The HEART 2025 conference will take place at Kumamoto Citizen Hall (熊本市民会館 シアーズホーム夢ホール), located at the center of Kumamoto City (熊本市), Japan. The venue is situated near the iconic Kumamoto Castle (熊本城), one of Japan's most historically significant castles. Originally built in the early 17th century by Kato Kiyomasa, Kumamoto Castle is renowned for its beauty, sophisticated defensive structures, and massive stone walls.
Address: 1-3 Sakuramachi, Chuō-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan (熊本県熊本市中央区桜町1-3)
Main Venue📖 2nd Floor, Large Conference Room (大会議室)
Coffee Break☕ 2nd Floor, Conference Room 1 & 2 (会議室1 & 2)
Poster & Reception📜 2nd Floor, Conference Room 5 & 6 (会議室5 & 6)
Kumamoto is easily accessible by both air and train. The main options for reaching Kumamoto are as follows:
Aso Kumamoto Airport (阿蘇くまもと空港):
Kumamoto Airport (KMJ; 熊本空港) is the nearest airport, located about 15km from the city central.
Domestic flights are available to/from many major airports including Tokyo (東京), Nagoya (名古屋), and Osaka (大阪).
International flights are available to/from several Asian airports, such as Seoul, Taiwan, and Hong-Kong.
Please check the airport's website for details.
Kumamoto Station (熊本駅):
Kumamoto is well-connected by the Shinkansen (bullet train; 新幹線). You can take the Kyushu Shinkansen (九州新幹線) to get to Kumamoto from Fukuoka (Hakata Station; 博多駅) in about 30 to 60 minutes.
You can get to the Kumamoto Station (熊本駅) by bus.
By Airport Bus (空港バス):
At the bus stop No.4, please take the bus bound for Kumamoto Station (熊本駅前). The one-way fare is 1,000 yen and the ride takes about 50 minutes. Please see here for details.
If you arrive at Kumamoto Station (熊本駅), you can take a tram, bus, or taxi to reach Kumamoto Citizen Hall.
By Kumamoto City Tram (熊本市電):
When you exit from the Shirakawa Exit (白川口) of Kumamoto Station, you will see the tram station.
You need to take the A Route of the Kumamoto City Tram from Kumamoto Station (熊本駅前) and get off at Hanabatacho (花畑町). The ride will take about 15 minutes. From Hanabatacho, it is a 3-minute walk to the venue (please see the image below).
The tram route map can be found at here.
By Bus:
You will find the bus stops when you exit from the Shirakawa Exit (白川口). You can find the map of the bus stops here.
Please take a bus from either bus stop No.1 or No.2 and get off at the Sakuramachi Bus Terminal (桜町バスターミナル). From there, it is a 5-minute walk to the venue (please see the image below). The bus ride will take about 15 minutes.
You can use this page to search the fare and route to the bus terminal. Enter Kumamoto Sta as the start and Sakuramachi Bus Terminal as the goal.
By Taxi:
It takes about 10 minutes by taxi from Kumamoto Station to the venue. The taxi stand is located near the Shirakawa Exit (白川口) of Kumamoto Station (please see the below map).
You can get to the venue from Kumamoto Airport by airport bus or taxi.
By Airport Bus (空港バス):
At the bus stop No.4, please take the bus bound for Kumamoto Sakuramachi Bus Terminal (熊本桜町バスターミナル). The one-way fare is 1,000 yen and the ride takes about 50 minutes. Please see here for details. From the terminal, it is a 5-minute walk to the venue (please see the image below).
By Taxi:
It takes about 40 minutes and costs around 5,000 yen by taxi from Kumamoto Airport to the venue.