PORT OF JAPAN
Karatsu Castle, Karatsu

Home / Karatsu / Your day / Route

For a 4.5-hour call · Karatsu

The castle and the Takatori residence

Any 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). Timed from the gangway and back.

2 hr 30 min door to door6 stopsNeeds a 4.5-hour call
Open the route in Google Maps, in 2 parts
Photo: mahlervv / CC BY 3.0
Door to door
2 hr 30 min
From the gangway and back
Best for
A 4.5-hour call or longer
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
Any 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)
Room to spare
Fits a 4.5-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). Castle ¥500, Takatori residence ¥520 (¥800 from 1 Apr 2027 for visitors from outside Karatsu).

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 → Karatsu Castletrain or bus
  2. 2Karatsu Castle → 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 from the East Port Quay to Karatsu Castle (3.7 km, about 10 min, about ¥1,800, our estimate)

    No shuttle is published and waiting taxis are not confirmed: ask the ship to book one. Ask for the Maizuru Park lift (¥100) to skip the steps

  2. +0:15
    Karatsu Castle: the museum and the 5th-floor lookout

    09:00–17:00, last entry 16:40, adult ¥500

    Directions from the ship (train or bus)Full guide: Karatsu Castle
    Karatsu Castle, Karatsu
    Photo: mahlervv / CC BY 3.0
  3. +1:15
    Walk down to the Kyu-Takatori residence (1.1 km, about 15 min, our estimate)
  4. +1:30
    Kyu-Takatori residence: the Noh stage and the Western wing

    09:30–17:00, last entry 16:30; adult ¥520, from 1 Apr 2027 ¥800 for visitors from outside Karatsu; closed Mondays

    What you will see hereDirections from the previous stop (on foot)
    Kyu-Takatori residence, Karatsu
    Photo: STA3816 / CC BY-SA 4.0
  5. +2:10
    Taxi back to the quay (3.3 km, about 10 min, about ¥1,600, our estimate)

    Ask the residence desk to call one

  6. +2:25
    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 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-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
Pick your own stops instead →Back to the Karatsu guide
Everything in one pageThe complete Karatsu guide: berth, into town, your hours, tours that fitOpen the complete guide →