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Travel Alert
Kyushu Shinkansen Disrupted by Earthquake — How to Reach Kagoshima
A magnitude-7.1 earthquake hit the Kumamoto region on July 28, 2026. The Shinkansen has resumed (on a reduced schedule) between Shin-Minamata and Kagoshima-Chuo, but the Kumamoto–Shin-Minamata section is still suspended. Here's what's actually happening, and how to get here right now.
JR Kyushu — Kyushu Shinkansen operating status →What happened
A major earthquake hit Kumamoto — Kagoshima itself is largely fine
- On July 28, 2026 at 16:27 JST, a magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto region of Kyushu. The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded the maximum intensity on Japan's scale, shindo 7, in Uki City and Hikawa Town, Kumamoto Prefecture.
- Kagoshima Prefecture felt it too — the strongest shaking (shindo 5-strong) was in the north of the prefecture, around Satsumasendai City, Satsuma Town, and Nagashima Town, with some localized damage reported there, such as a landslide closing a municipal road and cloudy tap water in parts of Kirishima City.
- Central Kagoshima City, where most visitors stay — including Kagoshima-Chuo Station, Tenmonkan, and Kagoshima Airport — recorded much lighter shaking, and no major damage has been reported in that area.
In short: Kagoshima itself is not a disaster zone. The problem is that the Shinkansen line passes through the earthquake-affected part of Kumamoto on its way here.
Japan Meteorological Agency — earthquake info →Kyushu Shinkansen: Hakata–Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata–Kagoshima-Chuo are running (reduced), Kumamoto–Shin-Minamata is not
- The Kumamoto–Shin-Minamata section remains fully suspended. As of August 12, JR Kyushu says reopening within August is unlikely and has not given a target date — only that recovery work is continuing.
- The Shin-Minamata–Kagoshima-Chuo section resumed service on August 7. Through August 16 it's running a reduced, all-stop schedule (about 12 trains a day, 6 round trips), with every seat unreserved except Green (Green cars aren't available), and on-board restrooms/washrooms out of service. From August 17, JR Kyushu plans to increase this to 28 trains a day (14 round trips) under the same conditions — still all-stop, still no Green car, still no on-board restroom.
- The Hakata–Kumamoto section is running too, so the actual gap is the Kumamoto–Shin-Minamata stretch in between: there's no through Shinkansen from Fukuoka/Kumamoto to Kagoshima right now. You either bridge that one section some other way, or skip the rail route entirely and fly straight into Kagoshima Airport.
Local tip: schedules keep changing — the August 17 timetable was only announced on August 12 — so check the operating-status page below before you travel, not this summary alone.
How to reach Kagoshima right now
Current status of each route, as of August 15, 2026.
| Method | Current status | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| ✈️ Fly to Kagoshima Airport | Operating normally | Best option right now |
| 🚌 Highway bus (Sakurajima-go) | Partial service resumed Aug 15; full schedule from Aug 17 | Usable again — check the exact departure |
| 🚗 Rental car / driving | Expressway reopened Aug 14 (one bottleneck causes delays) | Usable, but expect delays at one point |
Recommended right now
✈️ Fly into Kagoshima Airport
- Kagoshima Airport has no reported damage to its runway or terminal and is operating normally.
- If you're already in Fukuoka, some airlines have added extra Fukuoka–Kagoshima flights to cover demand from travelers displaced by the Shinkansen suspension — check availability directly with your airline.
- If you're arriving in Japan from overseas, flying directly into Kagoshima Airport (or connecting via Fukuoka, Osaka, or Tokyo) avoids the affected rail section entirely.
Local tip: the limousine bus from Kagoshima Airport into Kagoshima-Chuo Station is unaffected and still running as normal — see our airport guide for fares and timetable.
Partially resumed
🚌 Highway bus (Sakurajima-go, Fukuoka ⇄ Kagoshima)
- JR Kyushu Bus resumed the Fukuoka–Kagoshima highway bus "Sakurajima-go" on its normal route on August 15, running a partial, reduced schedule through August 16. From August 17, JR Kyushu Bus plans to run the full normal timetable again.
- This follows the Kyushu Expressway reopening below — some seats booked before August 13 for the August 15–16 services needed to be rebooked, so check the operator's news page for the latest timetable before you travel.
Check before you drive
🚗 Rental car
- The Kyushu Expressway reopened to general traffic on August 14, including the Matsubase IC–Ebino IC stretch a Fukuoka–Kagoshima drive would use. One bottleneck remains: at the Kawata Bridge between Miyahara SA and Yatsushiro IC, only the downbound (Kagoshima-bound) lane is usable because the upbound bridge deck was deformed by the earthquake, so that short stretch runs as one-lane alternating traffic — NEXCO West has forecast queues of up to about 20km near this point through at least August 16. The separate Minami-Kyushu Expressway section between Yatsushiro JCT and Tanoura IC remains closed.
- If you're driving, check NEXCO West's live traffic information before setting out, budget extra time for the Miyahara SA–Yatsushiro IC alternating-traffic section, and note that nearby general roads may still be under caution or inspection.
Official sources — check these, not social media
Every fact on this page comes from one of the links below. Conditions can change within hours, especially with aftershocks.
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