Japan 2025 Blog Intro

One month in Kyushu. How it happened.

THE START:

I decided to start a blog for each day of my one month trip to Japan so I could share the most memorable trip of my life. Kyushu is my new favorite place in the world.

Some backstory - I first worked in Japan in 2014 and fell in love with the country. I was one of the stage managers on the tour of War Horse. We performed at the Shibuya Hikarie in the Theatre Orb. Spending a month in Tokyo was unlike anything I'd ever experienced! The food, the people, the cleanliness. I never stopped thinking about going back. Since then, I went back in April 2018 (Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Hakone, Kamakura - with my then gf, now wife) and August 2023 (Hiroshima, Miyajima, Osaka, Tokyo - with my wife).

Cut to 2024. I quit my job after burning out and decided it was time to go back Japan. I originally wanted to go to Kyushu and Sapporo, but then decided on just Kyushu. I planned 2 weeks, but my wife wanted to get home early for Passover. She suggested I fly to Japan earlier, so I booked a flight for what I thought was 7 days earlier from when she would arrive. When I added it to my calendar, I realized I would have 16 days alone before my wife joined!

JaPlan started and thus started a massive Google Sheets document and 800 tabs of research. Here's some helpful information below!

FLIGHTS:
I booked our flights through Delta since I have status and a Delta Reserve card.
JFK -> ICN -> FUK
FUK -> ICN -> JFK

After working in Seoul for 3 months in 2021, I was hoping for more exciting things in the Incheon airport like an Olive Young, or KyoChon branch. Alas, it was mostly expensive Duty Free shops, so I used my Delta status and Priority Pass to lounge hop instead.
Round Trip Total ppx: $1,580

HOUSING:
Stay 1: I used my Delta card to get a $200 Delta Stays credit for my apartment in Fukuoka. A Basic Triple Room Studio with a loft in the Tojinmachi neighborhood called Plus One Nishikoen. I emailed them to ask for a quiet room, as I wanted to record voice over auditions. They happily emailed back and said they would assign me the top floor.
The bus was a pain to get into the city (they were never on time), but it was nice being in a quieter neighborhood across from a temple. It was also nice having a fridge and kitchen!
16 Night Total: $517 ~$32/night ($695 - $200 Delta credit + ¥200/night city tax fee. I accidentally paid an extra day of the city fee.)

Stay 2: We did an Airbnb in Beppu, ShikiVilla Tatami and Modern Room - Issen, that was BEAUTIFUL and spacious. And it had an onsen on the first floor!
6 Night Total: $385  ~$64/night

Stay 3: The Shizutetsu Hotel Prezio Hakataekimae in Fukuoka was so so so tiny… but a quick walk to Hakata station which was nice. It was also a bit loud as it was directly above the train tracks. It was not too bad on the highest floor, and we used our iPhone "Background Sounds" feature to have "dark noise" to fall asleep to at night.
6 Night Total: $295 ~$49/night ($495 - $200 Delta credit)

PHONE/DATA:
Ubigi 60GB "Unlimited" data. I've used Ubigi in Japan, London, and Costa Rica on my iPhone 13 (with T-Mobile). I got 60gb full speed and then they throttled it down to 1Mbps after. It got me through my whole trip! It definitely got slow after the throttle though.
Pro Tip: EW7PJDBN to get 20% off your first purchase.
I also suggest getting Google Voice! I was able to call places in Japan for 2-4¢/minute for reservations and my super when I thought I lost my apt key.

JAPANESE LANGUAGE:
You’ll be alright with google translate. But learn the basics.
Hello. Thank you. Excuse me. It’s alright. Sorry. Yes.
Konnichiwa. Arigato. Sumimasen. Daijobu. Gomenasai. Hai.
こんにちは、ありがとう、すみません、大丈夫、ごめんなさい、はい。

Learning hirigana and katakana is INSANELY useful. Get a notebook and start writing each character for a page (and say it out loud as you write it). This’ll help you read signs and make your life so so so much easier.

If you’re a foodie, learn some basic kanji characters like “beef, fish, pork, chicken, horse” it’ll help with restaurants and menus.

If you go to a lot of conbinis (7-11, family mart, Lawson) and they say “fukuro” 袋, they’re asking if you need a plastic bag. If you don’t need one, you can say daijobu 大丈夫.

OUTSIDE OF FUKUOKA:
I got a 5 day a full Kyushu JR pass. I did a 5 day rally. Mojiko, Nagasaki, Kitakyushu, Kumamoto, Kagoshima. It was worth it to me, as I could book as many seats as I wanted. (The other passes limited how many seats you could book)

I also visited Beppu, Mount Aso, Takachiho Gorge, Dazaifu, Kurume, Arita, and Okawachiyama Village, and Itoshima.

Pro Tip: Look into JapanTransit (the app) to find day passes for certain cities as well!

CLOTHES & SHOPPING:
Don’t worry about clothes. I went to Uniqlo and GU and they had XL sizes and a great selection. I also got a windbreaker that rolls up into a tiny umbrella sized pouch. 10/10.

The yen seems to be going up. Fill your pasmo/suica now. If you need glasses or you’re not sure if you need glasses, check out Jins or Owndays. I got 2 pairs of glasses in Japan and they were so cheap!! I did get one nice pair with progressive lenses. But that takes 10 days. So make sure you check your schedule. I also regret not getting things when I saw them. I figured I would have time to buy them at the end of the trip, but I wish I bought them in the moment.

Make sure you bring your passport with you at all times. And also check if you can qualify for Tax Free purchases! (You won't be able to use the product in Japan if you do Tax Free though.)

TRANSPORTATION:
You can get a pasmo or suica card. My wife and I had one and the other for Kyushu and Tokyo/Hiroshima/Osaka on a previous trip and it both worked for trains and conbinis (IC payment).

I highly recommend renting a car for outside of Fukuoka. We had a car for Beppu and it was great to create our own timeline and go anywhere. Get the ETC toll pass. We rented through Priceline and it was very easy. I will say, driving with 2 people is much nicer than driving alone (For directions, fatigue, etc.)
Get your international Drivers License from AAA. It was super easy and took us 20 minutes!

You can also rent bikes! I did Chari Chari until I heard about LUUP. They have 3 hour passes. Just be careful. Taking a fall on one of those will scrape you up….. they’re heavy. I loved biking around the city! Even did it in the rain.

TLDR:
Have fun, explore the parks and cities, and eat all the food.