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Although having your own car is certainly a bonus, not everyone wants or needs a car to get around. The bus is a handy alternative for everything from going to the grocery store to traveling across the island and beyond.

Local Buses

Buses in Miyazaki are not clearly organized, so you are forewarned. Miyakoh Bus runs most local buses. The website is Japanese only.

When riding a bus, you normally enter from the back door. Take a numbered ticket from the dispenser. As you ride to your destination (which will be displayed only in Japanese) watch the display because it will show your fare which is based on the distance travelled from your starting point (the number matching the ticket). When your destination appears on the display or is said, push a button to signify to the driver you would like to get off. Exit through the front door. On the way out put your fare (exact change) in the clear part of the machine next to the driver. The back of the machine has a moneychanger for 円1000 notes to coins and 円100 coins into 円10 coins. To make it easier, try to change out your money beforehand.

Handily, you can get a 1-Coin Bus Pass for 円500. This is an all-you-can-ride one-day pass limited to specific cities (Miyazaki, Nobeoka and Miyakonojo). They can be purchased at convenience stores and major transit centers. You can also get a prefecture-wide all-day bus pass for 円1,800.

Long-distance Buses

There are bus routes from Miyazaki to Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima and other places in Japan. The cheapest buses found to Fukuoka can be booked through SunMarine Liner. HighwayBus.com offers bus services not only across Kyushu, but all over the country as well.

Miyazaki Kotsu is Miyazki’s major transportation company (they are the parent company to Miyakoh Bus as well as the main taxi service).  Their internet site is only in Japanese, but you may visit any bus center to book bus tickets to places all over Japan.  Bus centers can be found around major train stations.  Miyazaki Kotsu offers several night bus options to Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Osaka, etc.  This company usually has more expensive fares than other bus companies, but traveling via bus might still work out cheaper than other methods.