Days 1–4
Fukuoka
- Ohori Park
- TeamLab Forest option
- Jetlag-friendly base
This version turns the recovered itinerary into a proper trip page: a clickable route map, stop-by-stop cards, pacing notes for travelling with kids, and the transport logic that keeps the whole thing sane.
Instead of doing the standard Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka conveyor belt, this trip leans into volcanic Kyushu, underrated Shikoku, old-world San'in, snow-country Tohoku, and a proper Hokkaido winter finish. The result is more onsen towns, more scenery, better food variation, fewer crowds, and a much stronger sense of “actual Japan”.
These are the sections most likely to feel memorable rather than merely famous.
The whole itinerary gets stronger by being selective.
| Leg | Best method | Realistic time | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fukuoka → Nagasaki | Train | ~2 hrs | Easiest, clean start, no car yet. |
| Nagasaki → Unzen | Car | ~1.5–2.5 hrs | Public transport gets clunky with kids and bags. |
| Unzen → Aso | Car | ~4.5–6 hrs | One of the big Kyushu travel days. |
| Aso → Kurokawa | Car | ~1–1.5 hrs | Beautiful easy countryside leg. |
| Kurokawa → Beppu | Car | ~2–2.5 hrs | Straightforward winter transfer. |
| Beppu → Matsuyama | Ferry + local transfer | ~3.5–5 hrs | Most sensible jump into Shikoku. |
| Matsuyama → Iya | Car | ~2.5–4 hrs | Mountain roads slow the final section. |
| Iya → Kurashiki | Car | ~2.5–3.5 hrs | Good decompression stop after the mountains. |
| Kurashiki → Matsue | Train or car | ~2.5–4 hrs | Either works depending on driving fatigue. |
| Matsue → Aizu | Internal flight + onward transfer | ~6.5–9 hrs | One of the two big route jumps. |
| Aizu → Zao/Yamagata | Train or car | ~2.5–4 hrs | Flexible snow-country segment. |
| Zao/Yamagata → Furano | Internal flight + transfer | ~5.5–8 hrs | Best way to make the Hokkaido finish work. |
Mid-December: Kyushu
Late December: Shikoku + San'in
Early January: Tohoku
Mid-January: Hokkaido ski finish
This sequencing is one of the smartest parts of the whole plan: milder south first, better snow reliability later.