History
Karashimachō tram stop opened on 1 August 1924 as Higashi-Karashimachō Station on the Kumamoto City line. The stop was relocated and split across two locations on 20 June 1929, the same day the Harutake Line opened from here to Harutake-eki-mae. It took its present name Karashimachō on 28 August 1936. The Harutake Line section between Karashimachō and Minami-Kumamoto was abolished on 1 May 1970, and the Karashima intersection rotary was removed in December 1988. Barrier-free works began on 21 June 2021, moving the platforms 30 m towards Hanabatachō, and the new layout was completed in early 2022. Karashimachō is the transfer point between Routes A and B and, with two opposing platforms and turn-back facilities on the Hanabatachō side, served as a turning point for trams during the 2024–2025 line disruptions following derailment and rail incidents near Kumamoto-jō-Shiyakusho-mae.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-25.
Notes
The stop is named for Itaru Karashima, a former mayor of Kumamoto who fought to relocate the army parade-ground that had divided the city; both the neighbourhood and nearby Karashima Park bear his name.