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The 14 Kunchi floats, Karatsu

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When it rains · Karatsu

Floats, the bank and a Meiji house, all under a roof

A wet day on any call of 5 hours or more; three indoor sights 8 to 12 minutes’ walk apart. Timed from the gangway and back.

3 hr door to door7 stopsA wet day
Open the route in Google Maps, in 2 parts
Photo: Pekachu / CC BY-SA 4.0
Door to door
3 hr
From the gangway and back
Best for
A wet day
Room to spare
None
What it costs
about ¥3,400 out and back
Booking
None found
Check each place’s own page before you sail
Best for
A wet day on any call of 5 hours or more; three indoor sights 8 to 12 minutes’ walk apart
Room to spare
Fits a 5-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 there and ¥1,600 back (our estimates). Float hall ¥310 (¥1,000 at the new hall from 25 Sep 2027), Takatori ¥520 (¥800 from 1 Apr 2027 for visitors from outside Karatsu), 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 2 parts

  1. 1Your ship → Hikiyama Exhibition Hall at Arpinotrain or bus
  2. 2Hikiyama Exhibition Hall at Arpino → Former Karatsu Bank → Kyu-Takatori residence → Your shipon foot

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 the float hall at Arpino, by JR Karatsu Station (4.0 km, about 10 min, about ¥1,800, our estimate)

    From 25 Sep 2027 go to the new hall beside Karatsu Jinja instead

  2. +0:15
    The 14 Kunchi floats

    09:00–17:00, last entry 16:40

    Directions from the ship (train or bus)Full guide: Karatsu Kunchi floats (Hikiyama Exhibition Hall)
    The 14 Kunchi floats, Karatsu
    Photo: Pekachu / CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. +1:00
    Walk to the Former Karatsu Bank (about 8 min, our estimate)

    Free, 09:00–18:00

    What you will see hereDirections from the previous stop (on foot)
    Former Karatsu Bank, Karatsu
    Photo: Ippukucho / CC BY 3.0
  4. +1:40
    Walk to the Kyu-Takatori residence (about 15 min, our estimate)

    Closed Mondays

  5. +1:55
    Kyu-Takatori residence

    09:30–17:00, last entry 16:30; ¥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
  6. +2:40
    Taxi back to the quay (3.3 km, about 10 min, about ¥1,600, our estimate)

    Ask the desk to call one

  7. +2:55
    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)Karatsu Castle, KaratsuThe castle town: castle, floats, a Meiji house and the bankNeeds a 6-hour call · ~4hA 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 aheadYobuko 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-aboard
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