One of the biggest worries when considering a trip to Hachijojima is probably transportation, especially if one does not have a valid driver's license like IDP (International Driving Permit) to rent a car. As few as there are, buses can actually be found on the island and with a bit of planning ahead of time, they can be used to reach some farther away tourist attraction places such as but not limited to hot springs and viewing platforms.
Here we will look over the two available bus routes to help you get around Hachijojima more easily. Also, as to my knowledge buses in Hachijojima have no official naming or numbering, I will refer to them as The Community Bus Route and The Public Bus Route.
The Community Bus Route
This small fellow circles around the downtown area (Okago and Mitsune), passing by the airport, post office, Yaene port, hospital, and other facilities which might be of interest to you.
Check out the map below for the complete route with bus stops marked and written in English.
Timetable
The Community Bus runs 6 times a day; the first departure being at 7:45 and the last one at 16:00. Depending on the schedule, it takes half an hour to an hour to complete the cycle.
To keep things short and straight to the point, refer to the English timetable created in google maps (link below) which can be saved and used offline, and make sure you are on the correct side of the road.
Fare
The fare varies ranging from 130 to 340 JPY one way for adults and half price rounded up for children. Refer to the table below to check what you have to pay.
How to Use the Fare Table. In short, you have to find the price where your bus stop intersects your destination stop. To make things clear on the price to pay let us check the following examples.
Example 1. If you are at the Kyu Machiyakuba bus stop and want to go to the airport (Hachijojima Kūkou), that will cost either A) 180 JPY, if you take the bus that goes via Hachiko (first table), or B) 260 JPY, if you take the bus that goes via Yaene (second table).
Example 2. If you are at Yaene and want to go to Fujichu Mae (the next stop after Fujitozando Iriguchi) that will cost you 250 JPY (second table).
The Public Bus Route
This big fellow is what will take you to the most often visited viewing platforms, hot springs, and other tourist attraction places. This bus passes all five areas of Hachijojima (Mitsune, Okago, Kashitate, Nakanogo, Sueyoshi)
Check out the map below for the complete route with bus stops marked and written in English.
Timetable
The Public Bus runs back and forth 6 times a day; the first one departing at 7:38 and heading towards Sueyoshi while the last one departing at 17:12 and heading back towards Kaminato. If you were to get on the bus at the first stop, it would take around 50 minutes to reach the final stop.
To keep things short and straight to the point, refer to the English timetable created in the google maps (link below) which can be saved to used offline, and make sure you are on the correct side of the road.
* Sakaue refers to Kashitate, Nakanogo and Sueyoshi areas as it literally means up the hill.
** Sakashita refers to Mitsune and Okago areas as it literally means down the hill.
Fare
The fare varies ranging from 130 to 610 JPY one way for adults and half price rounded up for children. Refer to the table below to check what you have to pay.
Using the Bus
While using the bus is probably no rocket science for anyone, let us quickly go through the main points just to be safe.
First, the front door is considered to be the entrance and the back door - the exit, so when your bus arrives you will want to get on the bus through the front door. Then, tell the driver your destination (the name of the bus stop is the best) and pay the fare or show your BU-S-PA ticket (more about it below) if you have one. Finally, when you want to get off the bus at the next stop, press the nearest yellow "Stop" buzzer to inform the driver to stop, and exit through the back door once the doors are open.
Note that if the bus is not crowded the driver will usually be conscious of your destination point and might make the stop at your desired bus stop without the buzzer having been pressed, but do not count on it. Some other points to take note of are that the fare is to be paid in cash preferably the exact fare, no cards are accepted. Also, boarding with swimsuits and dangerous objects is not allowed.
BU-S-PA
The ticket for your holidays. As the name implies it is a combined ticket for Buses and Spa, or in other words hot springs. With this pass you can ride buses and enjoy hot springs for two days for only 1000 JPY or half the price for children (500 JPY).
BU-S-PA is valid from the date of purchase for two days during which you are free to ride the buses and visit most hot spring facilities as many times as you wish. It can be purchased directly from the bus driver or at the Bus Ticket Window located in the former town hall (google maps link).
I would highly recommend using this to visit the hot springs, as even a single visit to the hot spring with an admission fee using the bus comes out cheaper than without BU-S-PA.
Key Points
One ticket for unlimited bus and hot spring use
Price - 1000 JPY; children 500 JPY
Validity - 2 days from the date of purchase
Bought from - driver directly or the former town hall
Highly recommended
Bus Stops
You might notice that the bus stops are a little bit different than those on the mainland. They are simple and short. Why so short you ask? Apparently it is to minimize the damage in case of a typhoon or other emergency making them a bit difficult to notice or find at first, but you can always check and confirm with the pictures of the bus stops found in each of the timetables linked above.
Also, always remember to check that you are on the correct side of the road when waiting for the bus as in some cases only one bus stop sign is in place.
Safe travels!
Hachijojima101
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