Sasebo

The departure and return journeys are very convenient. Board the bus at station 31 on the 3rd floor of the Hakata Bus Terminal, and board the return bus at the drop-off station. The journey takes about 2 hours, and there are restrooms on the bus so you can take a nap without worrying about oversleeping. We arrived at Huis Ten Bosch right away – this time we came specifically for the Miffy! 😍🫶🏻 One last reminder: be sure to print out three A4 sheets: one for the outbound journey, one for the return journey, and one for the admission ticket 🎫

We arrived at Nagasaki Airport in the afternoon and spent three days and two nights at Huis Ten Bosch. We purchased our After 3 passports the day before, which allowed for smooth entry and transfers to the official hotel. We also took advantage of the official hotel's perks, allowing us to enjoy early entry and 1.5 days' worth of admission for just the price of our After 3 passport, which we felt was a great deal! Since we had a preschooler and an elementary school student with us, there were differences in the attractions they could enjoy, but we all enjoyed what we could do, and thanks to our long stay, we were able to try solving puzzles. Also, despite it being the end of January, the tulips were in bloom, and the park was filled with flowers, which was very relaxing.

I genuinely think the Kujukushima Aquarium is very thoughtful. Along the tour route, there are many chairs for visitors to rest. The oyster-opening activity is especially unique; you can select oysters yourself and open them yourself – it's a lot of fun!

Unlike Honshu, where you can rely solely on trains for transportation, buses become essential for getting around Kyushu. This trip involved long-distance travel from Beppu to Kurokawa Onsen, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, and back to Fukuoka, and the dates weren't consecutive, making the Kitakyushu SUNQ Pass a perfect fit. The electronic purchase, activation, and display all went smoothly without any issues. Aside from the long-distance travel, buses were generally available in all the cities I visited. Considering the overall savings on transportation costs, it was quite worthwhile.