Hi everyone! Ive never been to Japan and don’t know any Japanese, but am wanting to try to take the bus from JR Beppu station to Takasakiyama park during our trip in March (and back). My main concern is how do I know which bus to get on if I can’t read any Japanese? Google maps gives me the bus/route number and name. Is the bus number typically displayed on the bus? Where I live, the same number goes in opposite directions and you rely on the name to figure out which bus to get on. I’m worried I’ll get on a bus going in the wrong direction as well – do you have tips around this too? We are from a right side driving place and I know that will throw me off.
If all else fails, we will definitely just catch a taxi. I’m also aware the buses on that route sadly only come every hour or so. But I’m reading that taxi can be super expensive so I’d really like to try to bus at least one way.
Ive read about HOW to bus – i.e. use google maps, board at back, grab a ticket, refer to screen etc.. but I can’t find anything on how to get on the right bus.
Any help would be amazing, and no detail is too small! You’d really be easing my anxiety, thank you.
Oh! And related to taxi-ing if all else fails, if you have any insight on whether it’s be pretty straightforward to catch a taxi from the park back into town, that would be amazing. If there are none nearby, can I ask the staff to call one for me? Or should I walk over to the main road/highway to hail one?
11 comments
Buses in cities have ample English signage. You will see any name and/or number associated with the bus printed on the bus. Even if the name isn’t in English (less common these days) the number will help you.
Go Taxi is an app that will let you hail cabs in Japan, but I’m pretty sure it’s Japanese only? If you can operate it, it’s incredibly useful. Hailing cabs is harder away from main station areas.
You’ll be fine. We had to take buses unexpectedly as our other form of transport was cancelled due to the weather. There was enough English to get by and if all else fails, just ask somebody using Google translate. It works well enough if you keep the sentences simple.
I believe bus numbers are displayed on the front of buses and there may well be English displayed there as well, these days there’s English displayed on most travel methods! If in doubt maybe ask the bus driver or someone on the bus “Kono basu wa Takasakiyama koen ni ikimasu ka?’ and if they say ‘Hai’ you’re all good!
Taxi-wise I found that you often need to direct the drivers so having access to Google Maps is pretty handy but I think in the situation you’re describing they should know where they’re going. I don’t speak tonnes of Japanese myself but in my experience, saying ‘[destination] onegaishimasu’ ([destination], please) is usually OK, and you can show them the address or Google Maps on your phone if they don’t know where it is. Good luck!
Aside from all that was said already – you don’t need to be able to read kanji in order to compare what’s written on the bus with what you’re expecting to be written on the bus.
I think from Beppu station you need to get the bus to Oita station. Oita is 大分 and station is 駅 so Oita station is 大分駅. But yea, just below 大分駅 it should also say “Oita Sta.” in English.
I think Takasakiyama is about the biggest / most important stop on this bus line, so it will probably also say Takasakiyama on the bus, but only in Japanese, due to space constraints: 高崎山.
Last but not least, just ask the driver. “Takasakiyama?” That’s particularly easy if you get on the bus at Beppu station, rather than somewhere in the middle of the route.
Oh, and most bus stops also have signage that you can study before the bus arrives – even if they should not include any English (but they probably do), you should be able to find the kanji there.
Google maps does it all for you in most of Japan!
I havent been to beppu in 10 years, but from my time there taxi was not expensive at all. Not like Tokyo! That would cost about $15 in a cab to get to the park. If you use google maps it tells you the bus times and as long as you stick to those times i found that i was OK everywhere i went. The bus drivers are happy to tell you if its not the right bus. Sometimes they will just gesture by crossing there arms in an X that they arent the right bus.
If we are talking Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden, then any bus from the Takasakiyama station in the direction of Beppu will get you into central Beppu.
Routes running through Beppu station or Beppu Kitahama. Alternatively, you can learn the kanji for Oita station, because aside from airport shuttle, any buses that will take you from Beppu to Oita stop by Takasakiyama.
Used google map religiously. The numbers are display on the bus and google map tells you which bus stop to take on which side of the road. Gives you approximate ETA so you can be on the lookout. I had no issues taking the bus. You can also ask the driver too. Show them your destination on the phone if you’re not confident speaking.
Just ask around! Even if you can’t remember “Kono basu wa…”, even just asking, “Takasaki-yama?” to the bus driver (or any staff at the bus terminal) is enough to get the message across. After the first time, you’ll realize it’s not super difficult 🙂
Use Google map to find out which bus you need to take. Just don’t make the same mistake I did, by tapping the card once I got in and once I got out. I didn’t knew we only need to tap it once.
The most convenient bus is Line AS60 (towards Kannawa Onsen-Oita) from Beppu Station East Exit to Takasakiyama Zoo. Bus timetable below:
https://www.navitime.co.jp/diagram/bus/00083459/00050158/0/
As an option, one taxi fare app estimates about 2,000 yen one way between Beppu and the Zoo.