A major earthquake has severed two of Kyushu’s most important transport corridors: the Kyushu Expressway between Ebino IC (Miyazaki) and Matsubashi IC (Kumamoto) remains closed, and Kyushu Shinkansen bullet-train services between Kagoshima-Chuo and Kumamoto are suspended with no restart date confirmed. If you’re trying to travel between northern Kyushu and Kagoshima, you’ll need to use one of two detour routes — and both will add significant time to your journey.
Option 1: The East Route (via Miyazaki and Oita)
The eastern detour follows the Higashi-Kyushu Expressway through Miyazaki and Oita prefectures, looping around the eastern side of Kyushu. According to Amakusa Tourism, this route can add 7–8 hours compared to a normal journey, and heavy congestion is expected. This route works for vehicles but is a significant commitment of time and fuel.
Option 2: The West Route (via Amakusa and the Island Ferries)
The western detour passes through Amakusa using a series of short ferry crossings that link Kagoshima’s Nagashima Town to Amakusa and onward to Kumamoto. There is also a connection from Amakusa across to Nagasaki Prefecture (and from there toward Fukuoka) via an additional ferry. This route is slower than normal and congestion is expected, especially on ferries. Passengers traveling without a vehicle can also fly via Amakusa Airline, which operates small-aircraft services on the following routes:
| Route | Operator | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Amakusa ⇔ Kumamoto | Amakusa Airline | amx.co.jp |
| Amakusa ⇔ Fukuoka | Amakusa Airline | amx.co.jp |
| Amakusa ⇔ Osaka | Amakusa Airline | amx.co.jp |
Ferry Crossings on the West Route
| Crossing | Operator |
|---|---|
| 牛深 (Ushibuka, Amakusa) ⇔ 蔵之元 (Kuranomoto, Nagashima Town, Kagoshima) | Sanwa Ferry (ezax.co.jp) |
| 中田 (Nakada, Amakusa) ⇔ 諸浦 (Moroura, Nagashima Town, Kagoshima) | Tencho Ferry (tenchou-ferry.co.jp) |
| 鬼池 (Onoike, Amakusa) ⇔ 口之津 (Kuchinotsu, Minamishimabara, Nagasaki) | Shimatetsu Ferry (shimatetsu.co.jp/ferry) |
If you’re driving and want to check which roads are currently passable, Toyota and Honda both offer real-time crowd-sourced road condition maps online based on data collected from their vehicles on the ground. These can help you plan the most reliable route before you set off. No reopening timeline has been announced for either the expressway or the shinkansen, so check for updates before traveling.
Source: Amakusa Tourism
