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Karatsu Castle, Karatsu

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For a 6-hour call · Karatsu

The castle town: castle, floats, a Meiji house and the bank

A 12:00–18:00 Star Seeker call: off at 12:30, back by 16:30, with no time to spare. Timed from the gangway and back.

4 hr door to door10 stopsNeeds a 6-hour call
Open the route in Google Maps, in 3 parts
Photo: mahlervv / CC BY 3.0
Door to door
4 hr
From the gangway and back
Best for
A 6-hour call or longer
Room to spare
None
What it costs
about ¥1,800 each way
Booking
None found
Check each place’s own page before you sail
Best for
A 12:00–18:00 Star Seeker call: off at 12:30, back by 16:30, with no time to spare. The walks between the four places take 10 to 15 minutes each (OSM routing, our estimates); the bank is only if you are ahead
Room to spare
Fits a 6-hour stop with nothing to add (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard). A longer call gives you the extra time; on this one, do not add a stop.
What it costs
Two taxis, about ¥1,800 each way (our estimates). Castle ¥500, Takatori ¥520 (¥800 from 1 Apr 2027 for visitors from outside Karatsu), float hall ¥310 (¥1,000 at the new hall from 25 Sep 2027); shrine and bank free.

Checked · Researched, not yet visited · times from official timetables and our estimates · Takumi Yamada

Numbers follow the route below. Pins are the places themselves; walking lines are not drawn because the best way between two stops can change with the tram, the tide or the weather.

Open in Google Maps, in 3 parts

  1. 1Your ship → Karatsu Castletrain or bus
  2. 2Karatsu Castle → Kyu-Takatori residence → Karatsu Jinja → Hikiyama Exhibition Hall at Arpino → Former Karatsu Bankon foot
  3. 3Former Karatsu Bank → Back to the shiptrain or bus

Google Maps on a phone takes three stops between start and end, and none on a train or bus route, so the day opens in parts. Each step below also has its own directions.

The route

How the day runs

Times are from the moment you step off, not from the scheduled arrival. Everything shifts if your ship is late; the order does not.

  1. +0:00
    Taxi to Karatsu Castle (about 10 min, about ¥1,800, our estimate)
  2. +0:15
    Karatsu Castle and the lookout

    Last entry 16:40

    Directions from the ship (train or bus)Full guide: Karatsu Castle
    Karatsu Castle, Karatsu
    Photo: mahlervv / CC BY 3.0
  3. +1:10
    Walk to the Kyu-Takatori residence (1.1 km, about 15 min)

    Closed Mondays; last entry 16:30

  4. +1:25
    Kyu-Takatori residence

    Adult ¥520; from 1 Apr 2027 ¥800 for visitors from outside Karatsu

    What you will see hereDirections from the previous stop (on foot)
    Kyu-Takatori residence, Karatsu
    Photo: STA3816 / CC BY-SA 4.0
  5. +2:05
    Walk to Karatsu Jinja (600 m, about 9 min)

    Free; the home of the Kunchi festival

    What you will see hereDirections from the previous stop (on foot)
    Karatsu Jinja, Karatsu
    Photo: そらみみ / CC BY-SA 4.0
  6. +2:30
    Walk to the float hall at Arpino, by JR Karatsu Station (800 m, about 15 min, our estimate)

    From 25 Sep 2027 the floats are in the new hall beside Karatsu Jinja instead: no walk

  7. +2:45
    The 14 Kunchi floats

    Arpino 09:00–17:00, last entry 16:40, ¥310; new hall 09:00–21:00, ¥1,000

    Directions from the previous stop (on foot)Full guide: Karatsu Kunchi floats (Hikiyama Exhibition Hall)
    The 14 Kunchi floats, Karatsu
    Photo: Pekachu / CC BY-SA 4.0
  8. +3:25
    If you are ahead, walk to the Former Karatsu Bank (500 m, about 8 min)

    Free, 09:00–18:00, last entry 17:40

    What you will see hereDirections from the previous stop (on foot)
    Former Karatsu Bank, Karatsu
    Photo: Ippukucho / CC BY 3.0
  9. +3:45
    Taxi back to the quay from Arpino or the bank (about 10 min, about ¥1,800, our estimate)

    Ask the desk to call one

  10. +4:00
    Back at the gangway
The margin is not optional. This route ends an hour before all-aboard on purpose. If you are running late, drop the last stop, not the hour.
Other routes

The other routes in Karatsu

Karatsu Castle, KaratsuThe castle and the Takatori residenceNeeds a 4.5-hour call · ~2.5hAny call of 4.5 hours or more; not on a Monday unless it is a holiday, nor the day after a Monday holiday (the residence is closed)Yobuko morning market, KaratsuYobuko: morning market, Nanatsugama by boat and squidNeeds a 7-hour call · ~5hAn 08:00–15:00 call: Star Seeker on 27 March, 6 May, 11 and 31 October 2027. Off at 08:30, back by 13:30, an hour before a 14:30 all-aboardThe 14 Kunchi floats, KaratsuFloats, the bank and a Meiji house, all under a roofA wet day · ~3hA wet day on any call of 5 hours or more; three indoor sights 8 to 12 minutes’ walk apart
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