From Wikitravel

Kurume (久留米) is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By train

Kurume is on the JR Kagoshima Main Line.

From Hakata station in Fukuoka there are generally one local and two rapid trains per hour operating to Kurume, with more trains during rush hours. Rapid trains take 40 minutes, and local trains take about an hour, at the same cost of ¥720.

Paying a ¥600 surcharge (¥900 for a reserved seat) will allow you to travel on one of the many limited express trains that operate on the Kagoshima line, which will bring you from Fukuoka to Kurume in a half hour. These trains operate on the same or higher frequency than regular trains, and include the Relay Tsubame for Kagoshima (connecting to the Kyushu Shinkansen), the Ariake for Kumamoto and Hikarinomori, and the Yufu trains for Yufuin, Oita and Beppu.

If you have a Japan Rail Pass you can take any of these limited express trains at no extra charge; for unreserved seating, simply show your pass to the conductor on the train.

Kurume is also on the Tenjin-Omuta Nishitetsu Line.

From the Tenjin Nishitetsu[1] station in Fukuoka City, take any Omuta-bound train. Train tickets to Kurume can be purchased from the ticket machines at the station, and cost ¥710. Limited Express trains depart every 30 minutes on the hour and half-hour, and take approximately 30 minutes.

[edit] By car

If you are driving to Kurume, you will be able to park your car in one of roughly a dozen cheap parking lots, a happy side effect to the Japanese economic depression.

[edit] Get around

Although Kurume has the appearance of a city with cramped quarters and tall buildings, it is very small and can be easily navigated by bicycle.

The main bus center is located on the ground floor of the Nishitetsu train station. Buses depart frequently. Although there is no English-language time table posted, a travel agency on the same floor may be able to offer some advice during business hours.

[edit][add listing] See

Next to the Kurume public library is a traditional Japanese koi garden which is open to the public.

The largest feature in Kurume is by far the Jibo Kannon Statue, which lies within the grounds of Naritasan Temple. The concrete Kannon Statue is 62 meters tall, and visitors can pay a small fee to go inside the statue and climb stairs to the top.

There are also a few temples to visit, as in any Japanese city. Bairiji Temple, near the Chikugo River, is home to a small orchard of plum trees which blossom in the early spring. The temple itself has a small zen garden, and is the largest training temple in Kyushu.

[edit][add listing] Do

Kurume is host to Japanese festivals and parades, occurring regularly throughout the year. Events usually take place on Japanese holidays, and will include dressing up in yukata, which are cotton kimono worn in the summer, and walking through the hooded shopping street for matsuri games such as fishing and balloon tosses. In the summer, there are also fireworks which will coincide with matsuri events at the local temple.

[edit][add listing] Buy

A small shopping mall named EMax is located above the Nishitetsu train station. Stores include Muji, Quest bookstore, and a variety of clothing stores.

Across the main street from the station is "Ichibangai 1", a long covered pedestrian mall with stores that change often. There are a few restaurants there as well.

About 10 minutes by bus from the station is one of Japan's growing chain-mall locations, YouMe Town. Take the #20 bus from the Nishitetsu station and get off right in front of the large mall complex.

Kurume is famous for its kasuri, an indigo dyed cloth used to make kimonos and other traditional Japanese clothes, but you are not likely to find much kasuri in Kurume itself. Yanagawa nearby actually sells more Kurume kasuri than Kurume itself, both in cloth and kimono form, and it looks a lot more like a traditional Japanese town, too.

Kurume is also the home of Bridgestone tires and famous for ramen noodles which are available in plentiful supply.

[edit][add listing] Eat

While there isn't an abundance of restaurants in Kurume, there are some places to eat if you're looking for a meal.

In the "Ichibangai 1" pedestrian mall across from the Nishitetsu train station, there are 3 or 4 larger Japanese restaurants which are worth a visit if you're hungry. They are all just next to the am/pm store.

About one block down from the station to the west is a good Korean restaurant, which can be quite busy on weekends, so you might want to make reservations.

Also, lining the small canal to the west of "Ichibangai" are a number of quaint restaurants, as well as a new Mexican restaurant called "El Sol" a little further away.

There is also an Okinawan restaurant near St. Mary's Hospital with occasional live music.

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Get out

The same train which runs in from Fukuoka continues out into the countryside.

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!