Southern Kyushu Rail Pass: three-day area and exchange locations
JR KYUSHU RAIL PASS Southern Kyushu
Three consecutive days on covered routes in southern Kyushu, including the Kyushu Shinkansen from Kumamoto to Kagoshima-Chuo. This pass cannot be exchanged at Hakata or Fukuoka Airport.
Places in this guide: Kumamoto (熊本) · Oita (大分) · Kagoshima-Chuo (鹿児島中央) · Miyazaki (宮崎) · Miyazaki Airport (宮崎空港) · Hakata (博多) · Fukuoka Airport (福岡空港) · Takeo-Onsen (武雄温泉) · Nagasaki (長崎) · Uto (宇土) · Yatsushiro (八代) · Yoshimatsu (吉松)
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
Start with the southern section and collection point
For Kumamoto–Kagoshima travel and covered journeys towards Miyazaki, compare Southern Kyushu with separate fares. If arriving via Fukuoka, budget separately for Hakata–Kumamoto and choose a southern exchange location. For a trip across both halves of the island, compare All Kyushu as well.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
Three-day agency/station fare
The official agency/station three-day fare is JPY 12,000 for adults and JPY 6,000 for children. Compare any official online discount or seller package separately; do not treat this operator price as an AUD quote.
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 | 12,000 | 6,000 |
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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
Covered southern trains and excluded northern sections
Eligible local and limited express services cover the designated area around Kumamoto and south of Oita. Kyushu Shinkansen coverage is Kumamoto–Kagoshima-Chuo. Use the English area map to check the actual section of every connecting train.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and faresSource: JR Kyushu official coverage map — JR KYUSHU RAIL PASS Southern Kyushu
Hakata–Kumamoto Kyushu Shinkansen and Takeo-Onsen–Nagasaki Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen are excluded. This pass does not become valid for those sections just because you will continue south.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and faresSource: JR Kyushu official coverage map — JR KYUSHU RAIL PASS Southern Kyushu
Southern exchange points and Miyazaki Airport hours
Use the designated Oita, Kumamoto, Kagoshima-Chuo, Miyazaki or Miyazaki Airport collection points. Hakata and Fukuoka Airport do not accept Southern Kyushu exchanges.
Source: JR Kyushu pass-specific collection locations and opening hoursSource: JR Kyushu Miyazaki Airport station guide
The pass reception list gives Miyazaki Airport hours as 10:00–12:10 and 12:50–17:30, with a 12:10–12:50 break. These can differ from general station hours, so confirm the pass-processing counter before planning a tight arrival and train connection.
Source: JR Kyushu pass-specific collection locations and opening hoursSource: JR Kyushu Miyazaki Airport station guide
Six free reservations within the southern area
Southern Kyushu includes up to six free eligible Ordinary Car seat reservations at a JR Kyushu counter or reserved-seat machine. Paid advance online reservations are outside that count. If you exceed the allowance, buy the required express ticket for each additional reserved train.
Source: JR Kyushu official English rail-pass conditions and fares
Check availability before boarding. Green Car travel has extra charges and the pass does not grant access to private Green compartments.
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 exchange Southern Kyushu at Fukuoka Airport?
No. The airport counter handles All Kyushu and Northern Kyushu. Choose a designated Oita, Kumamoto, Kagoshima-Chuo, Miyazaki or Miyazaki Airport collection point.
Can I start a covered Shinkansen journey from Hakata?
Hakata–Kumamoto is excluded. Southern Kyushu includes the Kyushu Shinkansen only from Kumamoto to Kagoshima-Chuo.
Is Miyazaki Airport pass exchange open throughout midday?
The pass reception list has a break from 12:10 to 12:50. Confirm the pass counter’s hours rather than relying on general station hours.
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 Southern 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 Miyazaki Airport station 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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