Short answer (checked on 29 October 2026): yes, you can drive from Fukuoka to Kagoshima. The whole Kyushu Expressway has been open since 14 August 2026. One short section of the coastal Minami-Kyushu Expressway, between Yatsushiro JCT and Yatsushiro-minami IC, is still closed, and NEXCO West expects to reopen it around the end of 2028. If you take the coast, you leave the expressway in Yatsushiro and drive 10 to 13 km on town roads.
We rent campervans from Hakozaki in Fukuoka, and most of our guests drive south through Kumamoto at some point. This page collects what we checked for them: which roads are open, how the detour works, and what changed at the places people stop on the way.
What happened
At 16:27 on 28 July 2026, an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 (provisional) struck the Kumamoto region at a depth of 16 km. The shaking reached 7, the top of the Japanese intensity scale, in Uki and Hikawa, between Kumamoto city and Yatsushiro. The expressways south of Kumamoto closed that afternoon, and three expressway bridges were seriously damaged: Kawata Bridge and Katanogawa Bridge on the Kyushu Expressway, and Myoken Daiichi Bridge on the Minami-Kyushu Expressway. On Myoken Daiichi Bridge the deck shifted and left a step of about 1.3 m in the road surface (NEXCO West).
This is a different earthquake from the Kumamoto earthquakes of April 2016. When an older guide mentions repairs "after the earthquake", it usually means 2016.
Road status on 29 October 2026
| Road | Section | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Kyushu Expressway (E3) | Matsubase IC to Ebino IC | Open since 14 August 2026 |
| Kyushu Expressway (E3) | Near Kawata Bridge, between Miyahara SA and Yatsushiro IC (about 1.5 km) | Open, two-way traffic on one carriageway until around the end of 2027 |
| Minami-Kyushu Expressway (E3A) | Yatsushiro JCT to Yatsushiro-minami IC | Closed. Reopening expected around the end of 2028 (NEXCO West, 29 September 2026) |
| Minami-Kyushu Expressway (E3A) | Yatsushiro-minami IC to Tanoura IC | Open since 18 August 2026 |
| Kyushu Chuo Expressway (E77) | Around Kashima JCT | Open since 30 July 2026 |
| National Route 219 | Shin-Hagiwara Bridge in Yatsushiro | Open since 27 August 2026 after a temporary repair |
At Kawata Bridge the speed limit is lower too. NEXCO West plans to move the traffic onto the repaired side around spring 2027 and to have all four lanes back around the end of 2027.
Kumamoto Prefecture reported on 27 August 2026 that full closures on the roads it manages had largely been cleared within a month. Temporary repairs still leave bumps and lower speed limits in places, so follow the signs.
The Yatsushiro detour
The closed section is short, but the detour is different in each direction. These are the routes that NEXCO West and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) signposted in their notice of 17 August 2026. Signs on site take priority, because the routes can change with local traffic.
- Southbound (to Minamata, Izumi and Kagoshima): leave the Kyushu Expressway at Yatsushiro IC. Follow prefectural road 336 west, then roads 250 and 42 south across the Kuma River, and rejoin the expressway at Yatsushiro-minami IC. By our measurement on the map this is about 13 km.
- Northbound (to Kumamoto and Fukuoka): leave at Yatsushiro-minami IC and take National Route 3 north to Yatsushiro IC, about 10 km.
Route 3 has been very busy since the earthquake, so allow extra time.
When NEXCO West closed the same section for night works in January 2025, it estimated about 20 minutes for the detour; at busy times expect longer.
Tolls and ETC on the detour
NEXCO West adjusts the toll when you leave the expressway for this detour and get back on. With an ETC card, use the same card on both legs and the adjustment happens by itself; the amount shown at the exit gate is before the adjustment. In NEXCO West's example for a standard car, Kumamoto IC to Yatsushiro IC (¥1,310) plus Yatsushiro-minami IC to Hinagu IC (¥210) comes to ¥1,350 instead of ¥1,520.
If you pay in cash, ask for the transfer certificate (乗継証明書) at the exit and hand it in with your ticket at your last exit.
Yatsushiro-minami IC is normally an ETC-only interchange. During the closure, cars without ETC can use the support lane.
If you plan to use expressways a lot, ask us for an ETC card when you book. We lend it free, but it has to be set up before your pick-up. Our toll roads and ETC guide explains how the card works.
Inland or along the coast to Kagoshima?
Both ways work, and each has a catch.
The Kyushu Expressway through Hitoyoshi and Ebino is the faster one and has no detour; you only pass the one-carriageway stretch at Kawata Bridge. It crosses mountains between Yatsushiro and Ebino, though, and from December to February that section can close for snow.
The coast road through Minamata and Izumi takes longer and now includes the Yatsushiro detour. In winter we still suggest it, because it stays in the lowlands, and from November to March more than 10,000 cranes winter at Izumi. Our Kyushu winter coastal route covers that drive stop by stop.
If there is a strong aftershock
Since the roads reopened, NEXCO West has used a provisional rule that closes three sections for inspection at a lower level of shaking than usual, intensity 5-lower or more: the Kyushu Expressway between Mashiki-Kumamoto-Airport IC and Hitoyoshi IC, the Kyushu Chuo Expressway between Kashima JCT and Koike-Takayama IC, and the Minami-Kyushu Expressway between Yatsushiro JCT and Hinagu IC. If a closure catches you, follow the staff and the signs off the expressway. What to do in the van during a quake is in our earthquake and emergency driving guide.
Stops on the way: what changed
- Kumamoto Castle closed after the earthquake and reopened its paid area, including the main keep and the elevated viewing walkway, on 13 August 2026. Stone walls collapsed in several places, but the buildings and walkways in the paid area came through the checks without major damage. Keep to the marked routes. Our Kumamoto guide covers parking and the rest of the city.
- Miyahara SA on the Kyushu Expressway reopened its food court on 17 August 2026. NEXCO West's recovery page still listed the restaurant as closed when we checked on 29 October.
- Michi-no-Eki Ryuhoku in Hikawa had cracks more than 100 m long in its car park. It reopened at a smaller scale, with part of its shop only, and its restaurant was badly damaged. We have not been able to confirm how it is running now, so do not plan a night there. Our michi-no-eki map lists other stations in Kumamoto.
Check these before you drive south of Kumamoto
- iHighway, NEXCO West's live map of closures and traffic on the expressways.
- JARTIC, for national and local roads.
- NEXCO West's recovery page for the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake, where the reopening dates are updated.
If you send us your route on WhatsApp before your trip, we will tell you what we know about it. To see which vans are free on your dates, use the availability search.
Sources: NEXCO West and MLIT Kyushu Regional Development Bureau notices of 17 August, 28 August and 29 September 2026; NEXCO West's 2026 Kumamoto earthquake recovery page; Kumamoto Prefecture (27 August 2026); Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun and NHK reports on Kumamoto Castle and Michi-no-Eki Ryuhoku. Maps: VanTripJapan, from OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) and Natural Earth.
Questions we get about the roads
Is the Kyushu Expressway open after the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake?
Yes. The whole Kyushu Expressway has been open since 14 August 2026. Near Kawata Bridge, between Miyahara SA and Yatsushiro IC, about 1.5 km carries traffic in both directions on one carriageway. NEXCO West expects all four lanes back around the end of 2027.
When will the Minami-Kyushu Expressway at Yatsushiro reopen?
NEXCO West announced on 29 September 2026 that it expects to reopen the section between Yatsushiro JCT and Yatsushiro-minami IC around the end of 2028. South of Yatsushiro-minami IC, the expressway has been open since 18 August 2026.
How do I get around the closed section?
Southbound, leave at Yatsushiro IC and follow prefectural roads 336, 250 and 42 to Yatsushiro-minami IC, about 13 km. Northbound, leave at Yatsushiro-minami IC and take National Route 3 to Yatsushiro IC, about 10 km. Follow the detour signs on site.
Do I pay a second toll because of the detour?
No. NEXCO West adjusts the toll when you leave the expressway for the detour and get back on. With ETC, use the same card on both legs. If you pay in cash, ask for the transfer certificate at the exit and hand it in at your last exit.
Is Kumamoto Castle open after the earthquake?
Yes. Its paid area, including the main keep and the elevated viewing walkway, reopened on 13 August 2026. Stone walls collapsed in several places, so keep to the marked routes.