Kyushu fall colors tour 2011
Nov 8th, 2011, 12:31 PM
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Kyushu fall colors tour 2011
Well we are off on another Japan adventure in the morning this time to Kyushu for some onsen and fall color viewing. We will be stopping in Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kurokawa Onsen and Fukuoka with sites in between as we will be renting a car for a couple of days to drive the countryside also.
We will then move up to Kyoto for a few days of koyo viewing and eating then on to celebrate Thanksgiving in the little town of Gora high up in the mountains of Hakone and finally back into Tokyo for a lovely GTG with Fodor's Japan experts Mara & mrwunrfl with a couple of nights each at the Hyatt Regency then the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku. It will be our first stay at the PH so really looking forward to that also.
Since not much is written here about Kyushu and the places we will visit I promise a trip report soon(well...) after we return.
If Don Topaz is reading don't have a stroke but we will be taking the NEx from NRT to Yokohama and not the limo bus........green car of course,lol. Sayonnara!
Aloha!
We will then move up to Kyoto for a few days of koyo viewing and eating then on to celebrate Thanksgiving in the little town of Gora high up in the mountains of Hakone and finally back into Tokyo for a lovely GTG with Fodor's Japan experts Mara & mrwunrfl with a couple of nights each at the Hyatt Regency then the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku. It will be our first stay at the PH so really looking forward to that also.
Since not much is written here about Kyushu and the places we will visit I promise a trip report soon(well...) after we return.
If Don Topaz is reading don't have a stroke but we will be taking the NEx from NRT to Yokohama and not the limo bus........green car of course,lol. Sayonnara!
Aloha!
Nov 8th, 2011, 03:28 PM
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ht and mrs. ht - have a great trip - I look forward both to meeting you and reading your report as I am planning to visit Kyushu next spring. 
As far as being an expert, don't know about that, but I just got an email from fodors that I was quoted in their new Tokyo book in the Word of Mouth section....
As far as being an expert, don't know about that, but I just got an email from fodors that I was quoted in their new Tokyo book in the Word of Mouth section....
Nov 9th, 2011, 12:55 AM
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Have a great trip HT.
I wont attempt to pretend that I understand your facination with the "fall colors" of Japan, well not enough to base a trip around it, but if it give you joy, thats all that matters.
I wont attempt to pretend that I understand your facination with the "fall colors" of Japan, well not enough to base a trip around it, but if it give you joy, thats all that matters.
Nov 9th, 2011, 05:42 AM
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We spent a glorious few days in Kyushu in April 2008. I found it more affordable than other parts of Japan. laid-back too.
We stayed at the Sanga Ryokan in Kurokawa onsen. We also stayed at the Furusato Kanko hotel in Sakurajima. We have travelled extensively in Japan and those two ryokans are our favorites. Sanga was a bit of a hike to get to on public transport and with our extremely limited Japanese....but was well worth the effort. Kagoshima was unexpectedly charming as well - very laid back.
Kumamoto was fun...even though it was super-rainy. We stayed in a cheap-o business hotel right by the station and had delicious food right by the station as well.
We stayed at the Sanga Ryokan in Kurokawa onsen. We also stayed at the Furusato Kanko hotel in Sakurajima. We have travelled extensively in Japan and those two ryokans are our favorites. Sanga was a bit of a hike to get to on public transport and with our extremely limited Japanese....but was well worth the effort. Kagoshima was unexpectedly charming as well - very laid back.
Kumamoto was fun...even though it was super-rainy. We stayed in a cheap-o business hotel right by the station and had delicious food right by the station as well.
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Nov 10th, 2011, 10:29 AM
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Up early this morning at 3:30 am not because of jet lag but because that is the time I usually get up for work everyday. Linda on the other hand.....so here I am typeing in the bathroom utilizing the mini wifi I rented from rentafone Japan which works just fine.
Ensconced here in the beautiful Sheraton Yokohama for two nights on points. Arrived 40 minutes early on our flight from HNL to NRT yesterday. Actually took the NEX from NRT to Yokohama. 89 minutes in total. Lots of room on the train with luggage racks and locks in the back of each train car. Ours was car 6, green car. The train we took had twelve cars of which six were taken off when we got to Tokyo station which headed to Shinjuku. Linda loves the NEX compared to the limobus. I on the other hand am lukewarm about it as although a lot more space, we travel rather heavy (two 26" and 2 22" bags total so I am lifting and carrying on the train whereas the bus will load and unload your bags for you and the route for the most part is door to door.
Kathie, thanks for the wishes. Aren't you two leaving for Burma in a few days? Will be reading your reports as we want to do Burma, just haven't firgured out what we want yet.
unit, We must have the same tastes as we were at Furusato Kanko a few years back and will be at Sanga Ryokan when at Kurokawa Onsen on this trip. At furusato they upgraded us to an ocean view room complete with an rotenburo on our balconey.....awesome. We loved Kagoshima too and want to return to the area soon.
Mrwunrfl, Thanks, hope Takachiho is as good as it looks. See you soon in Shinjuku....can't wait.
travelrob, We have rented cars a couple of times now in Japan and have written trip reports about it but will also detail our car rental this trip. Hope there is no snow in the Kyushu mountains.....
shanek, thanks for the wishes. We don't have any fall colors in Hawaii as the weather is always sunny and warm. I actually have more of a facination with cherry blossom season but the fall colors of Japan are unique....much different than the colors of the East coast of the US. I think your family would love Japan. Lots to do for the boys.
Todays forecast is for 100% rain so have a slow day planned and we are off tomorrow morning on the shinkansen for Nagasaki to start this adventure. I will write a detailed report when we return.
Aloha!
Ensconced here in the beautiful Sheraton Yokohama for two nights on points. Arrived 40 minutes early on our flight from HNL to NRT yesterday. Actually took the NEX from NRT to Yokohama. 89 minutes in total. Lots of room on the train with luggage racks and locks in the back of each train car. Ours was car 6, green car. The train we took had twelve cars of which six were taken off when we got to Tokyo station which headed to Shinjuku. Linda loves the NEX compared to the limobus. I on the other hand am lukewarm about it as although a lot more space, we travel rather heavy (two 26" and 2 22" bags total so I am lifting and carrying on the train whereas the bus will load and unload your bags for you and the route for the most part is door to door.
Kathie, thanks for the wishes. Aren't you two leaving for Burma in a few days? Will be reading your reports as we want to do Burma, just haven't firgured out what we want yet.
unit, We must have the same tastes as we were at Furusato Kanko a few years back and will be at Sanga Ryokan when at Kurokawa Onsen on this trip. At furusato they upgraded us to an ocean view room complete with an rotenburo on our balconey.....awesome. We loved Kagoshima too and want to return to the area soon.
Mrwunrfl, Thanks, hope Takachiho is as good as it looks. See you soon in Shinjuku....can't wait.
travelrob, We have rented cars a couple of times now in Japan and have written trip reports about it but will also detail our car rental this trip. Hope there is no snow in the Kyushu mountains.....
shanek, thanks for the wishes. We don't have any fall colors in Hawaii as the weather is always sunny and warm. I actually have more of a facination with cherry blossom season but the fall colors of Japan are unique....much different than the colors of the East coast of the US. I think your family would love Japan. Lots to do for the boys.
Todays forecast is for 100% rain so have a slow day planned and we are off tomorrow morning on the shinkansen for Nagasaki to start this adventure. I will write a detailed report when we return.
Aloha!
Nov 26th, 2011, 09:53 PM
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Just a note that we are on our last couple of days on this trip with so much to tell in a trip report when we get back but had to mention that we just checked into the Park Hyatt in Tokyo and this place is as fabulous as its reviews. We were upgraded to a suite on our arrival because of my Diamond status and is easily the best PH we have been in the world with unbelievable service. More to follow in the tr.
Aloha!
Aloha!
Nov 27th, 2011, 04:41 AM
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Yes we definitely will have to schedule Kanazawa for our next trip. BTW you also another fodorite who we discussed at the Tokyo gtg fondly.
We envied Bill meeting you and who will see you again shortly. I think we got the same upgraded suite you got in the Hyatt Kyoto also .
Aloha!
We envied Bill meeting you and who will see you again shortly. I think we got the same upgraded suite you got in the Hyatt Kyoto also .
Aloha!
