How to Travel to Nagasaki from Tokyo 2024: Price and Travel Time Comparison

Nagasaki has prospered as a doorway between Japan and the outer world since the Edo period. Today it's popular as a sightseeing spot with its own unique culture, a mixture of Japanese and western culture, and as a place to experience modern Japanese industrial culture.

Hashima, an uninhabited island known as Gunkanjima, is part of Nagasaki prefecture as well.

The view from Mt. Inasa's observatory is also worth seeing. As for food, Nagasaki is known for its castella, which is a soft sponge cake originally from Portugal and made in a Japanese style.

In this article, we will introduce the most convenient ways to travel to Nagasaki as of June 2016.

Fastest: Airplane

Nagasaki prefecture is located in the Kyushu region, and it's not very close to Tokyo. Therefore, the fastest way to reach Nagasaki from Tokyo is by plane.

Planes flying into Nagasaki Airport depart from Haneda Airport and Narita Airport. The four airline companies you can use are JAL, ANA, Solaseed Air (only Haneda), and Skymark. If you're using Skymark you will have to transfer at Kobe Aiport, so you might want to use one of the other three options.

The fare depends on the time and season, but you can generally get a ticket for around 40,000 yen. The flight time is about 1 hour and 50 minutes. Including boarding procedures, you should have a total travel time of about 3 or 4 hours.

If you're headed toward Nagasaki station, you'll get on the prefectural Nagasaki Bus from Nagasaki Airport. The bus fare is 900 yen one way and will take you around 40 minutes.

From Hakata, Fukuoka: JR Limited Express Kamome

Next we will introduce how to reach Nagasaki by train.

First you'll be traveling from Tokyo station to Hakata station in Fukuoka prefecture by Shinkansen. From Hakata station, you will get on the Limited Express Kamome that runs through Kyushu and head to Nagasaki station. It will take you about 5 hours from Tokyo station to Hakata station, and about 2 hours from Hakata station to Nagasaki station, for a total of 7 hours.

The Shinkansen fare from Tokyo station to Hakata station is 13,820 yen, and the fare for the Limited Express Kamome from Hakata station to Nagasaki is 6180 yen.

FYI, the Limited Express Kamome has a luxurious interior with leather seats and a wooden floor. Traveling by train will take more time compared to traveling by plane, but you can admire the Japanese scenery and enjoy an ekiben (*1) while you chat with your friends. Train travel is special in its own way.

*1 Ekiben: Bento lunch boxes sold at stations. They often consist of local cuisine.

Travel By Plane And Bus

You can also fly to Fukuoka Airport and then use the express bus "Kyushugō".

You might think that it would be cheaper to fly into Nagasaki Airport, but there are various LCC (low-cost carrier) airlines (Jetstar, Peach, Skymark, StarFlyer) that you can use from Narita Airport to Fukuoka Airport.

So, depending on the season, you might be able to travel to Fukuoka by air for as low as 7000 yen. Even if you add the one-way bus fare 2570 yen, you can reach Fukuoka in under 10,000 yen.

The time required is about 2 hours each for plane and bus, making the total travel time about 4 hours.

Of course, you can stop by and sightsee in Fukuoka before heading toward Nagasaki as well. If you plan your trip beforehand, you can travel for a great price.

The only way to get to Nagasaki without transferring is by plane, but traveling by train and bus each have their good points as well. Choose the one best fit for your travel plans.