JR 熊本駅

The BEST train station food in Japan found at Kumamoto train station.

Gorgeous everything!!!

OMG.

I have been to this train station many times, before the April 2016 Kumamoto earthquake and after the earthquake. This is Kumamoto's major train terminal hub for passengers travel to and from Kagoshima and Fukuoka. The JR Kyushu Shinkansen (九州新幹線) and other JR Limited Express lines such as the Kagoshima main line (鹿児島本線) and the Hōhi main line (豊肥本線) also stop here, making this a central point for transfers to other train lines. The Shinkansen entrance (Shinkansenguchi 新幹線口) is on the west side building and the entrance (Shirakawaguchi 白川口) to the other JR Lines is on the east side building.

The building that houses the west entrance is newer. There is a Family Mart and souvenir shop inside, but not too much to see outside except a few other shops. The east entrance building is older and it has a streetcar/tram stop (熊本駅前駅) in front of it. There are many eateries and shops located near the entrance and there is a small shopping mall on the second level of this building. The tourist information centre is also located inside the east entrance building. Both east and west entrances are connected by a underground passage way at this moment.

They are planning to build a 12 story building right next to the Shinkansen entrance. Construction is expected to start in spring 2019 and be finished in spring 2021. I think it will be a nice addition to the current buildings. I'm looking forward to shopping and eating in the new building.

We arrived Kumamoto Station on Kyūshū Shinkansen Train from Fukuoka

We left Kumamoto Station on Trans-Kyushu Limited Express to Beppu

A smallish station but you cannot really get lost! A little away from most of the tourist attraction but if you travel light, there is a tram that can take you downtown. The only problem the tram is really packed most of the time!

My sister loaded up on special edition of everything Kumamon at some of the shops. And of course I ended up eating a Kumamon theme ekiben (bento box) during my train ride to Beppu.

And of course she took photos with Kumamon in the Station too.....

The Kyushu Shinkansen has made getting to Kumamoto much faster. You can now can travel between Fukuoka and Kumamoto in under 40 minutes. It would take an additional hour or more to reach it via car otherwise.

Kumamoto Station is a medium size station. There are not very many offerings when compared to Hakata Station. Not much to say other than that it is easy to navigate.

As for roaming the city when you arrive, outside you will find the platform for the Kumamoto Tram (streetcar). If you are visiting the city just for the day, I would recommend buying a Kumamoto one-day pass for ¥500 which provides you unlimited rides on the city buses and tram. If you can't read Japanese, then I would advise using just the tram to avoid getting lost.

Make sure to get the pass inside Kumamoto Station as there is a visitor desk there in which you can purchase it. In addition to free rides, the day pass includes discounts to numerous Kumamoto attractions including Kumamoto Castle and Suizenji Koen. Though I wish there was an English translation of which attractions were discounted since the pass is in Japanese.

I like Kumamoto Station. It is easy to get there via Shinkansen and the same can be said about getting to and from here when visiting the attractions in Kumamoto on a day trip.