Recommended transports for sightseeing in Kagoshima city

Written by Tanie

Translated by A. Osorio

2.8.2021 (Re:27.12.2021)

Many of you will say to yourself “I would like to visit the tourist places efficiently”, “I would like to avoid driving in unknown lands” or “I would like to know and use local means of transport”. Well, you are in the right place, here we will present you recommended means of transport and offers for sightseeing in the city of Kagoshima without a car.

　1. Tourism by bus

　2. Tourism by streetcar / Tram

　3. Tourism by Ferry

　4. Tourism by bicycle

　5. One-day pass

　6. Save money with CUTE, a “one day pass”

　7. Sakurajima Island View bus

　8. Machi Meguri Bus

1. Tourism by bus

The buses are very convenient and inexpensive, apart from covering almost all areas of the city. In Kagoshima there are three types of buses; Kagoshima municipal bus and private company buses. There are buses that exclusively tour the tourist spots of the city, such as the “Kagoshima City View” (public) and the “Town Tour Bus” (private).

= Kagoshima City View =

Kagoshima City View is operated by the Kagoshima City Transportation Office and features colorful buses depicting the retro trams that run through the city, and blue and white buses depicting the wild dolphins commonly seen in Kinkōwan.

These buses start the journey from Kagoshima Chuo Station every 30 minutes, and take approximately 80 minutes to go through the entire tourist area of the city. During the tour you can connect to their Wi-Fi network which is free.

= Machi Meguri Bus =

Town Tour Bus “Machi Meguri Bus” This tourist minibus is private, and like the previous ones presented above, it also starts the tour from Kagoshima Chuo station every 20 minutes, and it takes approximately 60 minutes to go through the entire tourist area. If you register, you can use Wi-Fi for free.

= Kagonma Sora Bus =

In addition, the Kagonma Sora Bus allows you to tour the highlights of Kagoshima in an open-top double-decker bus. If the time is right, you might be able to experience ashfall from the Sakurajima volcano! The Kagonma sora bus is the first open or open top bus to board a ferry in Japan. You can also enjoy the sightseeing tour around the Sakurajima volcano. The tour of this bus starts from Kagoshima Chuo Station.

= Sakurajima Island View =

At Sakurajima, you can tour the “Sakurajima Island View” with a fantastic panoramic window that allows you to take extraordinary photos. The tour takes about 60 minutes and starts from Sakurajima port every 20 minutes.

2. Tourism by streetcar / Tram

The municipal trams in the city of Kagoshima have a history of more than 100 years, they come in various colors, models and run approximately every 7 minutes from 06:00 in the morning to around 23:00 at night, and the fare Is fixed. Adults 170 yen and elementary school children 80 yen.

In addition, to commemorate the centenary of the city’s tram operation, the retro tourist train “Kagoden” was created, a very peculiar tram that was designed using as a model the wooden trains that operated from the Taisho era to the Showa era (1912 – 1955), this retro streetcar operates only once a day on weekends and holidays. You can go sightseeing in Kagoshima accompanied by volunteer citizen guides, the tour takes about 75 minutes.

3. Tourism by Ferry

The Kagoshima Municipal Ferry is a must for sightseeing in Sakurajima. It takes about 15 minutes from Kagoshima port to Sakurajima port, and it runs 24 hours a day! Also, you can enjoy the charms of Sakurajima and Kinko Bay (Kagoshima Bay) on a different route than the ferry on the approximately 50-minute “Yori Michi Cruise”, which runs every day. On board the ferry if you are lucky you can see the wild dolphins swimming in Kinko Bay.

4. Tourism by bicycle

The “Kagorin” bike share or public bike system provided by the city of Kagoshima, has bike ports installed at 27 locations in the city center, making it easy to use for residents and tourists. The cost is 200 yen per day or 1,000 yen per month, without additional charge if it is returned to any of the ports in 30 minutes, if it exceeds 30 minutes, 100 yen will be added to every 30 minutes.

Unlimited Ride Tickets

5. One-day pass

The “Day Pass” provided by the Kagoshima City Transportation Office, offers unlimited travel on city buses, trams, Kagoshima City View and Kagoden, for the price of 600 yen for adults and 300 yen for children throughout the day.

There is also an app version of the day pass for smartphones.There are also facilities where you can get a discount by presenting your day pass, so why not make effective use of it?

6. Save money with CUTE, a “one day pass”

CUTE offers unlimited rides for a day on Kagoshima City Buses, including Kagoshima City View and Sakurajima Island View, Trams (including Kagoden), Sakurajima Ferry, and the Yori Michi Crossing. The price for adults is 1,200 yen, and for children 600 yen. There are also two-day tickets (adults 1,800 yen, children 900 yen). As with the “One-day Pass”, you can get discounts at various facilities just by presenting the CUTE ticket.

7. Sakurajima Island View bus

There is also a day pass for Sakurajima Island View. The cost is 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for children. With this ticket you can go up and down as many times as you want. Also, if you show your day pass, you will get a 20% discount on the passenger fare of the Sakurajima ferry.

8. Machi Meguri Bus

The Machi Meguri Bus is one of the tourist buses in the city, if you plan to visit more than 4 tourist places by bus, you can get your day pass that allows you to travel as many times as you want for only 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for kids.

Like all other day passes you will also get discounts at some city facilities just by presenting the ticket.

| What means of transport is the right one for you?

Did you find the means of transport that suits your style of tourism? We wish you a wonderful and unforgettable trip in Kagoshima!