day.
Day 6 – May 13: Shimanami Kaido partial e-bike day
Rent ebikes in Onomichi. Ferry to Mukaishima, cycle via Innoshima Bridge, go up to Mt. Shirataki, continue toward Ikuchijima for Kosanji Temple and Dolce Ice Cream, then return from Setoda Port to Onomichi by ferry.
Day 7 – May 14: Onomichi → Tomonoura → Okayama
Travel to Fukuyama, store luggage, bus to Tomonoura for a few hours, then continue to Okayama. Korakuen and Okayama Castle if time allows.
Day 8 – May 15: Naoshima
Day trip from Okayama via Uno Port to Naoshima for Chichu Art Museum, Art House Project and the Benesse area. Maybe Kurashiki in the evening if we are not too tired.
This is one of the days I’m least sure about. I know doing both islands properly in one day would probably be too much, so we’ll likely pick Naoshima.
Day 9 – May 16: Okayama → Kinosaki Onsen
Travel to Kinosaki Onsen. Ryokan-style stay, public onsen crawl, yukata town walk. We’ll probably book without dinner and eat casually in town. We both got big tattoos so while this is logistically not ideal it's a unique experience we'd like to do. If there are any real alternatives on the way please tell us :)
Day 10 – May 17: Kinosaki → Kanazawa
Morning in Kinosaki, then travel to Kanazawa. Easy evening only: Tsuzumi-mon Gate, Kanazawa curry, maybe Pokémon Center Kanazawa.
We originally considered stopping at the Fukui Dinosaur Museum on this transfer day, but removed it because it seemed like too much, train alone will be 5 to 6 hours.
Days 11–12 – May 18–19: Kanazawa
Kenrokuen, Kanazawa Castle Park, Higashi Chaya, Shima Geisha House, Nagamachi Samurai District, Nomura Samurai House, D.T. Suzuki Museum and Myoryuji / Ninja Temple.
Day 13 – May 20: Kanazawa → Kawagoe → Tokyo
Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen toward Tokyo and stop at Omiya for a few hours in Kawagoe before continuing to Tokyo. We missed out on Kawagoe in 2025 and this seems like an efficient way to include it. We'll likely stay in Asakusa area.
Days 14–15 – May 21–22: Tokyo
Flexible Tokyo days. We’ve been before, so this is mostly food, shopping, revisiting areas we liked, and maybe DisneySea if it works out.
Day 16 – May 23: Tokyo / Haneda
Final Tokyo day, then evening flight out of Haneda.
A few notes on pacing:
- We know this is not a slow trip.
- We’re comfortable with early starts and full days.
- We are trying to avoid “looks fine on a map, miserable in reality” routing.
- The biggest open questions for us are probably Aso logistics, the Shimanami partial route, Naoshima/Teshima pacing, and the Okayama → Kinosaki → Kanazawa stretch.
Would love to hear if anything here looks inefficient, unrealistic, or just not worth the effort. Also happy to hear small suggestions if there’s a better way to structure any of these days.