Justin and I love taking the train to travel around Japan. Traveling long distances in a clean and comfortable train using a rail pass is very convenient.
When planning our recent trip to Fukuoka on Kyushu, Japan’s southern island, we found a Regional Kyushu Japan Railways (JR) Pass. The pass offers 3 passes – All Area Kyushu, Northern Kyushu, and Southern Kyushu. The passes have a different number of days for usage and can be used for transportation along the JR train.
Since we wanted to explore more of the north, we went for the JR Nothern Kyushu 5 Day Pass. There is a 3 day Northern Kyushu pass available but it was too short for us. We also didn’t need the full JR Wide Area Pass that covers the entire country.
Is this pass worth it? We’ll go through details about the pros and cons of the 5 Day JR Nothern Kyushu Pass, what it includes, and other helpful information to determine if you’ll want to use it for your future trip.
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Quick Pros/Cons of the 5 Day Northern Kyushu JR Pass
If you only have a few minutes to spare and can’t read the entire post, here are the top 3 pros and cons of using the pass.
Pros
- Covers all JR local lines, limited express, and some Shinkansen (high-speed bullet train) lines
- Reserve seats up to 6 times
- Travel across all of Northern Kyushu region for a cheaper price
Cons
- Does not cover non-JR train lines
- You’ll need to calculate whether the pass is worth it
- Fixed dates for the pass
Benefits of the Pass (Pros)
The pass can save you money!
The 5 Day Northern Kyushu Pass is 15,000 yen for adults and 7,500 yen for children. It’s available to foreign tourists on a tourist visa.
We used these tickets to explore Northern Kyushu in 5 days
We suggest creating a rough schedule of places to visit and the nearest JR station to the attraction.
Then, input the starting and ending stations to the JR Kyushu website or West JR Company website to see the schedule and the cost for non-reserved and reserved seating (if available).
Do this each day and determine if the pass will cover the cost of transportation.
We used the pass for many Shinkansen trips from Hakata to Kumamoto, taking a sightseeing train, Yufuin no Mori, and going to Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Nagasaki.
The cost of the Shinkansen one-way from Hakata to Kumamoto Station is 5,030 yen per person. We took the round trip for 2 days (5,030 x 4 = 20,120 yen), so that cost alone was already worth the price of the pass.
This is the orange train to arrive at Huis Ten Bosch Station from Hakata Station
You can explore many areas of Northern Kyushu.
The major areas covered by the pass include the following train stations: Fukuoka Hakata, Saga, Sasebo, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Mojiko, Kokura, Beppu, and Oita. The pass is a fantastic way to visit other cities that are less touristy.
Stop by Kumamoto to see the beautiful Kumamoto Castle
You can use the pass for any JR trains (local, limited express, and most Shinkansen).
For the Shinkansen, you can use both reserved and non-reserved seats. Reserved seats have a separate ticket with an assigned seat, while non-reserved seating is open to anyone. You’ll need to ensure that you’re in the appropriate reserved or non-reserved car.
It’s very convenient since you do not need to pay for individual tickets. Plus, you do not need to use an additional IC card (transportation cards such as ICOCA, Suica, or Pasmo) for payment.
It’s easy to use the pass.
Once you receive your physical pass from designated JR ticket offices, you can insert the ticket into the ticket machine to enter the turnstile and then go to the train platform. It’s the same way to exit the station.
You do not need to show the pass to the customer service representatives at the station office unless there is an issue with the ticket or turnstile.
Reserve seats in advance.
What is awesome about this Nothern Kyushu Pass is that you can reserve seats for Shinkansen and sightseeing trains up to 6 times.
You can reserve online (for an extra fee) or at the reservation machines at JR station (for free). If you can reserve seats at the machine, you’ll save money!
Note: The JR Kyushu Pass gets marked with a red star for every reserved seat that you make.
The sightseeing trains are exclusive routes with beautiful exterior and interior designs and provide unique experiences. The trains include Yufuin no Mori, Aso Boy, A-Train, Kawasemi Yamasemi, and more. Check out the full list here.
Our Experience with Seat Reservation
We wanted to ride the Yufuin no Mori sightseeing train from Hakata Station to Yufuin Station, so we made a reservation online. It cost us an extra 1,500 yen per person for the online reservation. We FOMO’d (fear of missing out) since we thought seats would be sold out for the start of summer travels.
When we arrived at Hakata Station to make the reservation from Yufuin to Hakata Station, there was availability. So, we’re glad to wait and save money.
We reserved these Yufuin no Mori train seats with the 5 day JR Northern Kyushu pass
Things to Consider About the Pass (Cons)
You’ll need to plan where to go and determine if the pass is worth it.
In the section above, we provided tips on creating an itinerary and looking up the cost of the train routes in advance.
If you prefer a looser schedule, plan on the day of, or want to just stay in Fukuoka, this pass would not be a good value for you. You can buy train or bus tickets on the day of or use an IC card for payment.
Check out Nanzoin Temple to see this gorgeous Buddha statue when visiting Fukuoka
You only have 5 days to use the pass.
Five days in Northern Kyushu scratches the surface of the area, so you’ll be limited in time on where to go.
In the next few sections, we included the places that we went. It was a very intense schedule as we wanted to visit as many attractions and areas as possible with the pass.
The pass is limited to only JR trains.
For any non-JR lines, you’ll need to purchase a ticket or use an IC card for payment.
The pass does not cover some Shinkansen lines and buses.
For example, the Shinkansen route from Kokura to Hakata is not applicable. So you’ll need to find another transportation option or use another railway company.
JR Kyushu buses are also not covered with the pass. (You’ll need to check what is eligible on your pass as other JR passes cover JR bus lines.)
Cost
As mentioned earlier, the 5 Day Pass is 15,000 yen for adults and 7,500 yen for children.
Just a FYI – The 3 Day Pass is 12,000 yen for adults and 6,000 yen for children.
Where to Buy the Pass
You can buy it online at the official JR site here or Klook.
We usually buy JR Passes and attractions on Klook. It’s our favorite site to buy tickets for attractions and train passes in Japan.
But this time, we bought directly from the JR Kyushu site. There was a promotion during our travel time so we saved 1,000 yen per person (14,000 yen per person).
With our online purchase, we did not need a physical voucher sent to our house.
But we did need to show our online receipt, a printed copy of an e-ticket, and credit card used for purchase at the JR Ticket Office to exchange for a physical ticket.
Where We Traveled With the Pass
With only 5 days, we had to be selective on where to go.
In our previous trip to Kyushu back in 2020, we already spent time in Northern Kyushu Area – Nagasaki, Beppu, and Fukuoka.
So with this trip in 2024, we wanted to visit new destinations. We were based in Fukuoka’s Hakata and took the train as much as possible for day trips.
Here is where we went:
- Day 0 – Stayed overnight in Fukuoka Hakata.
- Day 1 – Activated the Kyushu pass and went to Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Sasebo, Nagasaki. Returned to Hakata.
- Day 2 – Took the Shinkansen to Kumamoto and spent time in the castle area. Returned to Hakata.
- Day 3 – Returned to Kumamoto by Shinkansen and went to Kumamoto’s Aso Crater. Returned to Hakata.
- Day 4 – Left Fukuoka and took the sightseeing Yufuin no Mori train to Yufuin. Spent overnight in Yufuin.
- Day 5 – Explored Yufuin town. Returned to Hakata on Yufuin no Mori train. It was the last day of using the Kyushu pass.
We’ll share more details about each place we visit in upcoming blog posts. So, stay tuned!
Final Thoughts
We thought the JR Northern Kyushu 5 Day Pass was a fantastic value.
Since we were based in Fukuoka Hakata Station, the pass was worth it for the longer distances traveled on the Shinkansen rides to Kumamoto and sightseeing trains such as Yufuin no Mori.
We highly suggest that you purchase the pass either on Klook or the official JR site here for your next trip.
We would buy the pass again to explore the Southern Kyushu area.
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