JR Nichinan Line 日南線

Railway · JR Kyushu 九州旅客鉄道 · 28 stations

How to ride JR Kyushu (Kyushu Railway Company) P

Operator-wide facts from JR Kyushu (Kyushu Railway Company)'s own pages; individual lines and stations can differ.

IC cards (Suica etc.)Some cards or areas PSUGOCA, Kitaca, Suica, PASMO, TOICA, manaca +4 more

Credit card touchNot confirmed

Delays & suspensionsLive status →By area and Shinkansen line; English, Chinese and Korean via AI translation

Step-free accessStation list → PPer-line PDFs show the barrier-free facilities of each station; elevators linking street, concourse and platforms and multipurpose toilets are installed first at stations used by 3,000+ people a day (2,000+ in local plans).

Passes9 valid herefrom ¥3,000

IC cards and payment in detail

IC cards work only inside JR Kyushu's SUGOCA areas, not on the whole network. There are three separate areas: Fukuoka–Saga–Nagasaki–Ōita–Kumamoto, Kagoshima, and Miyazaki (JR Kyushu announced the date of the Miyazaki expansion on 8 December 2025); JR Kyushu shows the stations on its SUGOCA area route map. Outside these areas the card cannot be used, you cannot ride past the area edge or pay the excess there by card, and one trip cannot cross from one SUGOCA area to another. The stored-value balance cannot be used on the Kyushu or Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen. For trips that leave the area or connect to the Shinkansen, buy a ticket for the whole journey before boarding. The other nationwide cards (Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, Kitaca, TOICA, manaca, PiTaPa, Hayakaken, nimoca) are accepted in the SUGOCA areas under nationwide mutual use, per the card issuers' pages; the PASMO page notes a few lines do not take every card. Contactless credit card touch at JR Kyushu gates: not confirmed. P

上記エリア外ではSUGOCAを利用できません。エリア外への乗り越し、エリア外でのSUGOCAによる精算はできません。

Staffed stationsUnstaffed stations

Getting on

Inside a SUGOCA area: use SUGOCA or another nationwide IC card at the ticket gate.
If your trip leaves the SUGOCA area, crosses into another SUGOCA area, or continues on the Shinkansen, buy a ticket for the whole journey before you board instead of using the IC card.
Touch one card only: with two IC cards in the same case the gate will not let you through.

Getting off

Touch the IC card on the exit gate. If you pass without touching, the card cannot be used next time.
If the gate beeps and stays closed (balance too low, entry not recorded), read the message on the display.
Combining a discount ticket or other ticket with the IC card balance: use the fare adjustment machine or ask the staff at the gate.

Getting on

Every passenger needs a ticket to the destination, a boarding certificate (乗車駅証明書) or a numbered ticket (整理券) when boarding. Keep it until you reach your destination.
IC card: touch the simple SUGOCA reader (簡易SUGOCA改札機) at stations without staff too.

Getting off

IC card: touch the simple SUGOCA reader when you get off. The crew may check the card's entry record when you get off at a station without staff.
Where the conductor or driver collects tickets at a station without staff, show your SUGOCA and then touch the reader.
If the card cannot be processed where no staff are present, tell the staff at a staffed station in the SUGOCA area the next time you use it.

Wheelchair assistance

JR Kyushu Anshin Support Net reception centre (JR九州あんしんサポートネット受付案内センター), 5:30–24:00 (call charges apply; automated voice reception, then an operator calls back). Book help with boarding or wheelchair spaces by phone, online or at a staffed station; wheelchair-space bookings run from 10:00 one month before to two days before departure. At staffed stations staff guide you to the platform and help you on and off. Many stations are unstaffed: for help there, contact the line's booking point in advance (help available from first to last train). Smart Support Station lines (Kashii Line, Chikuhō Line Wakamatsu–Shin-Iriya, Ōita area, Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line Kōrimoto–Kiire) have their own support centres, e.g. Kashii Support Centre 0120-012-180. On the Kashii Line the train crew can help wheelchair users on and off at most stations even without advance notice. Tel. 0570-07-8787

Sources checked 2026-10-10 · review: draft_unreviewed

www.jrkyushu.co.jp/railway/facility/barrier_free/ · official accessibility page · checked 2026-10-10
www.jrkyushu.co.jp/sugoca/area/ · official ic card page · checked 2026-10-07
www.jrkyushu.co.jp/sugoca/ · official ic card page · checked 2026-10-07
www.pasmo.co.jp/about/sharing/ · card issuer page · checked 2026-10-07
www.jr-odekake.net/icoca/area/ · card issuer page · checked 2026-10-07
www.jrkyushu.co.jp/railway/facility/barrier_free/assist/ · official accessibility page · checked 2026-10-07
www.jrkyushu.co.jp/railway/facility/barrier_free/kuruma_isu/ · official accessibility page · checked 2026-10-07
www.jrkyushu.co.jp/sugoca/use/machine/ · official ic card page · checked 2026-10-08
www.jrkyushu.co.jp/railway/onegai/ · official rules page · checked 2026-10-08
www.jrkyushu.co.jp/trains/info/ · official status page · checked 2026-10-09

Passes valid on this line 9 P

Day passes, regional passes and special tickets that include this line, cheapest first. 2 of them are sold only to foreign visitors. Prices and rules change: check the official page before you buy.

Anyone can buy Until 21 Dec 20263 days · Unlimited rides

"Kyushu de Aou" Unlimited Pass (all Kyushu, incl. Shinkansen)

旅して応援「九州であおう」乗り放題パス · JR Kyushu

¥23,000 Adult · ¥3,000 Child (only with an adult) ¥1,000/day

3 consecutive days, between 1 Oct and 24 Dec 2026.

Compare

Anyone can buy Until 31 Oct 20263 days · Unlimited rides

Kyushu Goshuin Meguri Kippu (3-day / 1-day)

ぐるっと九州御朱印めぐりきっぷ／いちにち九州御朱印めぐりきっぷ · JR Kyushu

¥14,300 3 days (any age) · ¥3,900 1 day (any age) ¥1,300/day

3 consecutive days or 1 day, usable until 31 Oct 2026.

Compare

Anyone can buy Until 16 Oct 20263 days · Unlimited rides

Autumn Unlimited Ride Pass (Aki no Norihōdai Pass)

秋の乗り放題パス · JR Group

¥7,850 Adult · ¥3,920 Child (6–11) ¥2,617/day

3 consecutive days from the start date chosen when buying.

Compare

Anyone can buy On sale from 27 Nov 20263 days · Unlimited rides

Seishun 18 Kippu

青春18きっぷ · JR Group (sold by all six JR companies)

¥10,000 3-day ticket (any age, one person) · ¥12,050 5-day ticket (any age, one person) ¥3,333/day

3 or 5 consecutive days from the start date chosen when buying; only one person per ticket. Valid until the last train on the last day.

Compare

Seniors 3 days · Unlimited rides

Hello! Jiyū Jikan Net Pass (members 60+)

ハロー！自由時間ネットパス／グリーンネットパス · JR Kyushu

¥11,300 Northern Kyushu · ¥22,800 All Kyushu · ¥13,500 Green version, Northern Kyushu · +1 more ¥3,767/day

3 consecutive days. Up to 6 reserved seats (Green version: Green or ordinary).

Compare

Anyone can buy See validity · Unlimited rides

Tabimeijin Kyushu Mankitsu Kippu (3 one-day rides on Kyushu railways)

旅名人の九州満喫きっぷ · JR Kyushu

¥14,000 Paper ticket (3 day-uses) · ¥13,000 my route digital version (3 day-uses)

Three one-day uses (one person 3 times, or up to 3 people on the same trip). Paper: within 3 months of purchase. my route: start within 7 days of purchase, use within 90 days; each day-use is valid until 2:00 the next morning.

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Anyone can buy 3 days · Unlimited rides

Gurutto Kyushu Kippu

ぐるっと九州きっぷ · JR Kyushu

¥14,300 Adult (JR Kyushu Internet Train Reservation) · ¥7,150 Child (online) · ¥15,800 Adult (ticket office) · +1 more ¥4,767/day

3 consecutive days from the start date chosen when buying.

Compare

Foreign visitors only 3 days · Unlimited rides

JR Kyushu Rail Pass (All Kyushu)

JR九州レールパス（全九州） · JR Kyushu

¥22,000 Adult, 3 days · ¥11,000 Child (6–11), 3 days · ¥24,000 Adult, 5 days · +9 more ¥7,000/day

3, 5 or 7 consecutive days.

Compare

Foreign visitors only 7 days · Unlimited rides

Japan Rail Pass

ジャパン・レール・パス · JR Group (JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Central, JR West, JR Shikoku, JR Kyushu)

¥50,000 Ordinary, 7 days, adult (official web sales) · ¥25,000 Ordinary, 7 days, child 6–11 (official web sales) · ¥80,000 Ordinary, 14 days, adult (official web sales) · +21 more ¥7,143/day

7, 14 or 21 consecutive days from the start date you choose. Child = 6 to 11 years old at the time of use.

Compare

1 pass covers part of this line

Valid only between the stations named; outside that stretch you pay the fare. Stretches marked “unofficial source” come from Wikipedia or travel sites, and “estimated from the official map” ones were read off the issuer's map image, not its text: check the official map before you buy.

JR Kyushu Rail Pass (Southern Kyushu) · ¥12,000 Adult, 3 days · ¥6,000 Child (6–11), 3 days · +2 more · Minami-Miyazaki – Shibushi (estimated from the official map)

IC cards (Suica, ICOCA…) P

SUGOCA area: Miyazaki SUGOCA and the other nationwide IC cards (Suica, ICOCA, TOICA, PASMO, nimoca, Hayakaken…)
8 of 28 stations estimated from the official map

No IC cards at 20 stationsOutside every JR Kyushu IC card area: Shibushi 志布志, Ōsumi-Natsui 大隅夏井, Fukushima-Takamatsu 福島高松, Fukushima-Imamachi 福島今町, Kushima 串間, Hyūga-Kitakata 日向北方, Hyūga-Ōtsuka 日向大束, Yowara 榎原, Taninokuchi 谷之口, Nangō 南郷, Ōdōtsu 大堂津, Aburatsu 油津 and 8 more. To or from these stations, buy a paper ticket.

How IC card areas work →

Trains to book on this line 2 P

Sightseeing trains and services whose seats you reserve in advance.

All seats reserved Sightseeing train

36+3 (Sanju-Roku plus San)

３６ぷらす３ · JR Kyushu

Weekly loop of Kyushu, a different route each day: Thu Hakata – Kumamoto – Kagoshima-Chuo; Fri Kagoshima-Chuo – Miyazaki; Sat Miyazaki Airport – Oita – Beppu; Sun Oita – Mojiko – Hakata; Mon Hakata – Sasebo and back

Thursday to Monday, one route per day; see the operating calendar (October 2026 – February 2027). Thursday route resumes on 5 November 2026 after the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake

¥7,520 from

All seats reserved Sightseeing train

Umisachi Yamasachi

特急海幸山幸 · JR Kyushu

Miyazaki – Miyazaki Airport – Aoshima – Obi – Nango (Nichinan coast)

One round trip on operating days; see the operating calendar. The train is being renewed for spring 2027

¥3,140 Adult, Miyazaki – Nango, fare + reserved seat (standard)

Before you travel

Using passesBuying a pass: who can, where and when
The JAPAN RAIL PASS is for foreign tourists entering as Temporary Visitors; get the stamp at immigration. Buying on the official website is cheaper than an exchange order from an agency abroad. Pick the pass up in Japan with your original passport. JR passes run on consecutive days and the start date cannot be changed once you have the pass.
Using passesUsing a rail pass at the gates and on board
Put a paper JR pass through the automatic gate (not the IC-only ones) or show it at the staffed gate; app passes are shown to staff. Always carry your passport. Seat reservations are free with the pass, but the JAPAN RAIL PASS does not cover Nozomi/Mizuho, private railways or JR highway buses, and a lost pass is not reissued.
FaresChildren's fares
Children aged 6 to 11 (and 12-year-olds still in elementary school) pay half fare; under-6s ride free, up to 2 per paying adult or child. A small child who takes their own reserved seat needs a child ticket. Child IC cards (Welcome Suica Child, child ICOCA) need the child's ID, and rail passes for children are half price.
Seat reservationsBooking seats on JR Kyushu trains
Use JR Kyushu Net Reservation (QR ticketless) for limited expresses, D&S trains and the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen, and smartEX / Express Reservation for the Kyushu Shinkansen Hakata – Kagoshima-Chuo. Seats go on sale at 10:00 one month ahead; visitors can use JR-KYUSHU Train Reservation in English.
Seat reservationsBooking the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen (smartEX / EX)
Reserved seats go on sale at 10:00 one month before travel; with smartEX or Express Reservation you can book up to one year ahead and ride by tapping your IC card. Nozomi has non-reserved cars 1–2, except in peak periods when it is all reserved.
Big stationsHakata Station: lines, transfers, lockers and step-free routes
Hakata is shared by JR Kyushu (local lines and the Kyushu Shinkansen), JR West (Sanyo Shinkansen) and the Fukuoka City Subway (Airport and Nanakuma lines). The Hakata exit faces Tenjin, the Chikushi exit faces the airport side; Shinkansen gates are towards the Chikushi side, and there are transfer gates between JR local lines and the Shinkansen.
LuggageLarge suitcases on the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen
Bags over 160 cm (length + width + height) need a seat with an oversized baggage area, booked in advance at no extra cost. Without one you pay a 1,000 yen fee.
LuggageTravel without your suitcase: delivery and lockers
Send bags from the airport, a station or your hotel to the next hotel the same day, or leave them in a station coin locker (about 300 to 1,000 yen).
LuggageWhat you can take on Japanese trains
On JR and most private railways you can take 2 bags free, each up to 250 cm (length + width + height), 2 m long and 30 kg. Small pets in a carrier cost a small fee.

Stations

In order along the main route; branch stations, if any, are listed at the end. English names and readings where OpenStreetMap has them.

#	Station	English	Passengers / day (2024)	Guide / other lines
1	志布志 🗣	Shibushi	34
2	大隅夏井 🗣	Ōsumi-Natsui	1
3	福島高松 🗣	Fukushima-Takamatsu	1
4	福島今町 🗣	Fukushima-Imamachi	11
5	串間 🗣	Kushima	114
6	日向北方 🗣	Hyūga-Kitakata	14
7	日向大束 🗣	Hyūga-Ōtsuka	51
8	榎原 🗣	Yowara	12
9	谷之口 🗣	Taninokuchi	9
10	南郷 🗣	Nangō	323
11	大堂津 🗣	Ōdōtsu	72
12	油津 🗣	Aburatsu	343
13	日南 🗣	Nichinan	420
14	飫肥 🗣	Obi	822
15	内之田 🗣	Uchinoda	12
16	北郷 🗣	Kitagō	138
17	伊比井 🗣	Ibii	46
18	小内海 🗣	Kouchiumi	12
19	内海 🗣	Uchiumi	48
20	折生迫 🗣	Oryūzako	49
21	青島 🗣	Aoshima	172
22	子供の国 🗣	Kodomonokuni	89
23	曽山寺 🗣	Sosanji	28
24	運動公園 🗣	Undōkōen	55
25	木花 🗣	Kibana	750
26	南方 🗣	Minamikata	174
27	田吉たよし 🗣	Tayoshi	111	JR Miyazaki Kūkō Line
28	南宮崎 🗣	Minami-Miyazaki	3,650	Nippō Main Line

Passengers per day: people boarding and getting off on an average day, all operators at the station counted once each (MLIT station passenger data S12).

Lines and stations: 「国土数値情報（鉄道データ、駅別乗降客数データ）」（国土交通省）を加工して作成 (MLIT National Land Numerical Information, railway data N02-24 and station passengers S12-25, CC BY 4.0). English station names and readings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), where they match. Data & credits.