Tokyo To Kyushu: An Onsen And Big City Trip

Plane tickets are cheap (from USD 98)

With bargain airfares available to U.S. travelers, it makes sense to visit. And with flights from Philadelphia to Tokyo Haneda Airport for only 6,000 JPY/620 USD roundtrip, why not plan a Japanese vacation when fears of the coronavirus dissipate? For the best time to go, consider winter for off-season rates and no crowds.

On a trip like this, it makes sense to spend a couple of days in Tokyo to recover from the long flight. The flight from Philly to Chicago is about two hours, and the Chicago to Haneda flight is a whopping 13 hours. Upon landing in Haneda, clear customs and make your way to the Keikyu Line train for speedy and affordable transportation into Tokyo.

For just 300 JPY/2.7 USD, you can get to Shinagawa in only 20 minutes. Since this is an airport train, the cars accommodate riders with luggage. I recommend Shinagawa for its collection of excellent restaurants and hotels.

Take a walk

Consider the Shinagawa Prince Hotel, a great home-away-from-home, and enjoy the lights of Tokyo spread out like a bejeweled quilt from the higher floors. The Luxe Dining Hapuna buffet breakfast in the Prince Hotel provides a delicious all-you-can-eat meal for around 2400 JPY/ 25 USD. Try a typical Japanese breakfast of salad, steamed rice, fish, curry, pickles, and some fresh fruit.

Walk the Shinagawa area to shake off the jet lag and note appealing restaurants for later. For a bargain dinner place, try Tsubame Grill, located on the main drag in front of the Shinagawa Prince Hotel.

Open since 1930, Tsubame Grill is a German-themed eatery that serves the best burger I’ve ever had anywhere. For a mere 1,500 JPY/14 USD, you get a Salisbury steak-like burger, green beans, gravy, a bite of pot roast, and a baked potato. The burger comes in a balloon of aluminum foil on a cast-iron skillet. It’s big fun to open the shiny dome and inhale the hearty fragrance of pure beefy goodness. Paired with a draft beer, this is excellent fare. Tsubame also has a great baked apple dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a low price of 500 JPY/4.50 USD.

A scenic flight to Oita

On the second morning in Tokyo, grab a seat on the Keikyu Line back to Haneda Airport for a ninety-minute flight to Oita Airport. Foreign tourists get reduced fares for these in-country flights with round trip tickets costing as little as 13,353 JPY/125 USD! While Fukuoka Airport is probably a more common landing choice, you’ll want to land close to Beppu, where several decent onsen (hot springs) hotels await. On the flight south, look for views of Mt Fuji as the plane passes quite close to this famous mountain.

At Oita Airport, ask the information person how to catch the bus to Beppu’s central bus station. The cost is just 1,500 JPY/about 14 USD and takes 50 minutes on this 49 km/30.44 mile ride. If you choose a hotel near the Beppu bus station, you will have a short walk. If you are hungry upon arrival, there is a decent sushi restaurant next to the bus stop or a couple of good restaurants inside the train station.

For excellent local information, stop in at Wander Compass at the central bus station where they speak English and are knowledgeable of the area. They can help with tour arrangements, hotels, restaurants, and more. After getting settled in your hotel, make plans to take the Beppu Hells Tour. A three-hour bus tour will amaze you with the variety of hot springs. You can also take a city bus to the main hot springs area for less money than the three hour tour and do a self-guided option. See the red lake, blue lake, and witness a steam vent that is so powerful it’s said to be strong enough to pull one and a half train cars! The sound this steam vent emits is like a jet engine, and the steam cloud can be seen from far away.

Over the mountains to Yufuin

After a day or two in Beppu, catch the number 36 bus to Yufuin, at the same bus station you arrived at. Yufuin is a hot springs (onsen) town surrounded by towering mountains. The scenic one-hour bus ride takes you high into the mountains through forests of cedar and bamboo.

Pedestrian-friendly Yufuin has several fun places to walk to. After you arrive, plan on stopping off at the information center located next to the train station. Since the train station is steps away from the bus station, this is a convenient place to gather local information.

Yufuin has several restaurants next to the train and bus stations. Try Yufumabushi on Ekimae Dori for an affordable and delicious meal of steamed rice and local beef or chicken. If they are full, check in with the staff and take a seat in the waiting area, since a table usually opens up in 10-15 minutes. Dinner for two with beer or sake costs around 3,200 JPY/30 USD and is so good you’ll probably want to return.

A peaceful lake

For a great hotel in Yufuin, consider Yufuin Yawaraginosato Yadoya on the edge of town by Lake Kinrin. This hotel is a bit of a splurge for some with the room costing about 30,464 JPY/280 USD per night for two persons. You’ll get a traditional room with tatami mats, plenty of space, Western-style or futon beds, and excellent private hot baths. Each of the four private baths requires a reservation and is yours for 50 minutes. Take in the views of towering mountains and forested hillsides from your private onsen while you relax in a spa-like atmosphere.

From the hotel, you can take a morning walk to Lake Kinrin where the morning mist rises skyward to greet the day. You’ll see several types of fish swimming in the lake and an occasional great blue heron or other waterfowl. Another site not to miss is the Unaki Hime Shrine, where a 1,000-year-old cedar breaks free of the lush bamboo forest in the foothills near downtown Yufuin. It’s not crowded and for most visitors it’s an easy 20-minute walk from the train station.