City & Local Buses In Japan

Buses in Japan

Japan has an efficient system of city, local and highway buses.

Japanese city buses usually radiate out from the central railway station, as in Kyoto, for example. Fares vary but usually increase with the distance traveled. Some cities operate fixed fare buses running a circular route around the city center.

In cities with extensive subway systems such as Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, buses supplement the exiting metro. In Kyoto, which has only two subway lines, buses form the main city transport network.

One day passes (ichi-nichi-josha-ken) for both subway and city buses can be purchased, as in Nagoya, and cities may run free schemes for senior citizens, as in Kyoto.

Bus stops are easily identifiable and provide information on routes and a timetable for services on weekdays and weekends and public holidays. Some bus stops may have hi-tech electronic notice boards and announcements.

Bus destinations are written on the front of the bus with the bus number - this may be in kanji (Chinese characters) or sometimes in English.

In general (except in Tokyo) passengers enter a Japanese bus through the rear door and exit via the front door. There is sometimes a paper ticket dispensing machine as you enter with a zone number corresponding to the stop you got on the bus.

As you exit the bus match the number on the paper ticket with a fare in yen displayed on an electronic board at the front of the bus. Drop the exact fare and the paper ticket in to the fare box next to the driver. If you have no change there is a change machine for 1000 yen notes and 100 and 500 yen coins next to the fare box. The upcoming stop is usually announced on an electronic board in romaji and sometimes with a voice announcement in both Japanese and English.

In Tokyo, the procedure is different and passengers enter the bus through the front door and pay the flat fare at the beginning of the journey.

City buses and long distance buses tend to be different colors. In Kyoto, city buses are green and local suburban buses are white. Most large cities have very limited night bus services, if at all. When the bus and subway systems close for the night, generally around midnight, your only option will be a taxi.

Japan Bus Video

Tokyo Kyoto Fukuoka Hakone Hiroshima Ibaraki Kamakura Kobe Nagasaki Nagoya Nara Niigata Nikko Oita Okinawa Osaka Saitama Sakurajima Sapporo Sendai Shizuoka Shodoshima Toyohashi Tsukuba Yokohama