Kokura Station

Shinkansen Connections

Kokura Station in Kokura, the second largest station in all of Kyushu, is the main transportation hub for Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, northern Kyushu.

The Sanyo section of the Shinkansen network ends here and the Kyushu section begins.

By Shinkansen, Hiroshima Station in Hiroshima is only 47 minutes away, Osaka two and a half hours, and Tokyo less than 5 hours.

Heading south, the Kyushu Shinkansen reaches Hakata Station in Fukuoka in only 15 minutes, Kumamoto in an hour, and Kagoshima-cho Station in Kagoshima, the terminus, in one hour and 45 minutes.

From Shin-Tosu Station transfers take you to Saga in an hour and Nagasaki Station in Nagasaki in less than two and a half hours.

Nippo Line

The Nippo Line runs from Kokura down the east coast of Kyushu to Miyazaki, reaching the castle town of Nakatsu in 30 minutes, Beppu in 90 minutes, Oita Station in 98 minutes, and Miyazaki in four and a half hours.

All these times are by using the Sonic or Nichirin Limited Express trains. It is faster to reach Miyazaki by taking the shinkansen to Kagoshima.

Kagoshima Line

The Kagoshima Line begins 10 kilometers northeast of Kokura at Mojiko Station, right across the channel from Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture. From Kokura it runs at times close to the Shinkansen Line though obviously times are much slower.

Hitahikosan Line

The Hitahikosan Line runs from Nishi Kokura Station, the first station just 700 meters west of Kokura Station, and actually the location of the original Kokura Station until it was moved to its current location in 1958.

The Hitahikosan Line runs pretty much directly south until Hita, passing by the sacred mountain of Mount Hiko. The times to Hita is between 2 and half and three hours, but slightly faster to take the Shinkansen to Kurume and transfer to the Kyudai Line.

Sanyo Line

The Sanyo Line terminates at Kokura and is basically a shuttle service between Shimonoseki on Honshu and Kokura on Kyushu, taking just 15 minutes.

On the ground floor at the southern entrance to the station is the main bus station and also taxi stand. This entrance is the main entrance to the downtown shopping and entertainment areas as well as the primary tourist attractions in Kokura.

Shopping & Dining near Kokura Station

Like most major train stations in Japan, Kokura Station is a massive complex with all kinds of shopping, dining and entertainment services as well as several hotels close by.

A big Tourist Information Office is located near the south entrance, open from 10 AM to 7 PM every day of the year. It has free WiFi and information and help in multiple languages. 

The north entrance faces the modern development built upon the former port industrial area.

From the first floor covered walkways extend out to the massive West Japan Exhibition Center, the Asia Import Mart, Kitakyushu International Conference Center as well as the new Mikuni World Soccer Stadium.

Also here are the ferry terminal for ferries to Matsuyama on Shikoku and Aru Aru City, a shopping mall geared towards manga and anime fans, and several major hotels.

Hotels near Kokura Station

There are a number of excellent hotels near Kokura Station. These include the three star Station Hotel Kokura and the Super Hotel Kokuraeki Minamiguchi at the south exit of the station and also three stars.