Enjoy Spectacular Genkai Sea Views and History! 9 Popular Tourist Spots in Karatsu

If you are planning to visit Karatsu, spring to early summer is recommended.
The city becomes even more vibrant and colorful, with many famous spots for cherry blossoms and wisteria.
In particular, the wisteria at Karatsu Castle is said to be over 100 years old, and the beautiful scenery of the castle and the flowers can be enjoyed together.
Be sure to visit from late April to early May, when the cherry blossoms and wisteria trellises are at their best.

From Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, fly to Fukuoka Airport.
Fukuoka Airport serves as the gateway to Kyushu, with both domestic and international flights, and here we introduce how to get from there to Karatsu.
The basic routes and travel times when using the train or highway bus are as follows.

By train, the ride from Fukuoka Airport to Karatsu Station on the JR Chikuhi Line takes Approx. 80 minutes.
After departure, the train changes to the JR Chikuhi Line Rapid service after passing Meinohama Station, but no transfer is needed because it goes directly to Karatsu Station.
The bus ride takes Approx. 1 hour 50 minutes. Buses depart from the north side of the domestic terminal.

Niji-no-Matsubara is a pine grove stretching along Karatsu Bay in the shape of a rainbow arc, and it has been designated as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty by the national government.
It began in the early 17th century, when Hirotaka Terasawa, the first lord of the Karatsu Domain, planted it as a windbreak and tide-protection forest. Today, around 1 million black pine trees grow in clusters across a stretch Approx. 4.5 km long and Approx. 500 m wide.
It is now counted among Japan’s three great pine groves along with Miho no Matsubara and Kehi no Matsubara.

This beautiful trapezoid-shaped mountain stands 284 m high.
It also has slopes for hang gliding, so some visitors come here to enjoy hang gliding and paragliding.
At the summit, you will find Kagamiyama Shrine, an observation deck, and a rest area, with views over central Karatsu, the scenic Niji-no-Matsubara, Karatsu Bay, and even the outline of Iki Island on clear days.

Karatsu Castle was completed over seven years starting in 1602 by Hirotaka Terasawa, the first lord of the Karatsu Domain and a retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
It is said that various feudal lords from across Kyushu assisted in its construction, and that materials from the dismantling of Nagoya Castle (in Karatsu City) were also used.
The castle is also known as Maizuru Castle because the pine groves stretching east and west from the castle resemble the wings of a crane in flight.

Nanatsugama is designated as a national Natural Monument.
It is a scenic spot formed over many years as basalt cliffs jutting into the sea were eroded by the rough waves of the Genkai Sea.
The cliffs have been deeply hollowed out, and as the name suggests, seven caves line the shore.
The largest cave opening is 3 m wide and extends 110 m deep, where you can see columnar joints, rock surfaces formed when lava cools and hardens into regularly aligned pillar-like shapes.

This shrine stands on Takashima, a remote island floating in Karatsu Bay.
It was built about 450 years ago to enshrine Tsunayoshi Nozaki Okinokami, who drove away pirates that had been attacking Takashima and protected the island.
In the Heisei era, more and more people began visiting to pray for good fortune because of the shrine’s auspicious name, and after several worshippers reportedly won large lottery prizes, it became known nationwide as a shrine that brings lottery luck.

A small cape jutting out from the Higashimatsuura Peninsula, Hado Cape is famous as a spot where you can feel the sea breeze on the grass and take in panoramic views of the Genkai Sea.
It is located within Genkai Quasi-National Park, a national park area spreading across northwestern Kyushu, and offers plenty of activities including hiking, camping, and swimming.
If you cross to the underwater observation tower connected by a pier from Hado Cape, you can look out over the islands of the Genkai Sea from the deck above the water.

Yobuko has long been known as one of Japan’s leading port towns and once prospered through whaling. The Yobuko Morning Market, which has continued since the Taisho era, has a history of more than 100 years and is counted among Japan’s three great morning markets alongside Wajima in Ishikawa Prefecture and Takayama in Gifu Prefecture.
The sight of nearly 50 stalls lined up along the Approx. 200 m Morning Market Street near Yobuko Port from 7:30 am to 12 pm is truly impressive! Asking for recommended ways to eat the local foods, negotiating prices, and chatting with the vendors are all part of the market’s charm.

Hizen Nagoya Castle was built as a military base for Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s continental campaigns (the Bunroku and Keicho Wars).
After that, from the outbreak of war in 1592 until the feudal lords withdrew following Hideyoshi’s death, it served as a base for the campaigns on the continent for seven years.
Because the castle ruins and camp ruins together form one of the largest castle site groups in Japan, they have been designated as the Special Historic Site “Nagoya Castle Ruins and Camp Ruins.”
At the museum next to the ruins, visitors can learn about the castle and the history of exchanges between the Japanese archipelago and the Korean Peninsula through a variety of exhibits.

The residence of Takatori Koreyoshi, known as the “coal mining king of Hizen.”
Built in 1905 as his home and guesthouse, it stands on a spacious site of Approx. 2,300 tsubo, with two large buildings: a grand hall wing and a residential wing.
While mainly Japanese in style, the building also incorporates Western-style rooms, reflecting the characteristics of modern Japanese-style architecture of the time. At the same time, in a bold and highly individual touch befitting Koreyoshi, who loved Noh theater, the grand hall includes a wooden Noh stage.
Also well worth seeing are the 72 cedar door paintings depicting 29 types of subjects such as wisteria and wild cherry blossoms, said to have been painted by a Kyoto artist during a stay of about half a year.

Karatsu Seaside Hotel is a resort hotel proud of its views, with the grand waters of Karatsu Bay spread out right before your eyes.
It has many fans thanks to its location next to Niji-no-Matsubara, one of Japan’s three great pine groves, where you can enjoy both the sea and greenery.
It offers 139 guest rooms, including Western-style rooms and Japanese-Western style rooms overlooking the Genkai Sea.
The hotel consists of two buildings, the West Wing and the East Wing. The East Wing features an open-air bath with a view and a sauna exclusively for East Wing guests, as well as the rooftop infinity pool “Rooftop Thermal Bath,” where guests enter wearing swimsuits.
Spend a night in Karatsu and enjoy the natural hot spring, a sodium chloride strong saline spring.

Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort is an accommodation facility located by the sea in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture.
It is a resort hotel facing Niji-no-Matsubara, one of Japan’s three great pine groves.
From the windows of the guest rooms and restaurant, you can take in sweeping views of the Genkai Sea.
The hotel is equipped with a large public bath, sauna, and relaxation lounge.
At the relaxation lounge, you can freely enjoy drinks after your bath.