Tosu Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site.

The nearest airport is Fukuoka, which is about 40 minutes away by car. By public transport, the easiest way to reach Tosu is to take the Subway two stops to Hakata, and change there to the JR line.

Another good option is Saga Airport, which is quieter and slightly further away. Limousine taxis can be booked to Tosu, taking 1 hour 20 minutes and costing ¥1200; alternatively, take the bus to Saga Station and change there to the train to Tosu.

Tosu Station stands at the junction of the JR Kagoshima and Nagasaki Main Lines. Shin-Tosu Station is the next stop along the Nagasaki Line, and also the city's station on the Kyūshū Shinkansen.

All Sakura and Tsubame trains stop at Shin-Tosu. There are usually two trains per hour to each of Hakata and Kumamoto, of which at least one continues to Shin-Osaka and Kagoshima-Chūō.

Times and prices of Shinkansen trains are typically as follows:

• Hakata: 13 minutes, ¥2310
• Kurume: 4 minutes, ¥1980
• Kumamoto: 36 minutes, ¥3900
• Kagoshima-Chūō: 1 hour 30 minutes, ¥10,120
• Shin-Osaka: 3 hours, ¥16,310

Tosu station is served by a frequent service to Hakata, with three Rapid and Regional Rapid trains per hour taking between 30 and 35 minutes and costing ¥560. There are also usually two Limited Expresses per hour (Kamome, Midori, Huis Ten Bosch, Yufu, or Yufuin no Mori) which take 25 minutes and cost ¥1700.

Times and prices for other destinations from Tosu are as follows:

• Kurume: 8 minutes, ¥230
• Kumamoto: 1 hour 30 minutes, ¥1650
• Saga (Limited Express): 20 minutes, ¥1280
• Saga (local train): 30 minutes, ¥460
• Nagasaki (Limited Express Kamome): 1 hour 30 minutes, ¥4230

There is a nimai-kippu which allows a day trip on the Shinkansen from Shin-Tosu to Hakata (or Yoshizuka) for ¥2260. Another nimai-kippu allows return travel within a month between Tosu and Hakata or Yoshizuka on a Limited Express for ¥1640.

JR services to Tosu and Shin-Tosu are covered by the Japan Rail Pass and JR Kyūshū's All Kyūshū Area Pass and Northern Kyūshū Area Pass.

• Azumaya (Buses run eight times a day from Tosu Station to Azumabashi, taking 20 minutes and ¥250, from where it is 5 minutes walk). A natural pool along the Kawachi River, and a popular spot for swimming in the summer, surrounded by trees up to 600 years old.
• Asahiyama Park (5 minutes walk from Shin-Tosu Station). Unsurprisingly, this hill was the site of a castle, in this case from 1334 to 1586, and was the site of a battle during the failed Saga Rebellion in 1874. Today, the 290 steps up to the top are part of the training regime of Sagan Tosu, the local football club. The markers on the way up include pictures of Totto-chan, the city's mascot, and Win-tosu, Sagan Tosu's mascot.
• Kawachi Dam area (Buses run seven times a day from Tosu Station to Shimin-no-mori, taking 30 minutes and ¥330).
• Saga Racecourse (Buses run 18 times a day from Tosu Station to Keibajō-mae, taking 20 minutes and ¥290).
• Ochozu Waterfall

• Sagan Tosu professional soccer team

• Yoshinogari
• Kanzaki
• Saga
• Kurume
• Kiyama
• Ogori
• Nakagawa
• Chikushino
• Fukuoka

Hakata ←	N  S	→ Kurume → Kagoshima
Fukuoka ← Kiyama ←	N  S	→ Kurume → Kumamoto
Fukuoka ← Chikushino ←	N  S	→ Kurume → Kumamoto
Nagasaki ← Saga-Yamato ←	N  S	→ END
END ←	W  E	→ Hita → Oita