I recently just came back from a trip and a pretty long one. I went to Fukuoka, Japan for about 18 days where I travelled around Kyushu visiting Beppu, Kumamoto, Imajuku. It was a nice and relaxing trip as the region of Kyushu is not as hectic and crowded as Tokyo or Osaka.
Fukuoka was recommended by my travel partner since she went there before and enjoyed her time there. It is more of nature and scenic, I also believe a lot of people go to Kyushu for hiking as there are quite a number of hiking trails there.
Cost
The prices were definitely one concern considering that I travelled with my family and so we did try to keep costs low for accommodation and plane tickets so that we could optimise it in other areas, food and experiences. When we tried buying air tickets, tickets were crazy high especially for direct flights as Japan is a popular destination, Tokyo and Osaka being the easiest. Fukuoka is one of the 10 biggest cities in Japan, not being in the top 3 means things are still not as crazy as Tokyo but with borders opening, it is still a rather popular destination especially among South Koreans where the flight there from South Korea is just an hour.
We chose a full service airlines but we stopped over in Incheon before reaching Fukuoka so still a little hassle but the stopover was not too long so it’s all right. We managed to get tickets for about $800 plus per pax.
Accommodation
I would say accommodation in Asia is usually more affordable than Europe or USA and even comparing to Singapore, Japan and South Korea have pretty affordable accommodations if you are willing to search.
Rooms were slightly more expensive for the time we travel as it was the cherry blossom month between end March to April so prices were slightly high but I think it is still all right. There are areas that are more expensive and as we move towards the outskirts, the prices do get more affordable. Of course, how can we miss out on ryokans when in Japan so I we splurged a little more for 2 nights to spend it at a ryokan with onsen and breakfast as well as dinner.
Onsen was amazing, you just feel so relaxed after soaking and especially when the weather is cool. The ryokan also provides dinner and breakfast which is great after a good soak.
Transport
Within Fukuoka’s city subway, the prices are all right and you can just use an IC card to travel around. Of course, to travel to other areas of Kyushu, you would need to get a JR pass, it is pretty worth it depending on how you plan your days. I managed to visit Beppu, Kumamoto and Nagasaki with it.
Taxi are also available for areas that are further out, we took a taxi for one of the days as it was far and there 3 of us, the tourist recommended us to take a taxi as it was going to be around the same price as a long distance bus ride. Overall, I feel that if you can get a car to drive around, it can be better as the scenic areas are quite out of the way, Parking can be quite expensive especially for overnight but if you have a bigger group then it might be more worth it.
Overall expenditure and experience
I would say overall the total expenditure has been affordable and great value. Even though we spend a bit on accommodation considering it was an 18 days trip and we did book better places for certain nights.
To be honest, after borders have opened up, many Singaporeans have started travelling and I have found it enjoyable, being able to experience another country after some time and I want to be able to travel more in the coming months.
Even though it is more expensive travelling than before the pandemic overall, considering tickets, food and transport is kinda more expensive, the amount of rest and experience is amazing and I think travelling is so amazing in that you put yourself into another environment and try new things.
But I have to admit that after my holiday, I did feel a little overwhelmed by work when I came back as I went to Japan for 18 days and I kinda got used to waking up and wanting to explore rather than working on a laptop after waking up.
I find myself losing motivation to write and record down my thoughts as well, explaining a lack of articles as work and personal life have made me tired and lazy. Also because the market hasn’t been that interesting but I will definitely still be doing my quarterly portfolio updates to see how the portfolios are. Looking forward to my next trip and experience! In the meantime, hustling hard and earning that guap.
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