I was in Kyushu for a couple of days and only had time (and money haha) to visit Fukuoka and Nagasaki. Both cities are quite interesting because of their rich culture, history and delicious food!
Here's a breakdown of expenses for my 6 days and 5 nights trip to Fukuoka and Nagasaki.
*Everything's in Japanese Yen unless otherwise stated
*Conversion rate as of this writing is at P1 = JYP2.16
Fukuoka
1980 - Transportation
5600 - 2 nights at Hana Hostel
2500 - 1 night at & Hostel
300 - Baggage storage fee
7655 - Food and drinks
4630 - Fukuoka-Nagasaki round way bus fare
1240 - 2 1 day tickets for metro
740 - Nanzoin Temple round way train tickets
24645 - Total for Fukuoka
Nagasaki
5400 - 2 nights Akari Hostel
1000 - 2 day tram passes
2580 - Food and drinks
510 - Glover Garden tickets (discounted)
1282 - Postcards and stamps
100 - Atom Bomb Museum tickets
250 - Dejima entrance fee
610 - Ropeway to viewpoint round trip ticket
300 - Kofukuji Temple fee
300 - Sofukuji Temple fee
12332 - Total for Nagasaki
I wish I had more time to spend in Kyushu because there are other interesting places to visit. This part of Japan is probably a place I'd revisit in the near future. I went during autumn, which for me is an ideal season to visit because it's just at the right temperature of coldness, plus the colors are amazing, perfect for photography.
Itinerary
Fukuoka
Fukuoka is a bustling city, but not in the same league as Tokyo, which makes it easier to navigate. The metro is easy to map out since there aren't as many lines compared to Japan's capital. Ideally, buy the day ticket to save money and reduce transportation costs. There are only a handful of places of interest in the city proper, some temples and parks. I did two day trips from the city, which are Dazaifu and Nanzoin Temple. Both are noteworthy destinations because of their picturesque location, history and culture.
Nagasaki
This city piqued my interest because it was one of the city's where the Allied Forces dropped the atom bomb. I wanted to see how Nagasaki recovered from this catastrophe decades after. It has history that goes beyond the bombing as represented by Dejima, the old temples, Dutch Slope, Glover Garden and others.
Suggested Itinerary
Fukuoka
Day 1
Fukuoka city tour
Day 2
Dazaifu
Day 3
Nanzoin Temple
Nagasaki
Day 1
Oura Church
Dutch Slope
Dejima
Nagasaki Peace Park
Atom Bomb Museum
Day 2
Glover Garden
Kofukuji and Sofukuji Temples
26 Martyrs Museum
Mt. Inasa View Deck (at night, 7PM onwards)
*I went around at a moderate pace and spread out some of the attractions so I wouldn't cram everything into one day.
Getting Around
Fukuoka is an easy city to navigate since it's smaller than Tokyo, to save money, buy the 1 day tickets for the metro to get to places. A lot of the attractions are within walking distance of train stations, making it the most convenient way to see the city. This ticket costs around JPY620.
Nagasaki's attractions are split into two different sections, the south and the north, you can cover a majority of the places of interest within 2 full days. Buy the day pass for the tram to reduce transportation costs, this costs around JPY500.