Unlike our upcoming 15 day family trip to Japan at year’s end, planning for the non-work segment of this 11 day trip was straight-forward. I was free of the usual constraints when traveling with young children, e.g. their meals, places that’d interest or engage them, and the physicality demands of moving between hotels, transportation modes, and walking. To that end, there were frequent changes to my intended itinerary, including entire day changes right up to the day itself. On the other hand, weather was a mixed bag – the first day experienced hot and humid weather, while the remaining days wqere frequently overcast or raining. The weather really only finally cleared up on Day 10 again.

The flight from Singapore to Fukuoka via SQ is a red-eye flight that departs at 1:20AM, lands at 8:35AM. There’s an hour difference between time zones, but the early arrival time leaves a full day for activities. The departure flight though is the other way round: it leaves Fukuoka at 10AM and lands back in Singapore at 3:20PM – which means if you’re staying in Fukuoka city, you can comfortably get breakfast and have time to make use of public transportation to get to the departure terminal,  but you really can’t do much else.

7 of the 11 days were to check out sights, and here’s that segment of the itinerary:

Day 1 (Fukouka city)

Travel from Fukuoka Airport International Terminal to Hakata Station (0.15 hrs): many travelers will opt between the subway or limousine bus to cross the short distance between airport and Hakata Station. I went with the latter as the former requires you to change transportation modes. The bus ticketing machines are towards the left side when you exit the departures gate, and cost of travel is ¥260/SGD3.30 with 15 minutes of traveling time. The bus-stop to go to is just past the terminal exit on the left.

Do note that the bus will drop you off at the Hakata Bus Terminal – which is beside Hakata Station.

Ohori Park (1 hr+): Blog post here. Sprawling park centered around a large pond. Visitors can walk the perimeter of the pond, or through the three small islands along a path way. No admission charges, and the park doesn’t feel crowded.

Japanese Garden (1 hr+): Blog post here. Small Japanese landscaped garden situated beside Ohori Park. Compact with quite a bit to see, and beautifully maintained too. Admission fee of ¥190/SGD2.40 though this was on discount. One of my two most favorite gardens this trip (the other is Okayama Korakuen below).

Fukuoka Castle Ruins (0.5 hrs+): Blog post here. About ten minutes walk to get to from Ohori Park, with some slopes. Do note: most of the castle is gone, so you only get to see the remnants of it. There’s an observation platform at the top that gives you semi-decent views of Fukuoka city and beyond, though the view is also partially obstructed by trees. No admission charges.

Tenjin (1 hr++): a key subway station for connections to other parts of the prefecture. Connected to several shopping malls clustered around the area via an underground mall. Shop till you drop.

Rakusuien Garden (0.5 hrs): Blog post here. Japanese landscaped garden surrounded by apartment blocks. Not to over-stress this point: but the garden is tiny. Modest admission fee of ¥100/SGD1.30. Visit only if you have ¥100 coins to spare and it’s on your way.

Canal City (1 hr++): mall that has a narrow pool that runs the length of the mall. Canal city is located roughly between Tenjin and Hakata train stations, so about 10 minutes walk is needed in either direction. Still, shop till you drop.

Freedom Night Market @ Seiryu Park (1 hr++): Blog post here. Interesting and hip night market with stalls offering a range of cheap eats, street styled. There are plenty of street food areas in south-east Asia, but not nearly so much in Japan – so it’s novel.

Day 2 (Fukouka city)

Fukuoka Walking Tours (3 hrs): Great walking tour of the city’s most important cultural places, and easily doable by all ages. The group can be anywhere from 1 to about 8-9 persons, and it’s English-speaking. The circuit goes like this: quick tour and orientation of Hakata Station to learn about its importance and key dates => Jotenji Temple – beautiful temple with a zen garden inside (special permission might need to be sought to acecss that) => Tochoji Temple – there’s a 10.8 meter tall statue of Buddha and a walk underneath it, including a segment where visitors walk in total pitch darkness => Hakata Machiya Folk Museum – small museum that show cases the interior of a typical house from the Edo period => Kushida Shrine – busy shrine for locals and visitors to pray => Kawabata Shopping Avenue => Hakata Traditional Craft Center – upper floor has exhibits of Japanese dolls and textiles. (Any) Admission charges were covered by the tour. I highly recommend the company!

Fukuoka Tower @ Sunset (2 hrs): Blog post here. Fantastic visit since you get both the coastal and also urban views. Arrive in the late afternoon just before sunset, and stay till early evening for the Golden Hour photos. Quite a walk from the nearest train station though, but it’s an easy enough walk that’s half through a park, and the other half along main roads. Reasonable admission fee of ¥800/SGD10.20.

Day 6 (Itsukushima)

Itsukushima (3 hrs++): Blog post here.  Miyajimaguchi Station is 30 minutes away by train from Hiroshima Station. The first few outbound stops will see the train crowded during peak hour, but it eases off significantly midway, so you’ll be able to find seats then. From the Station, take a ferry – the JR Pass will cover the company’s ferry ride – for a quick crossing to the island itself.

Most visitors will zero in on on Itsukushima shrine and the famed torii gate that ‘floats’ in the sea, though note that it’s currently undergoing refurbishment for the rest of this year at least. But I think Mt. Misen is the real attraction. The mountain around 1.5 hrs or more to ascend via trail, slightly less if you’re descending. You might also want to either ascend or descend via rope way to access the views at Shishiiwa Observatory – 430 meter elevation. The views are not as 360 degrees as the summit observatory, but you get a sense of being closer to the far-flung islands. Blog post here.

My recommendation would be for visitors to ascend via rope way to Shishiiwa Observatory=> enjoy the views there, hike the remaining 100 meters or so to Mt. Misen Summit => enjoy more views => descend via one of the three trails.

The Itsukushima Village and shopping area itself has lots to see too. You could easily spend an additional hour or two going from shop to shop.

Daishoin Trail (1 hr++): Blog post here. 1 hr to descend, more to ascend. The most scenic of the three trails, but if your knees do not like stepped stones, consider one of the other two trails.

Momijidani Park (0.5 hrs+): Blog post here. You’ll go through this park if you’re going to or departing from the rope way. There’s a very pretty quintessential red bridge.

Day 7 (Okayama / Kurashiki)

Korakuen (1.5 hrs+): Blog post here. Okayama is 34 minutes away from Hiroshima by train, after which you can either walk the about 20 minutes from the train station to Korakuen, or take the city tram (¥100/SGD1.30) to halve the walking distance. The garden is stunningly set-up with grand vistas, and large. The other of my two favorite gardens I visited this trip! A lot of spots for pictures, including compositions where you can get the nearby Okayama Castle overlooking the garden from its hilltop point. The combo ticket that includes admissions to Korakuen and the Castle is a good deal at ¥560/SGD7.20.

Okayama Castle (0.5 hrs+): Blog post here. You’d get more impressive pictures of this castle perched on its small hill than from the inside. Castle has several floors of showcases, with the top floor where you can get views of Okayama city. The top floor though – even with the castle sitting on a small hill – isn’t high enough for you to get uninterrupted views of the city though.

Shinkei-en (0.5 hr) :Blog post here. From Okayama, it’s a quick 11 minute train ride to Kurashiki. From Kurashiki Station, walk the about 15 minutes to the start of your exploration of the canal in the Bikan Historica Quarter and on your way there, make sure you stop by Shinkei-en. This is a small Japanese landscaped garden that sits on the outskirts of the Bikan Historical Quarter. Compact, but beautifully done-up. No admission charges – hooray!

Bikan Historical Quarter (3 hr+): Blog post here. The canal itself isn’t very long and you can cover the shops that are on either sides of the canal in an hour. Hence, do venture to the other sider oads that spring out from the Quarter. The Ivy Square is pretty, especially the tall garden walls and also courtyard. Gets a little crowded though. The Boat Tour is a must-do. This is even if you’re also already doing the boat tour in Yanagawa. The Boat Tour slots fill up fast, so book them first when you get to the canal. The boat tour itself is about 25 minutes long and tickets for adult is ¥500/SGD6.40.

Ohashi House (0.5 hr): Blog post here. Restored house of a wealthy merchant family who lived in the city two centuries ago. Not too different from other restored houses you might have seen in Japan. Admission fee is ¥550/SGD7. Go only if you have time to kill.

Bikan Historial Quarter @ Sunset (1 hr): Blog post here. If you have time, stay in the area for early evening pictures of the canal. Most shops would have closed, so make sure you’ve done all your shopping before that.

Day 8 (Hiroshima city)

Shukkeien Garden (1 hr): Blog post here. Average-sized garden with quite a bit to see too, and again centered around a pond with a walking route along its perimeter. Not quite the size of Korakuen above. Found it a little hard to take wide-angle photos without the inevitable apartment or office block in the frame though. Admission fee is ¥260/SGD3.30.

Hiroshima Castle (outside only): Blog post here. Legs were aching badly from the Mt. Misen hike so didn’t want to attempt a visit to the inside.

Atomic Bomb Dome (0.5 hr): Blog post here. The remains of the building where the first atomic bomb ever used in a war exploded right above.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (1 hr+): Blog post here. Not the kind of place you’ll want to be taking fun or happy selfies in. There’s a grave solemnity to the area and museum, and the Japanese telling of their perspective of how the atomic bomb affected the city is effective. The museum is large and has a number of artifacts, and can get crowded. And notwithstanding that, you might not be able to see all the exhibits before being overwhelmed by the awful degree of human suffering, and leave early. Admission fee is ¥300/SGD3.80.

Day 9 (Fukuoka city)

JR Hakata City (1 hr++): Blog post here. My original plan was to visit Marine World and the Uminonakamichi Seaside Park, but I dropped it in view of the weather and also that I wanted to give the knees more time to recover. There is a large number of multi-level malls clustered around and also inside JR Hakata City. You could spend an entire day in this area alone.

Day 10 (Yanagawa / Dazaifu)

Yanagawa (2 hr+): Blog post here. Yanagawa is about 40 minutes ride from Fukuoka city, though keep in mind that the direct route by train is from Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station, which is a couple minutes walk away via underpass from the main Tenjin Station. The combination ticket that includes Dazaifu is great value at ¥2,930/SGD38, though it seems intended for a single day travel. The highlight activity in Yanagawa is the hour long boat tour, and there are also a few other places you can check out in the small and laid-back town too.

Dazaifu (2 hr+): Blog post here. It’s a 40 minute train ride from Yanagawa to Dazaifu Stations. Be careful of getting to the right platform if you’re changing to a connecting train at Nishitetsu-Futsukaichi Station. There are four popular places to visit in close proximity from Dazaifu station: Tenjinsama-dori Street, Tenman-gu Shrine, Komyozen-ji Temple and Kyushu Museum. The shopping street has loads of shops that offer souvenirs, wares and small eats; while Tenman-gu Shrine has large grounds with a picture-seque bridge. I didn’t visit the latter two locations. There are other spots to check out in Dazaifu too, but I was a little put off by the crowds in the town center leading up to the Shrine, so cut-short my stay in the town.

Day 11 (Fukuoka city)

Not much on this last day before the morning flight back to Singapore.

And my quick categorization of sights into “Must see/visit”, “Fairly good places”, “OK to skip” categories:

Category	Places
Must see/visit	Japanese Garden @ Ohori Park, Fukuoka Tower, Mt. Misen Summit, Shishiiwa Station Observatory (Mt. Misen), Korakuen (Okayama), Bikan Historic District Boat Tour, Bikan Historic District Canal @ Sunset, Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Yanagawa Punt Boat Tour.
Fairly good places	Ohori Park, Jotenji Temple, Hakata Machiya Folk Museum, Kushida Shrine, Momijidani Park, Daishoin Temple, Itsukushima Shrine, Okayama Castle, Shinkei-en Garden, Kurashiki Ivy Square, Shukkeien Garden, Hiroshima Castle, Tenmangu Shrine, Tenjinsama Dori Street.
OK to skip	Fukuoka Castle Ruins, Rakusuien Garden, Tochoji Temple, Hakata Traditional Craft Center, Ohashi House.

Just a few more posts left in this series; one on photographic equipment I used this trip, and a final one that will reflections and learning points!