Getting to Imari & Arita: Saga’s Pottery Towns by Train & Car

Saga · Access · Imari & Arita

By Nobu · Updated June 2026

Getting to Saga’s pottery towns from Fukuoka is easy once you know one quirk: the JR Chikuhi Line, the obvious-looking route, is actually split into two disconnected halves, so there’s no single train that runs the whole way to Imari. For Arita, take a limited express from Hakata (about 1 hour 25 minutes). For Imari, the smoothest way is via Arita on the little Matsuura Railway. And for the kilns themselves, a rental car beats all of it. Here’s the lay of the land.

The lay of the land

Imari, Arita and Karatsu sit in the northwest corner of Saga, in the hills between Fukuoka and Sasebo. Most trips start in Fukuoka — the nearest big city and airport. The catch is the railway. The JR Chikuhi Line looks on a map like it should carry you from Fukuoka all the way to Imari, but it’s officially two separate sections that don’t connect: an electrified eastern half from Meinohama (Fukuoka) to Karatsu, and a non-electrified western half from Yamamoto to Imari, with the Karatsu Line filling the gap between. No single train runs the whole route — you change trains around Karatsu. Knowing that up front saves a lot of confusion.

From Fukuoka by train

Three destinations, three routes:

For Imari, the Arita route is usually the faster and simpler of the two. Fares change, so check a timetable app for the day — the Hakata–Arita limited express is the priciest single leg, while the little Matsuura Railway hop from Arita to Imari is about ¥550.

Getting around once you’re there

The Matsuura Railway (those yellow one-car trains) links Arita and Imari in about 25 minutes and carries on to Sasebo — handy and scenic for the two pottery towns themselves. But the things you actually came for are spread out: the kiln village of Okawachiyama, Arita Sera, the Izumiyama quarry, and the country shrines aren’t a short walk from any station. For all of that, a rental car is materially better — pick one up in Fukuoka or at the airport, and the whole region opens up as an easy one- or two-day loop.

By air

Fukuoka Airport is the practical gateway — it’s well connected (around two hours from Tokyo) and sits right on the subway line, so you can be on a train toward Karatsu within minutes of landing. Saga Airport exists and is closer on paper, but has far fewer flights. From Fukuoka, the cleanest plan for most visitors is to land, pick up a car, and drive into the pottery towns; if you’d rather not drive, the limited express to Arita plus the Matsuura Railway gets you there on rails.

Good to know