Navigating Japan is not for the faint-hearted. Most overseas visitors arrive in Tokyo, only to enter a world of alphabets they cannot read, streets with non-consecutive house numbers, and train stations that are the world’s busiest.
In my previous My Kagoshima posts:
I emphasized the need to “chunk it.”
Kagoshima Prefecture is a manageable chunk of Japan that is as far as you can get from Tokyo by bullet train (910 miles, 1,464 km).
I picked out three areas in Kagoshima Prefecture: Kagoshima City, Yakushima Island, and Kirishima (the Kirishima Volcanic Group section of Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park).
I described how to get to Kagoshima Prefecture from the USA.
I left you at Kagoshima Airport or Kagoshima City’s main train station (Kagoshima-Chuo). Either way, the arrival is manageable: Kagoshima airport has 10 gates, Kagoshima-Chuo has 14 platforms.
In this post I describe how to get from the airport or train station to the three areas of Kagoshima I selected.
Kagoshima Airport Bus Stop
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| Interactive Map |
- Buy your bus ticket from one of the machines opposite the bus stops. Somebody always seems to be there to help.
- Go to stop 2 for Kagoshima-Chuo (train station). Buses that continue to the Express Boat Terminal are indicated in red on the timetable displayed at the stop. [Current bus times and prices.]
- Go to stop 3 for the Kirishima Iwasaki Hotel. [Current bus times and prices.]
- When you return to the airport from the Kirishima Iwasaki Hotel pay on the bus when you arrive at Kagoshima Airport.
Kagoshima-Chuo (Train Station) Bus Stop
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| Interactive Map |
- If you arrive by train, take the east exit from Kagoshima-Chuo.
- The bus station is inside the Nangoku Nissei Building.
- Buy your airport bus ticket at the counter marked “Airport.” [Current bus times and prices.]
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| Interactive Map |
Jetfoil to Miyanoura Port (Yakushima Island)
- Buy your ticket at the counter for Toppy and Rocket jetfoils. [Current times and prices.]
- Alternatively buy the ticket online for a small fee from Yakushima Travel.
- One hour before travel, swap the ticket for a boarding ticket at the counter marked for your departure.
Bus to Airport (via Kagoshima-Chuo Train Station)
- Buy your airport bus ticket at the counter marked “Airport” inside the terminal.
- The airport bus stop is just outside the terminal. Buses are timed to be convenient for jetfoil arrivals and departures. The timetable is displayed at the bus stop.