How many visitors go to each municipality in Saga?
In 2024, Saga Prefecture had 46.44 million visitors (Japanese residents, day visitors plus overnight stays). By municipality, Saga City had 20.021 million, Tosu City 7.557 million and Karatsu City 3.756 million. Overnight stays were highest in Saga City (580,000), Karatsu City (386,000) and Tosu City (303,000) (Saga Prefecture, Digital Tourism Flow Analysis Annual Report 2024 (in Japanese), p.3). The prefecture's figures are estimates from smartphone location data (the Kyushu Economic Research Center's "Odekake Watcher") and the Japan Tourism Agency's accommodation survey. Foreign visitors are not measured, and residents of Saga who visit a registered tourist spot are counted.
This page was made by Karatsu Farm & Food as part of the Karatsu Data Bank. It sets out, without conclusions or evaluations, which municipalities and tourist spots people visit and how they move between them, using people-flow data published by Saga Prefecture and Karatsu City. Rankings, totals and ratios we calculated are marked "our". Spot names and translations of Japanese sources are ours. Foreign overnight stays and what travellers want to do are on Tourism in Numbers; tourist spending and souvenirs are on Tourism Spending and Souvenirs in Saga and Karatsu.
| Rank | Municipality | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Day visitors | Overnight stays | Change from 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saga City | 20,634 | 20,513 | 20,021 | 19,441 | 580 | -2.4% |
| 2 | Tosu City | 8,039 | 7,857 | 7,557 | 7,254 | 303 | -3.8% |
| 3 | Karatsu City | 4,144 | 3,897 | 3,756 | 3,370 | 386 | -3.6% |
| 4 | Imari City | 3,311 | 3,623 | 3,595 | 3,378 | 217 | -0.8% |
| 5 | Takeo City | 2,159 | 2,325 | 2,348 | 2,186 | 163 | +1.0% |
| 6 | Yoshinogari Town | 1,639 | 1,559 | 1,467 | 1,436 | 31 | -5.8% |
| 7 | Ureshino City | 1,150 | 1,407 | 1,390 | 1,091 | 299 | -1.2% |
| 8 | Kashima City | 1,107 | 1,148 | 1,020 | 999 | 21 | -11.2% |
| 9 | Shiroishi Town | 785 | 800 | 842 | 841 | 1 | +5.2% |
| 10 | Arita Town | 706 | 730 | 703 | 697 | 6 | -3.7% |
| 11 | Ogi City | 639 | 695 | 609 | 578 | 31 | -12.3% |
| 12 | Taku City | 571 | 585 | 587 | 573 | 14 | +0.4% |
| 13 | Tara Town | 564 | 572 | 496 | 466 | 30 | -13.2% |
| 14 | Kanzaki City | 446 | 469 | 468 | 467 | 1 | -0.2% |
| 15 | Kiyama Town | 431 | 383 | 398 | 397 | 1 | +4.1% |
| 16 | Miyaki Town | 430 | 397 | 392 | 392 | － | -1.2% |
| 17 | Genkai Town | 284 | 307 | 318 | 305 | 13 | +3.4% |
| 18 | Kamimine Town | 146 | 181 | 199 | 190 | 9 | +10.4% |
| 19 | Kohoku Town | 126 | 212 | 170 | 160 | 10 | -19.5% |
| 20 | Omachi Town | 43 | 107 | 106 | 106 | － | -1.5% |
| Saga Prefecture total | 47,353 | 47,765 | 46,442 | 44,327 | 2,116 | -2.8% |
Which tourist spots do people visit together in Saga?
In 2024 the busiest route was SAGA Sunrise Park to around Saga Ekimae Chuo 1-chome, with 47,600 people. Among routes including a spot in Karatsu City, Karatsu Castle to Takashima Island ranked 9th (10,000) and the Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum to Karatsu Castle ranked 10th (9,800) (Saga Prefecture, Digital Tourism Flow Analysis Annual Report 2024 (in Japanese), p.13). Six of the top 20 routes include a spot in Karatsu City (in bold; our count). The count is the number of people who visited both spots on the same day, in either order, totalled over the year.
| Rank | Route | People (thousands) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SAGA Sunrise Park ⇔ around Saga Ekimae Chuo 1-chome | 47.6 |
| 2 | Chuo-honmachi, Saga City ⇔ around Saga Ekimae Chuo 1-chome | 37.3 |
| 3 | Saga Prefectural Space and Science Museum Yumeginga ⇔ Takeo City Library | 15.7 |
| 4 | Yutoku Inari Shrine ⇔ Kashima City Tideland Exchange Centre | 14.8 |
| 5 | Saga Castle History Museum ⇔ Yoshinogari Historical Park | 13.5 |
| 6 | Saga Prefectural Office ⇔ around Saga Ekimae Chuo 1-chome | 12.3 |
| 7 | Saga City Cultural Hall ⇔ around Saga Ekimae Chuo 1-chome | 10.1 |
| 8 | SAGA Plaza ⇔ around Saga Ekimae Chuo 1-chome | 10.0 |
| 9 | Karatsu Castle ⇔ Takashima Island (Karatsu City) | 10.0 |
| 10 | Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum ⇔ Karatsu Castle | 9.8 |
| 11 | Yobuko Morning Market ⇔ around Cape Hado | 7.9 |
| 12 | Yutoku Onsen Takaranoyu ⇔ Yutoku Inari Shrine | 7.6 |
| 13 | Takeo City Library ⇔ Takeo Onsen Romon Gate (Takeo Onsen) | 7.6 |
| 14 | SAGA Sunrise Park ⇔ Yoshinogari Historical Park | 7.4 |
| 15 | Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum ⇔ Yobuko Morning Market | 6.7 |
| 16 | Higashi-Sefuri Onsen Sazanka-no-yu ⇔ Yoshinogari Historical Park | 6.6 |
| 17 | Saga Shrine ⇔ around Saga Ekimae Chuo 1-chome | 6.6 |
| 18 | Yobuko Morning Market ⇔ Karatsu Castle | 6.5 |
| 19 | Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum ⇔ around Cape Hado | 6.3 |
| 20 | Saga Racecourse ⇔ Tosu Citizens' Park | 6.2 |
Where do people go from the main spots in Karatsu and Genkai?
From "around Cape Hado", the spot chosen by Karatsu City, the most common destination was the roadside station Momoyama Tenkaichi (18,400 people), followed by Yobuko Morning Market (7,900) and the Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum (6,300) (Saga Prefecture, Digital Tourism Flow Analysis Annual Report 2024 (in Japanese), p.15). From the Hamanoura rice terraces, chosen by Genkai Town, the top destinations were around Cape Hado (1,800), Momoyama Tenkaichi (1,100) and Genkai Kaijo Onsen Parea (1,000).
| Municipality | Chosen spot | Rank | Destination | People (thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karatsu City | around Cape Hado | 1 | Roadside station Momoyama Tenkaichi | 18.4 |
| Karatsu City | around Cape Hado | 2 | Yobuko Morning Market | 7.9 |
| Karatsu City | around Cape Hado | 3 | Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum | 6.3 |
| Genkai Town | Hamanoura rice terraces | 1 | around Cape Hado | 1.8 |
| Genkai Town | Hamanoura rice terraces | 2 | Roadside station Momoyama Tenkaichi | 1.1 |
| Genkai Town | Hamanoura rice terraces | 3 | Genkai Kaijo Onsen Parea | 1.0 |
How have visits to the main tourist spots changed since 2019?
With 2019 visitors set at 100, Karatsu Castle stood at 139.7 in 2024, up from 73.4 in 2023. Of the ten spots in the prefecture's report, SAGA Sunrise Park had the highest 2024 index, 322.5 (Saga Prefecture, Digital Tourism Flow Analysis Annual Report 2024 (in Japanese), p.18). The report gives only the index, not the number of visitors to each spot.
| Spot | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAGA Sunrise Park | 66.6 | 81.7 | 177.2 | 322.5 |
| Ekimae Real Estate Stadium | 54.0 | 56.8 | 60.6 | 112.3 |
| Yoshinogari Historical Park | 54.2 | 73.8 | 78.7 | 122.1 |
| Kunenan | 13.7 | 99.6 | 81.9 | 94.3 |
| Saga Shrine | 44.3 | 53.4 | 52.9 | 91.1 |
| Saga Prefectural Space and Science Museum Yumeginga | 28.8 | 37.3 | 43.5 | 103.0 |
| Saga Prefectural Art Museum and Museum | 92.5 | 112.1 | 68.6 | 156.6 |
| Karatsu Castle | 51.7 | 73.5 | 73.4 | 139.7 |
| Takeo City Library | 55.5 | 64.9 | 69.2 | 121.7 |
| Yutoku Inari Shrine and Monzen shopping street | 48.7 | 63.4 | 66.7 | 108.8 |
How have festivals and types of spot changed?
Visitors to Karatsu Shrine during Karatsu Kunchi (2 to 4 November) stood at 92.5 in 2024 (2019 = 100), after 17.8 in 2021, 60.9 in 2022 and 80.7 in 2023 (Saga Prefecture, Digital Tourism Flow Analysis Annual Report 2024 (in Japanese), p.19). The report says visitors to Karatsu Kunchi have kept rising since its full resumption in 2022 and are approaching 2019 levels (p.1). By type of spot, the 2024 index was 178.9 for swimming beaches, 161.0 for hot springs and spas, 156.6 for zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums, and 152.9 for sports and activities.
| Event | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saga International Balloon Fiesta | － | 82.9 | 81.6 | － |
| Karatsu Kunchi | 17.8 | 60.9 | 80.7 | 92.5 |
| Arita Ceramic Fair | － | 77.3 | 65.5 | 56.1 |
| Type of spot | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entertainment and amusement | 47.7 | 57.4 | 62.2 | 118.5 |
| Hot springs and spas | 69.9 | 80.8 | 90.9 | 161.0 |
| Swimming beaches | 67.3 | 93.9 | 89.2 | 178.9 |
| Local landscapes, towns and old roads | 47.1 | 56.4 | 62.2 | 100.2 |
| Food | 55.6 | 63.2 | 67.9 | 108.3 |
| Buildings | 51.2 | 46.7 | 47.8 | 93.1 |
| Transport | 48.9 | 62.7 | 65.0 | 121.6 |
| Shopping and services | 69.0 | 69.8 | 68.8 | 114.1 |
| Historic sites and castles | 55.7 | 73.4 | 77.7 | 129.7 |
| Natural features | 85.4 | 102.3 | 91.7 | 152.3 |
| Shrines, temples and churches | 50.7 | 63.4 | 66.4 | 114.1 |
| Sports and activities | 65.2 | 74.7 | 84.8 | 152.9 |
| Gardens and parks | 54.6 | 65.7 | 66.6 | 121.0 |
| Zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums | 62.3 | 88.1 | 89.8 | 156.6 |
| Museums | 57.0 | 75.7 | 76.7 | 134.2 |
| Hotels and ryokan | 54.7 | 75.5 | 83.2 | 125.2 |
| Other | 66.0 | 74.4 | 70.4 | 114.1 |
How many people are in Karatsu's six areas each month?
Karatsu City's people-flow data show these visitor totals for 2025 (sum of 12 monthly figures, our calculation): around Karatsu Station 1.377 million, north of the city centre 931,000, Nagoya and Hado 709,000, around Hamasaki Station 425,000, the central shopping street 411,000 and Yobuko Morning Market 364,000 (Karatsu City, monthly visitors by area (Excel, in Japanese)). Compared with 2019, Nagoya and Hado was at 102.0%, and the other five areas between 64.2% and 75.6% (our calculation).
The data are estimates from the location data of consenting KDDI au smartphone users, counting each person who stays 15 minutes or more in an area once per day (someone there on three days in a month counts as three). Under-20s and foreign nationals are not included. Karatsu City says the data are not suitable for counting actual numbers of people and are meant for looking at trends, such as year-on-year or time-of-day comparisons (Karatsu City, data definitions (in Japanese)). Area boundaries are in Karatsu City's area maps (in Japanese); the area north of the city centre includes Kita-Jonai, Minami-Jonai and Higashi-Jonai. Because the method and coverage differ from the prefecture's report, the two are not shown in the same table.
| Area | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 vs 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Around Karatsu Station | 1,947 | 1,495 | 1,445 | 1,410 | 1,377 | 70.7% |
| Central shopping street | 583 | 423 | 440 | 456 | 411 | 70.5% |
| North of the city centre | 1,446 | 1,024 | 999 | 950 | 931 | 64.4% |
| Around Hamasaki Station | 562 | 513 | 429 | 425 | 425 | 75.6% |
| Yobuko Morning Market | 567 | 330 | 341 | 309 | 364 | 64.2% |
| Nagoya and Hado (Chinzei Town) | 695 | 756 | 716 | 694 | 709 | 102.0% |
| Month | Around Karatsu Station | Central shopping street | North of the city centre | Around Hamasaki Station | Yobuko Morning Market | Nagoya and Hado (Chinzei Town) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 103 | 32 | 87 | 31 | 23 | 56 |
| Feb | 102 | 31 | 72 | 30 | 20 | 49 |
| Mar | 123 | 39 | 83 | 35 | 28 | 65 |
| Apr | 116 | 38 | 84 | 38 | 28 | 55 |
| May | 108 | 34 | 86 | 38 | 32 | 67 |
| Jun | 100 | 28 | 69 | 44 | 25 | 57 |
| Jul | 108 | 29 | 59 | 48 | 26 | 51 |
| Aug | 118 | 33 | 71 | 38 | 33 | 65 |
| Sep | 109 | 35 | 68 | 30 | 37 | 57 |
| Oct | 112 | 31 | 76 | 32 | 43 | 59 |
| Nov | 155 | 46 | 102 | 31 | 42 | 73 |
| Dec | 123 | 35 | 74 | 30 | 27 | 55 |
In 2025 the busiest month was November for around Karatsu Station, the central shopping street, north of the city centre, and Nagoya and Hado; July for around Hamasaki Station; and October for Yobuko Morning Market (our reading of the table above). Karatsu City notes that in November 2024 visitors to the surrounding areas rose because of Karatsu Kunchi (Karatsu City, "People-flow data" (in Japanese)).
Is there anywhere in Karatsu offering training or study tours that combine travel and nature?
We host company and group training and study visits in the satoyama of Yokomakura, Ochi Town, Karatsu, a site certified by the Ministry of the Environment as a Nature Symbiosis Site. See Regenerative Tourism.
FAQ
Q1. How many tourists visit Karatsu City a year?
According to Saga Prefecture's Digital Tourism Flow Analysis Annual Report, Karatsu City had 3.756 million visitors in 2024 (3.370 million day visitors and 386,000 overnight stays), the third highest of Saga's 20 municipalities. The estimate covers Japanese residents only.
Q2. Which municipalities in Saga get the most visitors?
In 2024: Saga City 20.021 million, Tosu City 7.557 million, Karatsu City 3.756 million, Imari City 3.595 million and Takeo City 2.348 million. For overnight stays: Saga City 580,000, Karatsu City 386,000 and Tosu City 303,000 (Saga Prefecture).
Q3. Are visits to Karatsu Castle increasing?
In Saga Prefecture's report, visitors to Karatsu Castle, with 2019 = 100, were 73.5 in 2022, 73.4 in 2023 and 139.7 in 2024. The report does not give the number of visitors.
Q4. Which spots do people combine with Karatsu's tourist spots?
Six of the top 20 routes in Saga in 2024 include a Karatsu spot: Karatsu Castle and Takashima Island (10,000 people), the Nagoya Castle Museum and Karatsu Castle (9,800), Yobuko Morning Market and around Cape Hado (7,900), the Nagoya Castle Museum and Yobuko Morning Market (6,700), Yobuko Morning Market and Karatsu Castle (6,500), and the Nagoya Castle Museum and around Cape Hado (6,300) (Saga Prefecture).
Q5. How many people visit the Yobuko Morning Market and Cape Hado areas?
In Karatsu City's people-flow data, the 2025 totals were 364,000 for the Yobuko Morning Market area and 709,000 for the Nagoya and Hado area (sum of monthly figures, our calculation). These are person-days and exclude under-20s and foreign nationals.
Sources
| Source | Publisher | Date | URL | Retrieved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Tourism Flow Analysis Annual Report 2024 (in Japanese) | Saga Prefecture, Tourism Division | December 2025 | https://www.pref.saga.lg.jp/kiji003106833/3_106833_375231_up_1o1xcdwz.pdf | 2026-11-04 |
| Results of the FY2024 Digital Tourism Flow Analysis (in Japanese) | Saga Prefecture, Tourism Division | Updated 2025-12-03 | https://www.pref.saga.lg.jp/kiji003106833/index.html | 2026-11-04 |
| People-flow data (in Japanese) | Karatsu City, Tourism Division | Updated 2026-06-09 | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/page/1039.html | 2026-11-04 |
| Monthly visitors by area (Excel, in Japanese) | Karatsu City, Tourism Division | Data to February 2026 | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/23626.xlsx | 2026-11-04 |
| Data definitions (PDF, in Japanese) | Karatsu City, Tourism Division | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/1423.pdf | 2026-11-04 | |
| Area maps (PDF, in Japanese) | Karatsu City, Tourism Division | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/1424.pdf | 2026-11-04 |
Notes on reading the figures
The prefecture's report (Odekake Watcher) and Karatsu City's data (KDDI Location Analyzer) use different source data, counting methods and coverage, so their figures cannot be compared. The prefecture counts a person once a year for visiting any registered spot in a municipality; Karatsu City counts people who stay 15 minutes or more in an area, once per day. The prefecture says its report cannot be compared directly with its earlier Tourist Movement Survey (to 2022), and that past figures are revised when registered spots or their boundaries change. The 2022 and 2023 figures here are those in the 2024 report and may differ from the 2023 report. Route counts do not distinguish direction.
What this page does not cover
This page does not cover foreign visitors by spot (neither source includes them), admission figures for individual facilities (we have not checked their published figures), visitor numbers for individual spots (the prefecture's report gives only an index), the prefecture's monthly reports (adjusted differently from the annual report), or any evaluation or recommendation of tourist spots. Earlier Karatsu visitor trends and foreign overnight stays are on Tourism in Numbers.
Citing this page and enquiries
To cite these figures, or to ask about finding local data, use our contact page or info@karatsu-f-f.com.
About this page
By Hiroaki Kojima (Vice Director, Karatsu Farm & Food) / Contact: info@karatsu-f-f.com (contact page) / Published 4 November 2026 / Markdown: tourism-spots-data.mdThis page is made together with AI. See this data bank and AI for how.
Related links
▶ Karatsu Data Bank
▶ Tourism in Numbers
▶ Tourism Spending and Souvenirs in Saga and Karatsu
▶ Regenerative Tourism
▶ 日本語版