Cruise port in Japan

Yatsushiro

Allow about 10 min each way from the terminal to the city center. Average time in port: 9 hours. 22 places to explore.

Ships calling here: 3 ships
Upcoming sailings: 31 sailings
Average time in port: About 9 hours
Lowest fare: From USD 1,004

After disembarking

Cruise ships dock at Kumamon Port Yatsushiro. Allow about 10 min each way from the terminal to the city center.

Where the ship docks
Cruise ships dock at Kumamon Port Yatsushiro.
Kumamon Port Yatsushiro Theme Park Terminal
A theme-park-style area on the cruise terminal grounds has 84 Kumamon statues and a Japanese garden, which visitors can see for free on foot after disembarking.
Travel to Central Kumamoto via Shin-Yatsushiro Station
Take a shuttle bus or taxi from the terminal to Shin-Yatsushiro Station, then the Kyushu Shinkansen to Kumamoto Station in 11 minutes.
Yatsushiro Specialties: Banpeiyu and Hinagu Chikuwa
Yatsushiro is one of Japan's top producers of Banpeiyu citrus and tomatoes. In the Hinagu hot spring area, with a 600-year history, you can enjoy freshly grilled chikuwa fish cake.

About 9 hours in port: where can you go?

Time available at the destination after subtracting return travel.

Yatsushiro city centreAbout 10 min each wayTime at destinationAbout 8 hr 30 min
KumamotoAbout 50 min each wayTime at destinationAbout 7 hr

Return travel Time at destination

Calculated from the average time in port. Return deadlines vary by sailing; check the daily programme on board.

Between the terminal, city and airport

Travel between the terminal, city center, railway station and airport.

ShuttleAbout 15 minJPY 500

Kumamon Port Yatsushiro → Shin-Yatsushiro Station

At the plaza in front of the cruise terminal, take the shuttle bus to the east exit of Shin-Yatsushiro Station (新八代駅).

TrainAbout 10 minJPY 1,780

Shin-Yatsushiro Station → Kumamoto Station

At Shin-Yatsushiro Station, take an upbound JR Kyushu Shinkansen (Sakura or Tsubame) and get off at Kumamoto Station.

TaxiAbout 15 minJPY 2,200~JPY 2,600

Kumamon Port Yatsushiro → Shohinken Garden

Take a taxi at the terminal taxi stand toward Shohinken Garden or the site of Yatsushiro Castle.

Yatsushiro places to explore

Explore 10 checked places. Select a pin to see its card, or choose View on map from a card.

Sights

Kumamon Port Yatsushiro

This theme park is on the grounds of the international cruise terminal. It has a lawn plaza with a 6 m-tall Kumamon and 54 choir statues, as well as a Japanese garden.

Visit: about 45 min
Admission: Free

The souvenir shop and amenities in the terminal operate fully to match cruise ship port days.

Official website Google Maps

Sights

Yatsushiro Shrine Myoken-gu

This is the central shrine of the Yatsushiro Myokensai Festival, designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Its venerable shrine buildings and huge cedar grove are magnificent.

Visit: about 40 min
Admission: Free

Remove your hat and remain quiet when worshipping in the grounds.

Official website Google Maps

Sights

Yatsushiro Castle Ruins

This is the site of a castle built by Kato Tadahiro in 1622. Its sturdy stone walls and moat remain almost intact, and the site is loved as a cherry blossom spot in spring.

Visit: about 40 min
Admission: Free

The castle grounds are a flat park, making them easier to explore with a stroller or wheelchair.

Official website Google Maps

Sights

Yatsushiro Municipal Museum Mirai no Mori Museum

Designed by world-renowned architect Toyo Ito, this museum has elegant curved lines and exhibits historical artifacts from Yatsushiro and materials about the Myokensai Festival floats.

Visit: about 45 min
Admission: JPY 310

Closed on Mondays; check the photography rules for inside and outside the building.

Official website Google Maps

Sights

Shohinken Garden

This daimyo garden was created in 1688 by Matsui Naoyuki, lord of Yatsushiro Castle during the Edo period. Visitors can enjoy its circuit-style garden, teahouse, and seasonal iris flowers.

Visit: about 50 min
Admission: JPY 500

Closed every Monday; walk quietly along the pond-side path at this nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty.

Official website Google Maps

Sights

Matsui Shrine

This shrine enshrines the ancestors of the Matsui family, lords of Yatsushiro Castle. It preserves a centuries-old Ukishima persimmon tree and an atmospheric stone bridge.

Visit: about 30 min
Admission: Free

Located directly north of Yatsushiro Castle Ruins, making it convenient to visit both on foot.

Official website Google Maps

Trips nearby

With enough time in port, you can explore beyond the city. One-way times are approximate.

Kumamoto

About 50 min each wayTime at destination About 7 hr

SightsKumamoto Castle
Built by Kato Kiyomasa, this is one of Japan’s three great castles. It boasts an imposing main keep restored after the 2016 earthquake, alongside impressive musha-gaeshi stone walls.
Last entry is at 16:30; the special visitor route allows you to reach the top floor of the main keep using the elevator and stairs.
Official website Google Maps
NeighborhoodsSakurano-baba Josaien
This tourist complex at the entrance to Kumamoto Castle recreates an Edo-period castle town and is packed with shops selling Kumamoto's signature local foods and souvenirs.
Entry to the shopping street is free; the History Experience Hall Wakuwakuza charges a separate admission fee of ¥300.
Official website Google Maps
SightsSuizenji Jojuen
Centered on a pond fed by groundwater from Mount Aso, this Momoyama-style circuit garden features miniature scenery inspired by the 53 stations of the Tokaido and Mount Fuji.
Enjoy matcha and wagashi (for a fee) while viewing the pond from the Kokindenju-no-ma tea room.
Official website Google Maps
Food and cafésKatsuretsutei Shinshigai Honten
This tonkatsu restaurant was selected for the Michelin Bib Gourmand. It fries Roppaku black pork from designated farms to a crisp in special breadcrumbs, producing juicy meat.
During the lunch rush, you must take a queue number and wait.
Official website Google Maps
SightsKumamon Square
This is the activity hub of Kumamon, Kumamoto Prefecture's sales manager. It has an office-themed exhibit, limited-edition character merchandise, and a stage for Kumamon performances.
A reservation or on-site queue ticket may be required during times when the Kumamon stage show is held.
Official website Google Maps
Food and cafésKokutei Honten
Founded in 1957, this long-established restaurant is an icon of Kumamoto ramen. Its signature Tamago Ramen is topped with fragrant roasted garlic oil, mayu, and raw egg yolk in rich pork-bone broth.
Choose either raw egg yolk or a hot-spring egg as you prefer.
Official website Google Maps
SightsKato Shrine
This shrine enshrines Kato Kiyomasa, the renowned military commander who built Kumamoto Castle. It is a viewpoint for photographing the main and small keeps from the closest angle.
A great place in the grounds to take a commemorative photo facing Kumamoto Castle’s main keep.
Official website Google Maps
Food and cafésKumamoto Ramen Akagumi
Loved for its excellent value and rich flavor in a backstreet of Kamitori, this ramen shop serves tonkotsu ramen topped with special mayu and crispy karaage.
Cash is commonly used for payment here, so it is convenient to bring Japanese yen in cash.
Official website Google Maps
ShoppingShimotori Shopping Arcade
This is Kumamoto's largest all-weather shopping arcade, concentrated with department stores, drugstores, bookstores, and local Kyushu restaurants, making it ideal for shopping and dining.
This pedestrian-only street is pleasant for shopping and dining even in the rain.
Official website Google Maps
Food and cafésOkada Coffee Kamitori Honten
Founded in 1945, this historic Kumamoto kissaten roasts its own coffee. Guests can enjoy carefully prepared hand-drip coffee and handmade cakes in a cozy retro space.
The first floor is a shop selling coffee beans and baked goods; the second floor operates as a classic café.
Official website Google Maps
Food and cafésSuganoya Kamitori
This leading Kumamoto horse-meat restaurant serves fresh basashi from horses raised on its own farm, horse-meat steak, and sakuranabe hot pot.
Advance reservations for popular lunch courses or visiting at opening time are recommended.
Official website Google Maps
SightsFormer Hosokawa Gyobu Residence
This upper-ranking samurai residence was home to a branch of the Hosokawa family of the Kumamoto Domain. It preserves exceptional samurai-house architecture and a maple garden.
Check in advance on earthquake recovery progress and whether the site has special opening during foliage season.
Official website Google Maps