Back to Kyūshū general information page.
How to get to Kyūshū
Kyūshū can be visited in one day if you come from the Osaka area, thanks to the fast Shinkansen network, but if you go further into the island, especially to the south, you will prefer to stay a few days inside the island so you do not have to spend hours on the trains and explore more local and beautiful spots.
If you have the Japan Rail Pass, you can of course travel from Tokyo to Hakata (the Sanyo Shinkansen terminus, 1050 km south of Tokyo). Although there is a direct train, without changes, in about 4 hours, with the Japan Rail Pass it is not possible to use it, as it is the Nozomi train (one of the inhibited ones, if you are a foreigner using a Japan Rail Pass); therefore, you will need to make a change to Shin-Osaka.
Summing up, going in one go from Tokyo to Kyūshū by train takes a long time and, even more so, if you do not have the JR Pass, you may want to take one of the frequent flights from Tokyo (in red, low cost air carriers).
From Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Fukuoka (FUK): ANA, Jal, Skymark, Starflyer
From Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Fukuoka (FUK): ANA, Jal, Peach Aviation, Jetstar Japan
From Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Kitakyushu (KKJ): ANA, Jal, Starflyer
From Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Saga (HSG): ANA
From Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Saga (HSG): Spring Air Japan
From Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Oita (OIT): ANA, Jal, Solaseed
From Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Oita (OIT): Jetstar Japan
From Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Nagasaki (NGS): ANA, Jal, Solaseed
From Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Kumamoto (KKJ): ANA, Jal, Solaseed
From Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Kumamoto (KKJ): Jetstar Japan
From Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Miyazaki (KMI): ANA, Jal, Solaseed
From Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Miyazaki (KMI): Jetstar Japan
From Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Kagoshima (KOJ): ANA, Jal, Starflyer, Solaseed
From Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Kagoshima (KOJ): Jetstar Japan
From Osaka, arriving by train in Kyūshū is now more feasible. Please refer to this table below for travel times.
Distance between Shin-Osaka and the main cities of Kyūshū
| Destination | Needed time | Approximate cost* |
| Hakata (Fukuoka) | 2,5 hours | 15000 JPY |
| Kumamoto | 3 hours 20 minutes | 18600 JPY |
| Kagoshima-Chūō | 4 hours 20 minutes | 21900 JPY |
| Nagasaki (with a change) | 5 hours | 19100 JPY |
| Beppu (with a change) | 4 hours | 17100 JPY |
| Miyazaki (with a change) | 7 hours 30 minutes | 20000 JPY |
* the cost refers to a Shinkansen ticket with reserved seat. With the Japan Rail Pass, there is no surcharge.
If you prefer to fly (in red, low cost):
From Osaka Itami (ITM) to Fukuoka (FUK): ANA, Jal, Ibex
From Osaka Kansai (KIX) to Fukuoka (FUK): ANA, Peach Aviation, Jetstar Japan
From Osaka Itami (ITM) to Oita (OIT): ANA, Jal, IBEX
From Osaka Itami (ITM) to Nagasaki (NGS): ANA, Jal
From Osaka Kansai (KIX) to Nagasaki (NGS): Peach Aviation
From Osaka Itami (ITM) to Kumamoto (KKJ): ANA, Jal
From Osaka Itami (ITM) to Miyazaki (KMI): ANA, Jal
From Osaka Kansai (KIX) to Miyazaki (KMI): Peach Aviation
From Osaka Itami (ITM) to Kagoshima (KOJ): ANA, Jal
From Osaka Kansai (KIX) to Kagoshima (KOJ): Peach Aviation
If you use the Shinkansen, travel time from Shin-Osaka, add about an hour.
Nagoya provides the following direct flights to Kyushu:
From Nagoya Centrair (NGO) to Fukuoka (FUK): ANA, Jal, Jetstar Japan, Starflyer, FDA
From Nagoya Komaki (NKM) to Fukuoka (FUK): ANA, Jal
From Nagoya Centrair (NGO) to Kitakyushu (KKJ): FDA, Jal, Starflyer
From Nagoya Centrair (NGO) to Oita (OIT): ANA
From Nagoya Centrair (NGO) to Nagasaki (NGS): ANA
From Nagoya Centrair (NGO) to Kumamoto (KKJ): ANA, Jal, FDS
From Nagoya Centrair (NGO) to Miyazaki (KMI): ANA
From Nagoya Centrair (NGO) to Kagoshima (KOJ): ANA, Jetstar Japan
You can take one of the following flights:
From Sendai (SDJ) to Fukuoka (FUK): ANA, Jal, Ibex
From Niigata (KIJ) to Fukuoka (FUK): ANA, Jal, FDA
From Sapporo (KIJ) to Fukuoka (FUK): ANA, Jal, Skymark, Peach Aviation
How to get around within Kyūshū
Kyūshū, on its western side, is vertically crossed by the Kyūshū Shinkansen, for about 280 km between Hakata and Kagoshima-Chuo.
Many trains continue to Shin-Osaka with the service Sakura and Mizuho (the latter foreclosed to users of Japan Rail Pass).
The Shinkansen network is completed by an efficient network of Limited Express trains that in particular travel along the eastern shore, passing from Oita, Beppu, Miyazaki and finally joining them with Kagoshima.
If you love traveling by train, and photographing them, know that JR Kyushu has invested heavily on railway tourism. You can find very special and singular trains, like Aso Boy, decorated with a canine mascot, the nostalgic Yufuin no mori, the Sonic, reminiscent of the German ICE, while another version of it seems inspired by the French TGV, up to the luxurious Nanatsuboshi, a “cruise train”, which for a few thousand dollars will take you around the island for a few days, depending on the packages.
Rail Pass
Kyushu also has its own dedicated train passes:
- Japan Rail Pass Kyushu (All Area)
- Japan Rail Pass Kyushu (north)
- Japan Rail Pass Kyushu (south)
For further information, see the JR Kyushu (English) site at this link.
Finally, a good news for some of you: JR Kyushu offers a discounted price for the “Ryugakusei Pass”, a train pass for students who live in Japan with a student visa.
The information is related to 2011 (when one of the authors of the site used it), but it seems that it is still available. In case, let us know!
