Hasetsu/karatsu: a guide for yoi pilgrim and beyond

I know this guide came out way too late but since the new movie will (hopefully) release this year (2019) and I already visited Karatsu twice, I think it is a perfect time for me to finally

post this. I will split the guide to multiple posts. Here’s the links to each of them. TABLE OF CONTENT - Getting there _(this post)_ - YURI!!! on Ice’s Main Attractions _(coming soon)_ -

YURI!!! on Ice’s Minor Attractions _(coming soon)_ - Other Interesting Places to visit in Karatsu _(coming soon)_ - Food to Try and Things to Buy _(coming soon)_ - Seasons, Weather, and

Festivals _(coming soon)_ - My recommended place to stay _(coming soon)_ - Bonus: Anime shops in Fukuoka _(coming soon)_ DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert in Karatsu and I can’t speak Japanese.

These information are either from my experiences, researches, or the locals told me in English. If there’s anything you’d like to add or share, please feel free to reach out to me via

Twitter @milostudio GETTING THERE If you travel by public transportation, changes are, you fly to Fukuoka Airport, you ride Shinkansen to Hakata Station in Fukuoka, or you take train to main

city of Saga. Anyhow, getting to Karatsu from there is simple. FROM FUKUOKA INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL TO KARATSU First of all, I strongly advise you to go through Immigration as quick as

possible because the queue there can be very long. Once you’re done, come down one floor to claim your bag then go through customs. Hand the yellow customs card to one of the officers at the

customs counters (on the left of this photo) and you are free to go. Unfortunately, there are no glass wall at the exit like in the anime. You can buy tourist SIM card from vending machines

here. And if you are hungry, there’s a Yoshinoya shop (selling beef rice bowl) and a Seven Eleven on this floor. There are also counters for other services such as tourist information, car

rental, money exchange, express buses etc. Some websites said that you can also take highway bus from here to Houtousanbashi stop in Karatsu as well but I can’t confirm that. Please check

Showa-Bus for further details. Now, walk out the door and look to the left, you will see airport free shuttle bus to Domestic Terminal which has a train station. This bus takes about 10

minutes from one terminal to another. It will park close to the train station entrance. You just have to walk forward a little further. At the station, you can either use a JR Pass card or

buy a paper ticket from the ticket machine. If you travel mainly just in Karatsu, you won’t need JR Pass as much since some Saga local trains only accept paper ticket (I kid you not.) Here’s

how to use the machine: * Pick “English” on the upper right corner. * Choose number of tickets you’d like to buy on the far left. Fees on screen will changed to match the number of tickets.

* Pick “Chikuhi Line” on the left. It will show list of stations for you to pick. Karatsu should be one station before the end of this line. (On July 2019, it cost 1,170 each) * Now pick

“Karatsu”. * Insert money. * Take the ticket(s) and changes. Normally, train for Chikuhi Line will board at Platform 2. You either get the train that run from Fukuoka Airport to

Nishi-Karatsu or to Mienohoma. If your train said it runs to Nishi-Karatsu, it means you don’t have to switch train at all. It may make a long stop at one or two stations but it will

definitely heading to Karatsu. If your train said that end of its line is Mienohoma, that means you’ll have to get off once it reached Mienohoma and switch to another train that said

Nishi-Karatsu. (No need to buy another ticket.) Both routes cost the same. You can check train schedule and estimate your time at HyperDia.com This train headed to Nishi-Karatsu so it made a

long stop at Mienohoma but we don’t have to get off. This was from the time when we need to make a switch at Mienohoma. We were waiting at platform 4 and the sign is saying that train

heading to Nishi-Karatsu is arriving at 14:11. The sign will also change to English so no need to worry if you can’t remember the kanji. Suggest that you should sit on the left side so that

you can look out the right window toward the sea. The view is spectacular. For this route, there are two train models: a very modern one with QR code floor tiles, and the one that has a

slightly retro look. The modern one is featured in YoI ED. FROM HAKATA STATION TO KARATSU If you’re going to take local train, the method is pretty much the same as from Fukuoka Airport. You

can also take express train to Saga and ride a local train from Saga to Karatsu but it’ll cost a lot more. I found some information saying that you can take Shuttle bus from Hakata Bus

Terminal to Karatsu and it’d cost similar price as local train (1,050 yen or so) and the ride takes about 90 minutes (trains takes about 100 minutes). All you have to do is go to Hakata Bus

Terminal > 3rd Floor > Platform 32 > Buy ticket at gate. The provider is also Showa-Bus. FROM SAGA STATION TO KARATSU You can take local train (JR Karatsu Line) to Karatsu. Depends

on the train you take, you may have to switch at Kubota. On July 2019, it cost 1,110 yen. IMPORTANT NOTE: From my experience, train between Saga and Karatsu comes once every hour so be sure

to check Hyperdia and try not to miss your train! I can’t find any information about shuttle bus to Karatsu but you can check Showa-Bus for further information if you could read Japanese.

Just so you know that there are no tourist information counter at Saga Station but there is one at Karatsu Station. It is better for you to be well prepared if you’re going to travel to

Karatsu via this route. REFERENCE SITES http://www.hyperdia.com/ http://showa-bus.jp/ https://www.karatsu-kankou.jp/ http://saga-travelsupport.com/en/ _(You can download Saga travel app from

this site)_ https://www.saga-tripgenius.com/ And that’s the end of this post. The next one is >> YURI!!! on Ice’s Main Attractions << which I will upload soon. ;)