What coastal scenery comes to mind when you think of Kyushu and Okinawa?
Kyushu lies in southwestern Japan, with the islands of Okinawa stretching further to the southwest. Many smaller islands surround Kyushu itself, between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the East China Sea to the west.
From the maritime gateways of major cities to ports connecting island communities, these shores are places where people board ships and set off for somewhere new.
Using the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s *Annual Report on Port Statistics*, we have mapped passenger arrivals and departures at 40 ports in Kyushu and Okinawa.
What journeys might connect Kyushu and the surrounding islands? Why not explore the map with us?
Find the Ports of Kyushu and Okinawa on the Map
The circles on the map represent passenger arrivals and departures by ship.
You can switch between 2019, 2021 and 2024, and choose all routes, domestic routes or international routes. Select a circle to see the figures for that port.
You can also search by port name. Start with somewhere you know or a stretch of coast that catches your interest.
A few notes about the map
Domestic and International Routes
Domestic routes connect ports within Japan. International routes connect Japan with other countries.
Switching between route types changes the size of the circles, even at the same port. Some ports mainly connect places within Japan, while others also see international passenger traffic.
The Difference Between “0” and “Not Listed in the Source Data”
“0” means that the port appears in the source data for that year, but no passenger arrivals or departures were recorded for the selected route type.
“Not listed in the source data” means that the port has no row in that year’s passenger table. This does not necessarily mean there were no passengers, so the two are shown separately.
These Figures Count Passenger Movements, Not Unique Individuals
The figures combine passenger embarkations and disembarkations. If the same person travels several times, each embarkation and disembarkation is counted separately.
The map does not show cargo volumes or the overall size of a port.
Passenger Arrivals and Departures in Kyushu and Okinawa
In 2024, Kyushu and Okinawa accounted for around 44% of the national total of passenger arrivals and departures in this dataset.
I was surprised to discover that more than two-fifths of the total were recorded in this one region.
The data card lets you explore the regional totals as well as the figures for individual ports in 2019, 2021 and 2024.
Discovering Japan’s Southern Ports
Looking at individual ports, I was particularly surprised by the volume of passenger arrivals and departures at Kagoshima, in southern Kyushu.
Hakata, in the city of Fukuoka in northern Kyushu, also sees many people arriving and departing by ship. What kinds of people might be travelling through these ports at opposite ends of Kyushu?
Following the map further south, you will find ports dotted among Okinawa’s islands. Looking at the prefecture as a whole, I also noticed how much passenger traffic these ports handle together.
The ports of Kyushu and those on islands across the sea may reveal different patterns as you switch between years and route types.
With the islands and ports of your own country in mind, why not join us in making new discoveries?
Sources
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, *Annual Report on Port Statistics*, 2019: Class A Ports, Table 2, Passenger Embarkations and Disembarkations
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, *Annual Report on Port Statistics*, 2021: Class A Ports, Table 2, Passenger Embarkations and Disembarkations
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, *Annual Report on Port Statistics*, 2024: Class A Ports, Table 2, Passenger Embarkations and Disembarkations
Note: The ports included are those listed in at least one of the three years of source data used here. This is not the total number of ports in the region.
Note: Port locations on the map are representative points.