When I was researching my trip to Kyoto, I saw a few articles that mentioned that busses were a common mode of transportation in Kyoto. Personally, I’m not a huge bus fan, so I figured we’d avoid them and try our luck with the trains or walking. Unfortunately, we couldn’t quite make that a reality.
While there are train and subway lines in Kyoto, there are a few popular tourist spots that require transport by bus or car. The Kinkaku-ji Temple (the Golden Pavillion), the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, and the neighborhood of Gion were all places we visited in which the busses were unavoidable. And trust me, you’ll want to see each of these places!
Up until this point in our trip, we had used Google maps religiously with no problems. While the busses do show up on Google maps, some problems began to present themselves.
- Most of the busses are named with full on Hiragana and Kanji, which is an issue if you don’t read it!
- Very often, the bus stops weren’t where they said they were on the map, but rather down the street or around the corner.
- Some busses were numbered, but we often got one the correct number, going the wrong direction because we couldn’t read the Kanji next to it.
So, after a couple of rough rides on the bus, we finally started to figure it out. I wanted to write this post to help you avoid going through the struggles we did!
First, I would recommend getting a bus map. You can find some really great resources here with maps in both Japanese and English. In addition to a great timetable, these maps include popular tourist destinations, so it’s easy to see exactly where you need to get off.
You can also grab a map at the Kyoto Bus Information Center right outside of Kyoto Station, which is how you will most likely be arriving to Kyoto. The map you’re looking for is called “Bus Navi: Kyoto City Bus Sightseeing Map.” And seriously, keep this map on you at all times. You can still use your phone, but oddly enough, these paper maps will be far more accurate.
Next, when you get to a bus stop, take a moment to look at the time table and map at the stop station. Mostly all of the bus stops have the schedules in English, so take a second to cross reference the bus schedule with what you see on your phone. This will confirm or deny whether or not the bus is traveling in the right direction. If it’s not, there will likely be another stop across the street, heading in the opposite direction.
Doing both of these things will definitely help you make sure you’re on the right bus. Now, let’s talk about how to actually get on the bus.
You will enter all Kyoto busses from the back. Busses in Kyoto use a flat-fare system (Y220) and you pay when you get off at the front of the bus. You will see a screen towards the front of the bus near the ceiling that will indicate the upcoming stop. A lot of these are in English! When you see the stop you need, you’ll need to press the stop button. These buttons are next to all of the seats and will be pretty obvious.
Pressing this button notifies the driver that a stop needs to be made, otherwise, if no one is at the stop, the driver will skip right over it.
You can pay with coins or your Pasmo or Suica card. There will be a machine at the front to dispense coins if you only have cash. You can also recharge your Pasmo and Suica cards here, but only Y1000 at a time.
And my last word of advice with the busses is that they can be very crowded. And because there are so many stops, it can take a long time to get from point A to point B, which is not fun when you’re squished in between a bunch of people. It’s a good idea to get to your bus stop early to try and grab a seat.
Looking back, I think a better option for us would have been to rent some bikes and trek around Kyoto that way. Even after getting off many busses, we’d still have to walk a good 10-20 minutes to our destination. If you’re healthy, it’s a good thing to consider!
But unfortunately, as I said before, sometimes the busses are unavoidable. But don’t worry! After reading this, you’ll be way more prepared than we were and ready to take the busses on by storm. Feel free to do even more research if you’re a crazy person like me to make sure you’re ready for anything. Good luck!
samanthanowhere 