Make Futamigaura the whole coastal plan

You can visit Itoshima without a car by taking the West Coast Liner from Hakata or Tenjin, or a local bus from JR Kyudai-Gakkentoshi Station. For a first visit, keep the day focused: Futamigaura beach, a nearby meal or café, and a return bus chosen before you leave Fukuoka.

The white torii and Meotoiwa, the paired offshore rocks, are the focus of this return trip. The tourism association lists Futamigaura, Nogita and Keya as separate areas. The direct bus also restricts boarding and alighting along its coastal section, so it cannot serve as a hop-on sightseeing loop.

A complete white torii on the beach, with two offshore rocks joined by a shimenawa rope behind it.

Exception: 10 October 2026

Do not use the ordinary-day itinerary or last-departure table on 10 October 2026. For the Tour de Kyushu road restrictions, Showa Bus has announced cancellation of West Coast Liner departures from Hakata between 09:48 and 14:28, and departures towards Fukuoka from Futamigaura / Tsuki-to-Taiyo Itoshima Chabou-mae (二見ヶ浦・月と太陽糸島茶房前) between 12:01 and 18:36. Some Nishinoura Line services are also cancelled, with substantial traffic delays expected even on operating routes. Choose both journeys from the special service notice.

Choose the direct bus or a station transfer

The West Coast Liner leaves Hakata Bus Terminal from stand 32. Tenjin-Yonchome (天神四丁目) is another boarding point, although some departures bypass Tenjin. Check the column for your actual boarding stop in the official timetable.

Use the current stop names: 二見ヶ浦・月と太陽糸島茶房前, Futamigaura / Tsuki-to-Taiyo Itoshima Chabou-mae, or 二見ヶ浦・PALMBEACH前. The old Futamigaura / Meotoiwa-mae stop was abolished on 4 April 2026. The itinerary and last-departure table use the Chabou-mae stop.

For the rail option, reach JR Kyudai-Gakkentoshi Station (九大学研都市駅), then take the Nishinoura Line (西の浦線) from stand 2 on a service continuing through Futamigaura. Do not take a 5A-1 bus for this trip: it ends at Nishinoura before reaching Futamigaura. For example, the weekday 10:25 departure reaches Chabou-mae at 10:57; on weekends and public holidays, the 10:21 reaches it at 10:53. Both examples are 5B-2 services in the Nishinoura Line timetable.

Keep the fares attached to the right route

Checked in September 2026, the adult Itoshima Peninsula Marutto 1day Free Pass with express buses (糸島半島まるっと1dayフリーパス〈高速バス付き〉) costs JPY 2,000 and includes the West Coast Liner. It covers an eligible direct return trip on the same day. Purchase is through my route, which requires the app and registration. The JPY 1,000 version covers local buses and excludes the West Coast Liner.

The Nishinoura Line from Kyudai-Gakkentoshi to either current Futamigaura stop costs JPY 730 one way, or JPY 1,460 for two ordinary fares. Compare that with the JPY 1,000 local-bus day pass if you use local buses both ways. Rail costs extra with either bus pass. For a one-way West Coast Liner journey, check the actual stops in Showa Bus’s fare search; the local-bus fare does not apply.

A daytime return leaves room for the unexpected

On an ordinary operating day, excluding 10 October 2026, one suggested direct-bus itinerary is Hakata 09:28 → Chabou-mae 10:38, followed by the beach and a nearby meal or café, then Chabou-mae 15:31 → Hakata 16:35 on weekdays or 16:40 on weekends and public holidays. These are scheduled times; traffic can delay the journey. Leave a gap before any timed evening booking.

Last returns from Futamigaura / Tsuki-to-Taiyo Itoshima Chabou-mae: ordinary days, excluding 10 October 2026

These are the last scheduled departures in the ordinary timetable revised on 4 April 2026. For 10 October 2026, choose your return from Showa Bus’s special service notice instead.

Last returns from Futamigaura / Tsuki-to-Taiyo Itoshima Chabou-mae: ordinary days, excluding 10 October 2026
Return service from Futamigaura Chabou-maeWeekdaysWeekends and public holidays
West Coast Liner to Tenjin and Hakata17:3118:36
Nishinoura Line to Kyudai-Gakkentoshi Station18:2119:36

The local bus still requires a rail journey back to central Fukuoka. Compare your travel date’s sunset time, plus the walk back to the stop, against the bus you intend to catch. A later local departure does not guarantee a workable sunset trip, and Showa Bus warns that full buses cannot take more passengers. Our suggestion is to aim for an earlier departure, leaving another scheduled service behind it.

A cloth bag and folded umbrella on a bus window seat, with the sea outside.

Choose a return you are comfortable relying on, then fit the beach and café around it. Add sunset only when that date’s transport actually allows it.

Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-06

Sources & verification

A source-based guide. Check the linked operator information again before you travel.

  1. Showa Bus: West Coast Liner timetableSources checked:
  2. Showa Bus: Nishinoura Line timetableSources checked:
  3. Fukuoka City: Nishinoura Line stops and faresSources checked:
  4. Showa Bus: April 2026 stop changesSources checked:
  5. Showa Bus: 10 October 2026 service changesSources checked:
  6. Showa Bus: Itoshima Peninsula day passesSources checked:
  7. Itoshima Tourism Association: areas and mapSources checked:
  8. Showa Bus: service status and fare searchSources checked:
  9. Fukuoka City: Nishinoura Line connection leafletSources checked:
  10. Visit Fukuoka: Sakurai FutamigauraSources checked:

Images are illustrative examples to aid understanding, not photographs of the actual facilities.

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