Kunisaki Peninsula: The Minemichi Trail – 7 Days

HOW TO GET START AND FROM END OF WALK

Travelling to the Start of the walk

Your journey begins at Usa Station in Kyushu. Please note that arrivals to the starting point on Day 1 and departures from the final destination are self-arranged. To ensure a smooth experience, we provide comprehensive travel resources to help you easily navigate these transfers.

By Air: One of the options is to fly into Fukuoka Airport and explore the vibrant city. While several flights depart Tokyo daily, an early morning departure is essential to arrive by late afternoon.  You will need to catch the train from there.

By Train: You can get to Usa Station for anywhere in Japan by Shinkansen then swapping to the local train from Kokura Station or Hakata station on Kyushu.

Japan Transit Planner is an excellent resource for checking train schedules and platform locations.

JR Rail Pass: Whether or not to purchase a Japan Rail Pass depends on how long you are planning to stay in Japan and what other areas you want to visit. We would recommend roughly calculating your train fares for the trip and comparing this with the JR Pass cost to see if it is worth purchasing for your particular itinerary. The alternative to a JR Pass would be to buy tickets as you go.

Note that the JR Rail Pass cannot be used on many local bus services and cannot be used on non-JR services such as non-JR train networks and the Tokyo metro.

Should I invest in a JR Rail Pass? We highly recommend that you only invest in a JR Rail pass if you are planning to extend your travel in Japan. As mentioned, the cost of train travel is provided when using the Japan Transit Planner website, Japan Direct rail app or Japan Travel by NaviTime app (which also allows you to search bus timetables). You can choose the departure station, arrival station, and time. The results give you the name of the train, platform number, total cost, duration of journey, total distance, and transfers. 

Travelling from the end of the walk

By Train: Take a direct express train from Beppu Station to Kokura station or Hakata Station, which takes approximately two hours. From Kokura Station or Hakata Station, you can also take the Shinkansen to other destinations in Japan, such as Osaka and Tokyo.

By Air: From Beppu you can catch the bus to Oita airport, which interestingly is the other side of Beppu and not the Oita side. You can fly from Oita airport to almost anywhere in Japan.

HIGH SEASON CHARGES

In Japan, there are some periods when locals travel en masse as they are on holiday. These times are best avoided as the accommodation costs escalate considerably (more than double). It would make a lot of sense if you could avoid these times. Otherwise, see below for high-season periods. This could lead to the cost of the trip increasing by 30% or more.

Weekend surcharges may apply to advertised prices. Also within:
Golden week: generally between 29 April & 5 May
Obon period: mid-august (between the 10 & 20 August)

WALKING

This  54km walk is graded as moderate. Walks average about 11 km with 4 to 5 hours of walking each day, with the longest being 15 km. The walking is over dirt paths and roads and there is a little bit of up and down. There is one day (Day 4) where there’s a quite steep short section at the end of the day. Expect each day to start with some  elevation gains.  We recommend training and having a good level of fitness to complete this walk comfortably.

This historic route has you walk at the trailhead and at the last temple with stacks of small temples (Oji)  and statues to admire along the way. For some of the time, you are walking under a forest canopy which makes for mild conditions other than during the height of summer.

Please refer to Gear Advice in our FAQ section for what to bring.

WEATHER

Located in southern Japan, Kunisaki experiences warm summers from late June through September, with hot and humid conditions that are generally not suitable for walking.

Spring and autumn are the most popular seasons, offering comfortable temperatures and pleasant weather conditions ideal for exploring the trails which is when we conduct our tours. Winter is not available due to snow.

For the average yearly temperature in Kunisaki, please see the weather information.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/jp/kunisaki-shi/219400/weather-forecast/219400

INSURANCE

We require that you have adequate travel insurance against potential losses, damage or injury, including cancellation costs and loss of luggage.

For all trips requiring international travel, you must have purchased travel insurance including medical evacuation coverage.

We also charge a cancellation fee if you cancel your walking holiday after we have confirmed it to cover costs incurred by our suppliers and in the office.  See the FAQ section for more information.

INFORMATION PACK

For over 30 years, we have taken pride in providing seamlessly organised walking holidays, but we know that you’ll have many more questions even with that in mind. You will receive a detailed information pack and itinerary approximately six weeks from departure outlining all the fine details and much more.

DIETARY REQUIREMENTS

Please note: accommodations on this self guided tour are unable to accommodate dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, or fish stock-free dietary requirements. Guests with specific dietary needs are encouraged to contact the office in advance to discuss possible options.

IMPORTANT - SOLO WALKERS

For your safety and well-being, we are unable to accept bookings for solo travellers on our self-guided Kunisaki trips. The remote nature of some tracks and limited mobile reception mean that walking alone presents a higher risk in case of emergencies.