plambers

so taking husband to japan for first time in march. fly to haneda march 11 and home from fukuoka march 25. we will just miss the start of baseball season by a few days. bummer

first night-tokyo
week in kyoto at same airbnb we stayed at last time and loved it and location. day trips to uji (maybe nara) and himeji and kobe.
2 nights takamatsu at jr clement. ritsurin gardens first day and naoshima a/k/a art island next day
2 nights miyajima with first day in hiroshima. hope its warm enough to kayak on miyajima as it was a highlight.
our final night was to be in fukuoka. our flight doesn't leave until 2 pm.

I found this amazing ryokan with private outdoor onsens called Sanso-Tensui in Oita area. We'd take the train to Amagase station and they will pick us up. It's a bit pricy but is on a river and some of the onsens overlook a waterfall! I haven't seen it mentioned on this site. We could get a train at 9:48 am and be at Fukuoa airport at 11:33. Two and a half hours before flight. We are traveling business class so quick check in process.

Any feedback on Sanso-Tensui? Too risky to stay here our final night? thanks all

mrwunrfl

Sanso Tensio looks great and worth it, keeping in mind that it includes a fancy dinner plus breakfast, it is a cultural experience, and you are participating in Japanese tradition (worth reading about).

>> train at 9:48 am and be at Fukuoa airport at 11:33
How? Is that train to Hakata Station and then subway or bus? Or is it train to Hita and then bus?
That Yufu 2 limited express gets to Hakata station at 11:20. The subway gets you to the airport but then you need about 20 minutes to get to the kokusai (international) terminal.
The bus options (from Hita or Hakata station go to the international terminal.

Inter-Terminal Shuttle | Fukuoka Airport Official Website

or is your flight from FUK a domestic one?

plambers

Hi again and thanks for always being so responsive. It shows a train to Hakata (Yufu 2 Go) and then the subway airport line. There's also a 10:15 arriving 12:25 but that seems a bit late...I see this on Navitime.

mrwunrfl

You answered my How? question: Yufu 2 and subway.

My other question was: is your flight from FUK a domestic one?

See my last post again, wanted to make sure you knew about the shuttle to the international terminal. But, adding time for the shuttle, you would get to the international terminal by noon if you take the 9:28 train from Amagase.

10:15 arriving 12:25 would be ok for a domestic flight at 2pm (IME and according to JAL)

Be sure to use Visit Japan Web before leaving for Japan.

To get from the ryokan to Amagase station: is that a scheduled service or on-demand? Probably doesn't matter as I would expect that a scheduled service would be based on train departure times. That is, you tell them you are on the 9:28 train and they tell you when the shuttle leaves (and that would give you plenty of time).

plambers

sorry-flight goes from fukuoka to haneda and then from haneda to US. so then its domestic, yes, and 10:15 WITH 12;25 arrival would work? that would be awesome.
the shuttle is only 10 minutes and on demand.

mrwunrfl

Here is what JAL says:
JAL | Domestic Flights Important information for your travel day

scroll down and click on Fukuoka Airport and see where it says.
Please aim to arrive at the airport 1½ hours prior to departure

You should read that webpage more closely than I did. ANA probably says the same.

I did fly FUK-> HND in biz class (JAL) last year or 2022. I think I had a hard time to find a place to check in. IDR when I got to the airport (by taxi), but it couldn't have been more than 90 minutes before departure. Airports in Japan are easy to use.

Amagase Onsen Sanso Tensui → Amagase station is less than a mile and both Navitime and Rome2Rio say 3 min drive.
The ryokan is 10 miles from Hita Bus Center which has a bus to FUK. That would be a no-brainer to transfer from a car to the bus (taxi or maybe the ryokan shuttle).

Hakata is a big station. It will take some skill to transfer from the train to the subway to the airport. I did get lost in that station.

To get to Amagase, you will be taking the shinkansen from Hiroshima via Hakata where you COULD transfer to a train to Amagase. You could spend some time at the station, during your transfer time, figuring out how you will get from the Yufu train platform to the subway the next day. Maybe even buy subway tix.

plambers

We took a train from Hakata to airport in May but that was for an international fight.
I asked the ryokan if the shuttle could take us to Hita bus station. So are you suggesting I just take the bus? Does it go to airport or Hakata station? How do I find schedules and pricing? I dont see on Navitime.
thanks as always.

mrwunrfl

>> We took a train from Hakata to airport in May but that was for an international fight.

By train you mean subway and it took you to the domestic terminal and then you took a bus/shuttle to the international terminal. Right?

I mentioned the bus largely because I was concerned about your ability to navigate Hakata station from the Yufu train to the subway. But you have used that subway before, so should be no problem. Really, if you got lost for 15 minutes you would still be ok for the domestic flight.

I mentioned the bus because it would (I imagine) be much easier to navigate than Hakata eki. Sort of they drop you off and the bus is right over there. Am pretty sure it goes to international terminal and then domestic (and then to Hakata station, I think). Another advantage is that it make it easier to travel with luggage.

Virtually certain that the bus will be less expensive and take longer than the train. Buses are subject to traffic. I think that bus is the one that comes from points south (like Kurokawa Onsen) and would need reserved seats.

The train/subway is not subject to traffic and reserved seats are easier to purchase.

With navitime, enter Hita Bus Center and click on Find spot. You can do the same for Amagase Onsen Sanso Tensui.

Hita Bus Terminal(日田バスターミナル)～Fukuoka Airport(福岡空港) | Nishitetsu timetable | Nishitetsu living net