[tinasg]

Hello all,

I've been reading the posts on this site for some weeks now and found them extremely useful but I have a couple questions I'm hoping someone can help me with...

I apologize if I ramble, I've just been thinking about this and excited for this trip for so long.

Last year my husband and I hosted a wonderful Japanese couple and they invited us to visit them in Kagoshima. We arrive in Tokyo on Fri, May 14 at 6PM and must find a way to get to Kagoshima.

Our original plan was to fly into Tokyo, fly to Kagoshima, spend a 3/4 days with our friends and then use the JR pass to get back to Toyko, stopping to sight-see as we go and leave Tokyo in Thur. May 27.

I'm having a hard time finding a flight on the 14th to Kagoshima, that won't cost me an arm and a leg. There is one ANA super-tabiwari flight but it leaves at 7:30PM. I'm afraid 1.5 hours is not enough time to get checked baggage and find a new boarding gate in a new and foreign airport.

We were thinking of taking a night bus or the Sunrise Seto train and 3 connecting trains. Those option would put us in Kagoshima around 11AM Saturday.

Has anyone done anything like this?

My reasoning is I don't want to pay for 1 night in a hotel near Narita just to take a "cheap" $300 super-tabiwari flight to Kagoshima in the morning and arrive later then the bus or train.

Granted 12 hours on a bus or train after 11 hours in the air doesn't sound ideal but we are young and I think we could suck it up and do it unless someone has a better idea?

I wouldn't mind making the trip in reverse (spending a few sightseeing on the way there) but unfortunately our Japanese friends have obligations that make that impossible.

Also I am very concerned about what gifts to bring. When we hosted them they brought us so many beautiful gifts... cakes, teas, shoju, beautiful scarves, soaps, handkerchiefs, local art prints, some pieces of jewelry and more.

We also gave them gifts when they left our home, Dodger gear, wine, See's candy, digital photo albums, some engraved jewelry... and I don't know what to bring this time, especially since they said so many of the things we have they also have in Japan. We're going to bring wine for sure but what else?

Someone mentioned to me that they brought boxed cake mix to Japan and that was a big hit but I'm skeptical... anyone heard this before?

We even asked if they would like anything specific and their only request was for a copy of the Declaration of Independence... weird but I'm assuming that's for a family member that they mentioned was a teacher.

They are a couple in their early 30's and live in a tiny apartment. I know knickknacks are out.

I'm sorry for the length of this post - I'm just so excited and nervous! Thank you to anyone who takes the time to glance over this!