Family of five heading far and wide!

Hi there,

Looks like you've got quite a lot of fond memories in Japan! I just have written "Yes" as the answer to your question, as you'd get fantastic value out of a Japan rail pass if you do end up going up to Hokkaido and all the way down the Kyushu. In terms of how crazy it yes? Well if you love train travel then no, if you don't - then it may be different. Travel to Hokkaido does take about 7 hours Sapporo - Tokyo, as such I would reserve about 7 days to see Hokkaido, such as Hakodate, Lake Toya, Sapporo and Otaru. Then on the way back, add in a couple nice stops, such as Sendai, Hakone, Shizuoka, any city in Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe etc), Himeji, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and then finally Beppu. Of course you should not stop at each city, just pick the ones you like best :)

Hope this helps,
Daniel