Project Shinkansen 2016 - All Over Japan from Hokkaido to Kyushu Japan Rail JR Pass Itinerary

In October 2016, I traveled to Japan using the 14-day Japan Rail Pass. I did extensive trip planning for visiting off-the-beaten-path and less-traveled-by places because it was my third long trip using the Japan Rail JR Pass. In summary, I traveled from Hokkaido 北海道 , Northeast 東北 region near Akita 秋田, Kanazawa 金沢, Kyushu 九州 Kagoshima 鹿児島, and onto Hakata 博多/Fukuoka 福岡 area; then I slowed down in Kansai 関西 area to make day trips from Osaka 大阪.

Hayabusa Shinkansen bullet train. Tokyo to Hokkaido

I was fortunate that my cousin and my high school buddy were able to join different parts of the journey. Having more than one person in the group, we were able to enjoy many more different varieties of cuisine and visit nicer authentic traditional restaurants.