How can I tell if I need to book a bus in advance?

I am looking to travel to a Shiraito Falls while on my upcoming Japan trip. When I look at routes for the day, I see what looks like a bus route that I will need to take. It looks like it starts at Shinfuji-eki station and stops at Shiraito no Taki Iriguchi Station. It looks like the bus route is labeled Shin Fuji Station-Mt. Fuji Station on google maps. Do I need to book this in advance? Sorry if this is a silly question, I am still learning about how to use public transport in Japan and I am struggling to figure out when reservations need to be made in advance or not.

3 comments
  1. A lot of buses take IC cards. The only one I took that didn’t was in Takayama and it had a little “please buy your tickets at the booth” sign. From what I can tell, you will not be able to use your IC card though. I’d recommend either looking on the bus route website or, if the website isn’t helpful, booking a return ticket at Shin-Fuji station.

  2. You should only need to book a bus in advance of it’s a highway bus. I’ve never heard of any local buses that require or even accept advance bookings.

Leave a Reply
You May Also Like