Japan is certainly a cakewalk compared to Taiwan if you’ve only learnt Japanese.
I mean, if you want a sense of adventure but still retaining some level of comfort, Taiwan destroys Japan. Just my opinion. I live in Japan so my opinion may or may not be biased. Cool cities, better local food, mountains, forests, beaches, temples everywhere, night markets, bustling local life… Taiwan has it all.
I think you’re getting a bit of grass-is-greener syndrome there, because Japan has literally all of those things you listed too. 
He forgot to mention that the grass is greener, also.
I’m just sayin’ if i wasn’t living in Japan and I had a choice to visit Japan or Taiwan, knowing what I know, then I would visit Taiwan. My suggestion for someone visiting Japan is that they should find an LCC flight and check out Taiwan too, because the difference is quite big, especially outside of Taipei. It’s also mad cheap, ridiculously so compared to Japan. If you have an open mind, from my perspective, it’s just more fun there from an adventure point of view. Japan is Asia on easy-mode. Of course I like both.
I didn’t mean to imply that visiting Kyushu is impossible. I’m simply saying that there are many great things to do and see in closer proximity to Tokyo. My first trip to Japan was for five weeks and I didn’t make it any further west than Hiroshima because there was so much to do elsewhere. It’s really not hard to see why most tourists don’t make it to Kyushu.
Anyway, Tokyo is pretty much the only landing point if you’re flying from the US and you’re not on the west coast. I guess I could go with a flight that has partners and eventually gets to Osaka or something, but that’s far from ideal when I can get from here to Tokyo in about 13 hours with no stops. Kyushu is something like seven hours away on the Shinkansen, or otherwise it’s back on the plane for more flying. At least the airport in Fukuoka is close to the city center!
What were some of the highlights of your trip? I’m in the midst of planning a 3-week trip with some friends for next summer, and we’re especially fond of hitting locations that tour books don’t necessarily tell you about.
Possible, but it’s also possible that @Beghaus knows what he’s talking about. I’ve lived in Japan 7 years, but I’ve also lived in Thailand for 7 years and Korea for 3 years. And other countries too. I know which country I’d most want to visit. I’m not going to say which one it is, I’m just saying that it is possible that @Beghaus knows what he’s talking about!
Australia? It’s Australia, right?
Or, ya know, there’s also a bit of personal preference at play. I’ve never been particularly drawn by any of the South-East Asian nations, for example, but other people will happily talk about their charms for hours.
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Will you have a Japan Rail Pass? If so try to spread your travel between Shinkansen and some slower options. There are JR buses that link Shinkansen Stations to small towns. I lived in Tanagura Machi in Fukushima Ken which is a short busride from Shirakawa station and puts you into the countryside where you can really get speaking practice.
Haha , Same I booked cheap flight to Japan for April. 17 days. Half in Tokyo and Half in Kyoto with a few day trips planned to surrounding areas.
I agree, it’s not hard to see why people don’t make it down here. Japan is a beautiful country with so many attractions, as many of us on WaniKani are well aware. I’m simply saying it’s a shame, because Kyushu has many unique things to offer too.
There is something to be said for going off the beaten track. When I visited Australia when I was 18, I was there for six months and only visited Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. I kick myself now thinking about all the things I could have been doing, and all the places I could have been going. That’s one of the reasons I push for people to try to do more, to fit more into their travels, and to try to go to places that tourists don’t usually think about going to.
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