Yatsushiro () is a city in Kumamoto (prefecture), Kyushu, Japan.
Yatsushiro is the second biggest city in Kumamoto prefecture and Japan's largest producer of the igusa grass used to make tatami mats.
Kumamoto Airport (dead link: January 2023) is less than an hour away by car. Kamizono Kōtsū (dead link: December 2020) runs 11 Super Banpeiyu services a day to and from Yatsushiro (both stations and five central hotels), taking about an hour and costing ¥1400 (¥2600 return).
Fukuoka Airport is also a good option, though much further away (allow at least 1hr 30mins).
Yatsushiro Station is the meeting point of the JR Kagoshima Line north to Kumamoto and beyond, the JR Hisatsu Line to Hitoyoshi (along the Kuma River), and the non-JR Hisatsu Orange Railway south along the coast towards Minamata. Shin-Yatsushiro Station is 5 minutes north on the Kagoshima Line, on the outskirts of town, and is the city's station on the Kyūshū Shinkansen.
Shin-Yatsushiro used to be the northern end of the Shinkansen line, where everyone had to change to a Relay train to Hakata, but since the line was completed in 2011 it has been a little less busy. There is usually one train per hour to each of Kagoshima-Chūō and Hakata, with some of the latter continuing as far as Shin-Ōsaka. It may be quicker to change at Hakata or Kumamoto.
Typical journey times and prices using the Shinkansen to Shin-Yatsushiro are as follows:
JR Kyushu sells a Nimai-kippu, valid for one month, which lets you go to and from Yatsushiro or Shin-Yatsushiro to Hakata (or any JR station in the Fukuoka area) for ¥10,200, which is ¥1420 cheaper than buying two normal tickets.
On the JR Kagoshima Line, Kumamoto is 40 minutes and ¥740 away from Yatsushiro. There are usually two trains per hour, stopping at all stations (including trains marked Regional Rapid). Hitoyoshi is a little over an hour and ¥2450 away by Limited Express, or 1 hr 20 mins and ¥1110 by local train.
JR services to Yatsushiro and Shin-Yatsushiro are covered by the Japan Rail Pass and JR Kyūshū's All Kyūshū Area Pass and Southern Kyūshū Area Pass (the latter only as far north as Kumamoto).
Shin-Yatsushiro Station East Exit is served by 16 B&S Miyazaki Buses a day from Hitoyoshi, Ebino, Kobayashi, Miyakonojō, and Miyazaki, taking 2 hours 20 mins and costing ¥4270 (¥7680 return, valid for 10 days). Operated by JR Kyūshū Bus (dead link: January 2023), Sankō Bus, and Miyazaki Kōtsū.
Yatsushiro Interchange (2.6 km southeast of Shin-Yatsushiro Station) is served by the following buses:
Yatsushiro Castle. Ruins of the castle are located in the center of the city, by the torrent of the Kuma River 2018-04-17
777 Steps. Visible from National Route 3 are 777 steps leading up the mountain. With markers detailing your progress up and rest benches and gazebos along the way, the stone steps are a good place to get some exercise and be rewarded at the top with a great view of the city. 2018-04-17
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