There are two main ferry operators between Kumamoto and Shimabara: Kumamoto Ferry and Kyusho Ferry.
This guide assumes passengers will be boarding on foot (walk-on passengers).
For the most part you will not need a reservation, but do note that it is possible for slots to fill up. The easiest way to make a reservation is to have your hotel make one for you, as most of the reservation options are going to require some level of Japanese or some Japanese contact information.
Kumamoto Port
Kumamoto Port Ferry Bus Stop (Google Maps)
Sakuramachi Bus Terminal Route Map (Japanese) (PDF)
- Boarding for S3-2 is on Platform 3.
Kumamoto Station Bus Terminal Map (Japanese) (PDF)
- Boarding for S3-2 is on Platform 5.
S3-2 Route Map (English) (Navitime)
- Also includes interactive map with all stops along the way. You can check the timetables for each stop here as well.
Sakuramachi Bus Terminal Bus Stop Map (Japanese) (PDF)
Kumamoto Port is accessible by Sanko Bus for the Kumamoto Ko Ferry Noriba Mae bus stop (熊本港フェリーのりば前). This bus stop is reached by only a single route, S3-2 蓮台寺経由→西区役所前→熊本港行き (via Rendaiji, Nishi Kuyakusho Mae, Kumamoto Ko). This route starts from the Sakuramachi Bus Terminal on Platform 3 and takes 40 minutes and 710¥ to get to Kumamoto Port.
Sanko Bus does provide some tools for examining the route, but they are a little annoying to use. They do have an English mode which is nice.
Timetable and Route Finder (Sanko Bus)
Enter SAKURAMACHI BUS TERMINAL as the start and KUMAMOTO KO as the goal, then press search. If you click on “Timetable with no transit”, then “Stoplist”, you can see all the stops along the route, the time it takes to get there, as well as the fare.
How to ride the bus (Japanese)
Sanko Bus only accepts credit card, Kumamon IC, or cash. Other IC card types are not usable on the bus. Boarding is from the rear.
Kumamoto Ferry
~30 minute ride, services every ~110 minutes.
Kumamoto Ferry operates the Ocean Arrow service. Try to arrive ~20 minutes before departure.
-
If you are traveling alone, without a car or motorcycle, no reservations are required.
-
Guests boarding on foot do not need to make a reservation. Please purchase your boarding ticket 10 minutes before departure.
Kyusho Ferry
~60 minute ride, services every 80-90 minutes.
- Reservations not required, but arrive at least 20 minutes beforehand. There may be some things that need to be filled out.
- There exists a shuttle bus between JR Kumamoto Station and Kumamoto port, but you need to reserve it in advance by phone (not sure if they speak English).
Online reservation portal (Japanese): https://www.kyusho-ferry.jp/general_menu.php