Northern Kyushu Rail Pass: three or five days and six reservations
JR KYUSHU RAIL PASS Northern Kyushu
A three- or five-day pass for covered northern Kyushu journeys, including Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Oita and Kumamoto. Kyushu Shinkansen coverage stops at Kumamoto when travelling south from Hakata.
Places in this guide: Fukuoka (福岡) · Fukuoka Airport (福岡空港) · Hakata (博多) · Nagasaki (長崎) · Beppu (別府) · Oita (大分) · Kumamoto (熊本) · Misumi (三角) · Kagoshima-Chuo (鹿児島中央) · Takeo-Onsen (武雄温泉) · Uto (宇土) · Yatsushiro (八代) · Yoshimatsu (吉松)
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
A northern itinerary based around Fukuoka
Compare this pass with separate tickets for repeated journeys towards Nagasaki, Beppu or Kumamoto within the northern area. If you continue south by Shinkansen to Kagoshima, price the excluded section or compare All Kyushu before choosing a pass.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
Three- and five-day agency/station prices
These are the official agency/station fares in JPY, not online discounts or AUD equivalents. Choose three or five consecutive days according to the journeys you will actually make.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
Scroll the table sideways if it does not fit your screen.
| Validity | Adult (JPY) | Child aged 6–11 (JPY) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 consecutive days | 15,000 | 7,500 |
| 5 consecutive days | 17,000 | 8,500 |
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Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
Passport, residence and Temporary Visitor status
You need to live outside Japan, hold a non-Japanese passport and enter Japan for sightseeing with Temporary Visitor status. Bring the original passport with that status evidence when collecting the pass and carry it while travelling. An Australian English page does not establish your nationality or eligibility.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
Child age and consecutive dates
Adults are aged 12 or over and children 6–11. For a voucher bought from an overseas travel agency, child age is assessed on purchase. For a pass bought in Kyushu or through official JR KYUSHU RAIL PASS Online Booking, it is assessed on the first effective date.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
The chosen duration runs consecutively from the start date, including days without travel. A three-day pass starting on 6 October covers 6, 7 and 8 October. The deadline for exchanging a seller’s voucher is a separate package condition.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
Exchange order, physical pass and seat ticket
An agency exchange order is not a ticket for the automatic gates, even if it contains a QR code. Every named traveller should bring their original passport and exchange order to a collection location accepting that pass. Check the pass type, duration, name and exchange deadline before travelling.
Source: JR Kyushu official purchase guideSource: JR Kyushu pass-specific collection locations and opening hours
After collection, use the physical pass at automatic gates and retrieve it. A reserved-seat ticket is carried with the pass but is not inserted as the gate ticket.
Source: JR Kyushu official purchase guideSource: JR Kyushu pass-specific collection locations and opening hours
Kumamoto is the Kyushu Shinkansen boundary
Eligible local and limited express sections cover the designated area around Kumamoto/Misumi and north of Oita. Shinkansen coverage is Hakata–Kumamoto and Takeo-Onsen–Nagasaki. Check the map for the exact boundary rather than using the island’s name as coverage.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and faresSource: JR Kyushu official coverage map — JR KYUSHU RAIL PASS Northern Kyushu
Kumamoto–Kagoshima-Chuo Kyushu Shinkansen and Hakata–Kokura Sanyo Shinkansen are excluded. Other companies’ railways, subways and buses need separate tickets.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and faresSource: JR Kyushu official coverage map — JR KYUSHU RAIL PASS Northern Kyushu
Fukuoka Airport exchange counter and station collection
The JR Kyushu exchange counter is in the first-floor Access Hall of Fukuoka Airport’s international terminal, with pass reception listed as 09:00–17:00. It exchanges All Kyushu and Northern Kyushu orders, not Southern Kyushu. It does not handle new pass sales, changes or refunds.
Source: JR Kyushu pass-specific collection locations and opening hoursSource: JR Kyushu Fukuoka Airport exchange-counter guide
For collection at Hakata or another listed station, use the official pass reception list, not just the station’s general opening hours. Allow collection time before the first train; airport arrival formalities and luggage collection are additional.
Source: JR Kyushu pass-specific collection locations and opening hoursSource: JR Kyushu Fukuoka Airport exchange-counter guide
Six free Ordinary Car reservations
The free Ordinary Car reservation allowance is six. Reserve at a JR Kyushu counter or reserved-seat machine. A connecting reservation between Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen Kamome and its limited express connection is counted together as one.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
Paid advance online bookings do not count towards that six-booking allowance. After exceeding the free allowance, a separate express ticket is required for each additional reserved train. Green Car travel also requires the applicable extra charges.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
Check services separately from the coverage map
In the notice checked on 6 October 2026, Kagoshima Main Line Uto–Yatsushiro is suspended through 9 October, with reopening planned from the first train on 10 October. Weather can change that date. Hisatsu Line Yatsushiro–Yoshimatsu remains under a long-term suspension. A line on a pass map is not a promise that trains are running.
Source: JR Kyushu dated restoration notices (Japanese)Source: JR Kyushu long-term suspensions and planned works (Japanese)
Use the operator’s live operating information and dated works notices for your travel day. Do not interpret pass coverage, a reserved seat or a planned reopening date as confirmation of actual service.
Source: JR Kyushu dated restoration notices (Japanese)Source: JR Kyushu long-term suspensions and planned works (Japanese)
Refund the voucher or issued pass through the correct channel
For an unexchanged travel-agency voucher, contact the seller. JR Kyushu does not refund an overseas agency’s exchange order. For a physical pass received at a JR counter, request an eligible refund from the issuing counter by the day before validity starts; the official fee is 10% of the JPY selling price. From the first valid day, that issued-pass refund is not available.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
Direct JR KYUSHU RAIL PASS Online Booking has a separate refund procedure and deadline; do not apply it to an agency voucher or a pass already collected. Check the exact booking’s conditions. Trip.com option cancellation terms are also separate from JR’s transport rules.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
A fully booked train is not a reason for refunding the pass under the operator conditions. Check availability before committing to an itinerary that depends on one reserved service.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
Using your ticket
Choose consecutive dates and check every section against this specific pass’s map. Confirm original-passport, Temporary Visitor and child-age requirements.
Check the seller’s exchange order for the correct pass, duration, names and exchange deadline. It is not the issued pass.
All travellers named on the order should attend an accepting collection point with their original passports and exchange documents. Check that location’s pass-processing hours.
Check the start date on the issued physical pass. Reserve the required Ordinary Car seats at a JR Kyushu counter or supported reserved-seat machine before boarding.
Insert the physical pass at automatic gates and retrieve it. Carry the seat ticket for the assigned train and seat, but do not insert it as the gate ticket.
Questions and answers
Can I take the Shinkansen to Kagoshima-Chuo?
Not with Northern Kyushu alone. Its Kyushu Shinkansen coverage is Hakata–Kumamoto; the section south to Kagoshima-Chuo is excluded.
How is a Kamome and connecting express reservation counted?
The connecting Ordinary Car reserved-seat bookings are counted together as one reservation.
What happens after six free seat reservations?
You need an additional express ticket for each further reserved train. All Kyushu has a different, unlimited booking-count allowance.
Can I use the exchange voucher’s QR code at the gates?
No. Exchange it for the physical pass at an accepting location first. Insert the issued pass at automatic gates and retrieve it.
Is child age assessed when buying or when travelling?
For an overseas travel-agency voucher, age is assessed on purchase. For a pass bought in Kyushu or through official JR online booking, it is assessed on the first effective date. The child band is 6–11.
Will I get a pass refund if the train is fully booked?
No. The operator does not accept lack of an available seat as a pass-refund reason. Check reservations before relying on a particular train.
Official sources and coverage maps
Open the operator’s coverage map and conditions before choosing your journeys. Official maps are linked rather than republished. The coverage and exclusions are also explained above.
- JR Kyushu official coverage map — JR KYUSHU RAIL PASS Northern Kyushu ↗
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- JR Kyushu official rail-pass conditions (Korean) ↗
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- JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares ↗
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- JR Kyushu official purchase guide ↗
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- JR Kyushu pass-specific collection locations and opening hours ↗
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- JR Kyushu Fukuoka Airport exchange-counter guide ↗
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- JR Kyushu dated restoration notices (Japanese) ↗
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- JR Kyushu long-term suspensions and planned works (Japanese) ↗
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