Getting Around Karatsu
Karatsu is a compact coastal city in Saga Prefecture, and for most visitors the practical question is not whether to use public transport but which combination of trains, buses, bicycles and walking best fits the day's plan. The honest summary from the traveller's perspective is that trains are not a viable way to see most of Karatsu, buses are a better bet, and the best option of all is often under your own power.
Rail
Karatsu Station is the focal point of the local rail network, served by JR Kyushu. Two lines matter to visitors: the Karatsu Line, which runs inland toward the east, and the Chikuhi Line, which comes in from the east along the coast and also continues west from the Karatsu area. Between them they link Karatsu with places such as Nishi-Karatsu, Higashi-Karatsu, Watada, Hamasaki and Nijinomatsubara on the coastal side, and Onizuka, Yamamoto, Honmutabe, Ōchi, Iwaya and Kyūragi inland.
Because the lines fan out from Karatsu Station rather than forming a dense urban network, rail is best thought of as a way to reach the city and to make specific outlying trips, not as a way to hop around the centre. If you are basing yourself in Karatsu and want to see the sights, plan on buses, a bicycle or your feet for the local legs.
Buses
Buses are the more useful public transport option within Karatsu. The main hub is the Oteguchi Bus Terminal, which is less than a ten-minute walk from Karatsu Station: take the north exit, walk straight, and turn right at the T-intersection in front of city hall. From there you can pick up services around the city and out to surrounding areas.
Buses also serve the ferry terminal at Oshima, which is useful if you are arriving or departing by sea. As with most Japanese regional bus networks, you board at the rear and pay on exit or use a local IC card where accepted, but the simplest approach for a short visit is to have coins or small notes ready and to confirm your stop with the driver or at the bus terminal information desk.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are available in Karatsu and are a reasonable fallback for short trips, late evenings, or reaching the ferry terminal with luggage. Ride-hailing apps are not a dependable substitute in a city of this size, so it is safer to assume you will be flagging a taxi or asking staff to call one for you rather than summoning a car through an app.
Walkability
The central area around Karatsu Station is walkable, and the walk to the Oteguchi Bus Terminal is short and straightforward. Beyond the centre, the city spreads out across a large area that includes plains, hills and a ria coastline with many inlets, so walking works well for the core but not for the wider municipality. If you want to cover more ground without a car, a bicycle is the answer.
Bicycles and Car Rental
Basic bicycles are available for hire at Arupino, the white building with a blue dolphin on it next to Karatsu Station. This is the most flexible way to see the city at your own pace.
Cars can also be rented from several locations. The tourist information centre at Karatsu Station is worth checking first, as it tends to have better rates than the Toyota outlet down the street. As a guide, a yellow-plate car seating four rents for around ¥6,800 per day, with an additional ¥1,050 for insurance, and at least one of the employees speaks pretty good English.
Getting There from the Airport
Saga Prefecture's own airport sits south of Saga City, which makes it much less convenient for reaching Karatsu than Fukuoka International Airport. Most visitors therefore fly into Fukuoka.
From Fukuoka International Airport, take the Fukuoka City Subway Airport Line to its terminus at Meinohama, then transfer to the JR Chikuhi Line. From Hakata the journey takes roughly 84 minutes, or about 68 minutes if you catch one of the faster Chikuhi Line trains — these are not labelled as rapid services, and depart Meinohama at 09:47, 10:47, 17:51 and 18:50. Some trains run all the way from the airport to Nishi-Karatsu without requiring a transfer, so it is worth checking whether your service is one of them before you commit to changing trains.
Arriving by Ferry
Karatsu is also served by a ferry linking it to Iki island in Nagasaki Prefecture. From Iki it is possible to catch another ferry onward to Busan, Korea, by way of Tsushima, also part of Nagasaki. The ferry terminal is in Oshima, roughly a 20-minute walk from Nishi-Karatsu Station, and buses also run to the terminal.