I am almost 100% sure I bought my ticket on the bus - most buses have change machines as well. I took a bus across Kyushu from Yufuin to Kumamoto, even needed reservations and I paid my fare when I got off.....

I took this bus and walked the Nakasendo 8 years ago but I have no recollection of how I paid the bus fare. I assume therefore that it was the usual Japanese system: enter by the middle door and take a ticket from the machine; exit by the front door and pay the driver the amount indicated on the big display for the number on your ticket.

BTW. I did not find the walk particularly enjoyable. It's a hard and rather uninteresting slog uphill for the first half, then improves (maybe because it is downhill) for the second half. I think you need to overnight in Magome or Tsumago (I did not) to get the full benefit of the experience.

Until a better answer comes along: you will be able to figure it out when you get there. The station is probably small and you will have enough time to get a ticket, if necessary, maybe from a human, and catch the bus that is there to meet your train.

A better answer came along before I hit submit. Even if a ticket is necessary and you don't see where to buy one, just hop on the bus and you will sort it out. Nobody is going to yell at you.

mrwunrfl

I know, I'm starting to obsess about details the closer I get to the trip. But it's good to know nobody will yell at me.
I can't really believe we're going. Less than 8 weeks away!

someotherguy

thanks for the feedback, but you know how it is - we'll have to try it ourselves.

mara

well, that's interesting. Maybe I AM overthinking this..

lol....Sue_xx_yy - sometimes it is hard not to overthink...

I enjoyed the hike from Magome to Tsumago - that is the preferable direction from what I read as it is less hilly than the other way....of course, the day I went, in mid-April, the weather was lovely so that helps. Also it took me longer than I had read - about 4 1/2 hours - but I took my time....and I spent the night in Tsumago.

Sue,

Have you seen this yet? At least the pictures and explanations of what to expect on buses in Japan may ease some tensions,lol

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2366.html

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2015.html

Aloha!

Sue_xx_yy, do you know how to pronounce Magome and Tsumago?

Actually, no.

I would have guessed, "mah go meh" and 'Sue mah go"

How am I doing so far?

P.S. thanks Hawaiian for the links. Nothing like practicing my bus arts as a way of increasing anticipation level.

Excellent, but for tSue. You're a natural and/or you studied pronounciation, as you recognized the syllables and the vowels. That is important as the language has a syllabary instead of an alphabet (where kyo is not kee oh but like que with an oh instead of ue). And then vocabulary like basu, doko, and toire.

Am just trying to think of useful things to keep you busy for the next 7.8 weeks.

LOL mrwunrfl, I am spending my evenings studying (amongst other things) the Kyoto transit system. Yeesh, so many different companies and lines. But I have never regretted studying up on transit systems, it keeps the stress level down. (Our first major trip to Italy, we didn't do this, and promptly got lost in Florence - went the wrong way for a long time on a bus, and ended up walking back - after dark, to boot. Don't want to go through that again.)

So, ,the 't' is pronounced? sort of like, tih-sue mah go.

silent t just like tsunami sue nah me

Tsumago sue mah go

Tsutsui soot soo ee

Kyoto transport options and more studying material:

http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/access/img/basunabieigo-rosenn.pdf

http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/access/transport.html

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357.html

http://www.kintetsu.co.jp/foreign/english/useful/route_map/railway-map2.html

http://rail.hankyu.co.jp/en/

http://www.keihan.co.jp/en/.

Aloha!

Not quite like tih-sue mah go. Quicker. The tsu is a single syllable.

Scroll down at the following link for tsunami pronunciation in Japanese and click on the > to hear it:
http://www.forvo.com/word/tsunami/

I think it is a matter of putting your tongue at the starting point where you would say "tot" and then say "sue" from there.

Agree that studying transit systems (and maps) is very worthwhile.

You might find these guides useful:
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/index.html

imo, the Kyoto transportation system is not too difficult - Kyoto streets are laid out on a grid...if you get NHK World on your tv or can watch it online, check out Mapping Kyoto Streets, a great show that focuses on one street each episode....

Even more homework for Sue_xx_yy:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mapping+kyoto+streets&oq=mapping+kyoto+streets&gs_l=youtube.3..0.4349.8789.0.8933.21.11.0.10.10.0.186.1083.8j3.11.0...0.0...1ac.1.2SJqo4-mAyw

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