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Getting Around

Buses, trains, timetables, and rural driving.

3 guides

A dark Suzuki Jimny kei car on a lakeside road in the Japanese countryside, with a Shiba Inu at the driver's window

Should I rent a car in rural Japan, or take the train?

When a rental car beats trains and buses in rural Japan, when it doesn't, and the hybrid plan that costs least — from a guide in the Kyoto mountains.

8 min read
A rural Japanese bus stop with a printed timetable in the late afternoon

How do I avoid missing the last bus in rural Japan?

Missing the last rural bus can strand you for the night. How to find the 終バス time, plan your day around it, and what to do if you miss it anyway.

3 min read
A rural Japanese bus stop sign reading バスのりば and 時刻表 beside the sea

Reading Japanese-only bus timetables (a survival skill)

The kanji that matter on a rural bus timetable, how to read it row by row, and the weekday-versus-weekend trap that strands travelers.

3 min read