Located in Fukuoka City, Hakata Station is a major railway station in southern Japan and the largest on Kyushu Island. It serves as a gateway to Kyushu as it’s the terminus of both the Sanyo Shinkansen bullet train line to Osaka, and by extension the Tokaido Shinkansen to Tokyo. It also has trains running on the Kyushu Shinkansen to Kagoshima.
The west side of Hakata Station features the entrance to the Hakata City commercial complex
Operated by Kyushu Railway (JR Kyushu), Hakata Station has grown in importance as a rail hub since 2011, when Shinkansen through services from Osaka to Kagoshima began, linking the two cities in just under four hours. As a large extended station complex called Hakata City, Hakata rivals some of the big rail hubs in Tokyo. It also serves as a convenient jumping-off point to explore Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture and points further south in Kyushu.
This article will familiarize you with the layout of Hakata Station and its train lines and platforms. For information about non-rail services, see our Hakata Station Building Facilities article.
General Orientation
A broad tiled corridor runs through the main part of Hakata Station
Hakata Station is situated in Hakata-ku, one of the central wards of Fukuoka City. It’s about 2 km east of the downtown Tenjin district (home to Nishitetsu-Fukuoka Station run by Nishi-Nippon Railroad) and 2.75 km west of Fukuoka Airport; both can be quickly reached by subway.
The railway lines at Hakata Station are oriented north-south, while the subway travels roughly east-west here. The major entrances for Hakata Station are on its eastern and western sides.
The Kuko subway line running to Fukuoka Airport and Tenjin can be accessed via entrances on both sides of Hakata Station.
Overhead signs point the way for passengers at Hakata Station
The station layout itself is very straightforward, with a broad corridor connecting the two sides. The buildings surrounding the station include shopping malls and department stores, as well as hotels and dining and leisure facilities.
You’ll find Hankyu Department Store, Amu Plaza mall, Tokyu Hands department store and the Kitte mall on the west side of the station. Amu Est mall, Deitos food court and electronics giant Yodobashi Camera are on the east side. There are three underground shopping malls at Hakata Station: Ming, Hakataeki Chikagai and Hakata Ichibangai. Kooten is a food court on the ninth and tenth floors of JR Hakata City.
Hakata Station Main Gates and Exits
Chikushi side of Hakata Station is more subdued than the Hakata side
The west side of Hakata Station faces toward the Nakasu nightlife district as well as the Tenjin area and is known as the Hakata Entrance. It has a grand façade and the Hakata Bus Terminal is located off its northern end.
The east side, known as the Chikushi Entrance, is decidedly more subdued, but has closest access to the Shinkansen platforms.
The central corridor connecting both sides has the following ticket gates: the Central Gate and Shinkansen Central Gate on the south side of the corridor, and the North Gate on the north side.
The Central Gate at Hakata Station
Access to the JR platforms is also possible through a number of smaller gates attached to surrounding retail areas such as the Tokyu Hands Gate, Hankyu Department Store Gate, Ming Gate and Amu Plaza Gate.
JR Train Line Platforms
A Kamome limited express train bound for Nagasaki at Hakata Station
There are 14 train platforms at Hakata Station. Some railways use multiple platforms even for trains traveling in the same direction. Note that the Hakata-Minami Shinkansen Line has its only stop and terminates at Hakata-Minami, a commuter station and rail yard in Fukuoka.
Platform 1: Kagoshima Main Line bound for Kurosaki, Kokura, Mojiko
Platform 2: Kagoshima Main Line bound for Kurosaki, Kokura, Mojiko; Nippo Main Line limited express services bound for Oita, Saiki, Miyazaki
Platform 3: Kagoshima Main Line bound for Kurosaki, Kokura, Mojiko; Nagasaki Main Line limited express services bound for Nagasaki, Sasebo
Platform 4: Kagoshima Main Line bound for Kurosaki, Kokura; Nagasaki Main Line limited express services bound for Nagasaki, Huis Ten Bosch, Sasebo
Platform 5: Kyudai Main Line bound for Yufuin, Oita; Kagoshima Main Line bound for Tosu, Arao
Platform 6: Kagoshima Main Line bound for Tosu, Arao
Platform 7: Sasaguri Line bound for Nogata; Kagoshima Main Line bound for Tosu, Arao
Platform 8: Sasaguri Line bound for Sasaguri, Nogata, Orio
Sanyo, Tokaido, Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train platforms
An N700 Series Shinkansen bound for Tokyo set for departure from Hakata Station
Platform 11: Kyushu Shinkansen bound for Kumamoto, Kagoshima-Chuo; Hakata-Minami Line bound for Hakata-Minami
Platforms 12 & 13: Kyushu Shinkansen bound for Kumamoto, Kagoshima-Chuo; Sanyo, Tokaido Shinkansen bound for Hiroshima, Shin-Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Tokyo
Platforms 14, 15 & 16: Kyushu Shinkansen bound for Kumamoto, Kagoshima-Chuo; Sanyo, Tokaido Shinkansen bound for Hiroshima, Shin-Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Tokyo; Hakata-Minami Line bound for Hakata-Minami
Article by Tim Hornyak. All rights reserved.
