A Blog For JETs : Sasebo City Bus Routes!!!

We have letters and numbers labeling each route in Sasebo now!

And yes, that statement deserved to be in the heading.

This has come just in time for (and maybe because of) the 国体会 KOKUTAIKAI!! Go Gamba-kun and Ramba-chan! Kokutaikai Website (October 12th--November 1st)

But this isn't really about the Kokutaikai. This is about the new bus route codes, how to use them, and how to get around sasebo. Really, I'm posting all this so that there is a place to go on the net with our smart phones and easily figure out the bus system.

Contents

The Sasebo City Bus Official Website

How to read the bus timetable

What the bus routes look like (Maps)

What does the letter and number mean?

What does the second number mean?

How to figure out your bus route

What it's like on the buses

The Sasebo City Bus Official Website

佐世保交通　バス時刻表

Here's the translation for the navigation bar:

Once you figure out where you want to go, go to the website and click on the "Bus Timetables" in the navigation bar to find out the bus times. If you can't read kanji, there is the roman-ji and its kanji equivalent in the "What does the letter and number mean?" section below. On the webpage, find your bus stop link. The stops are in "a, ka, sa" order (Japanese ABC order).

How to read the bus timetable

The light aqua timetables are for weekdays (heijitsu).

The pink is for Sundays and national holidays (nichi/syukujitsu). If there is no light green, then the pink is for Saturdays, too (do/nichi/syukujitsu).

Recently, some stops have added a light green timetable. This should be almost identical to the pink timetables.The light green is for Saturdays (do).

What does the letter and number mean?

Each letter designates a certain area in Sasebo. There might be several bus routes going to that area, so a number is designated for each route in that particular area.

Below are all the different bus routes. The route name would be it's destination point. I wrote all the route names (with kanji) and which letters they are grouped under. If a destination is repeated, it is because the bus originated from a different place.

A1—Saseboeki-Mae 佐世保駅前

A2--Saseboeki-Mae-Kaisoku　佐世保駅前快速

B1—Higashihama-machi　東浜町

B2—Higashihama-machi　東浜町

B3—Jyurohara　十郎原

B4—Jyurohara　十郎原

B5—Kyoikuzokumae　教育族前

B6—Kyoikuzokumae　教育族前

B7—Kyoikuzokumae　教育族前

B8—Tenjin via. Oomiya*　大宮→天神

B9—Tenjin via. Ookura*　大黒→天神

B10—Tenjin via. Higashiyama*　東山→天神

B11—Maehata　前畑

B21—Higashihama-machi　東浜町

B22—Okishin-machi　沖新町

*Rotary routes. These will not terminate at the destination designated by the letter code, but rather continue with a new bus route, almost always back towards Sasebo Station.

C1—Kurokami　黒髪

C2—Koba　木場

C3—Kamikoba　上木場

C4—Syokuhindanchi　食品団地

C5—Momijigaoka-machi　もみじが丘町

C6—Ootakedai via. Amagata*　尼潟→大岳台

C7—Ootakedai via. Sakurababa*　桜馬場→大岳台

C8—Oroshidanchikaikanmae　卸団地会館前

*Rotary routes. These will not terminate at the destination designated by the letter code, but rather continue with a new bus route, almost always back towards Sasebo Station.

G1—SSK

G2—Pearl Sea Resort パールシー・
・ Kyuujyuukyuushima-Suizokukan　九十九島水族館

G3—Oshinoura-bunmichi*　おしの浦分道

G4—Akasakidanchi　赤崎団地

G5—Shimofunashiko　下船越

G6—Shimofunashiko 　下船越

G8--Tukumosono　つくも苑

G9—Tawaraura　俵浦

*For some reason, Oshinoura is not a bus stop. But it seems that there is only one bus that takes that route, so I am not going to worry.

K6--Shimonohara-bashi　下の原橋

K7—Ekosubasasebo　エコスバ佐世保

M1--Ainourasanbashi　相浦桟橋

M5—Masaru　真申

M6—Suisan-ichiba　水産市場

M7—Onomachi　小野町

M8—Ainoura　相浦

N1—Jitugyou-Koukou　実業高校

N3—Kyuubun-Koukou・Nagasaki-Tandai　九文高校・長崎短大

N5—Hinotouge　日野峠

N6—Kimura-machi　木宮町

P1—Pearl Sea Resort パールシー・
・Kyuujyuukyuushima-Suizokukan　九十九島水族館

P2—Pearl Sea Resort 　パールシー・
・Kyuujyuukyuushima-Suizokukan 九十九島水族館

T4—Ogawauchi　小川内

T7—Tenkubo　天久保

U1--Ainourasanbashi　相浦桟橋

U5—Masaru　真申

V1ーShyougyou-Koukou　商業高校

V2—Oono　大野

V4—Sakuragi　桜木

W3—Yunoki　柚木

W4—Yamine　矢峰

X1—Eboshidake　烏帽子岳

X2—Hanazono via. Takanashi*　高梨→花園

X3—Tawara-machi via. Takanashi*　高梨→俵町

X4—Takanashi via. Hanazono*　花園→高梨

X5—Tawara-machi via. Hanazono*　花園→俵町

X7—Takanashi via. Tawara-machi*　俵町→高梨

X8—Gion*　祇園

X9—Yamazumi via. Katsutomi*　勝富→山祇

X11—Yamazumi via. Tonoo-cho*　戸尾→山祇

X12—Kikaze　木風

X13—Wakaba*　若葉

*Rotary routes. These will not terminate at the destination designated by the letter code, but rather continue with a new bus route, almost always back towards Sasebo Station.

Y1—Yumiharidake　弓張岳

Y2—Sogo-Kyoiku Center mae　総合教育センター前

Y3—Shimizu*　清水

Y4—Piramachi via. Hinotouge　日野峠→比良町

Y6ーSougou-Byouin　総合病院　

*Rotary routes. These will not terminate at the destination designated by the letter code, but rather continue with a new bus route, almost always back towards Sasebo Station.

What does the second number mean?

This number represents a "via" bus stop. Of course, this number is dropped once the bus has passed that particular stop.

There are a lot of via bus stops that don't have a second number code. I think this is to reduce the amount of confusion with a third number. The only bus stops with a via code are six main stops in the city.

Hinotouge 日野峠 (A little to the north of Pearl Sea Resort, near SSK)

SSK (A shipbuilding company right next to the American and Japanese Navy bases)

Nishikoshima 西小島 (A stop very near Hinotouge and SSK, but a slightly different route)

Oono 大野 (A stop to the north of the city, buses going to Yamine turn right before this stop)

Oomiya 大宮 (A stop when the buses turn off the main road just two stops after Sasebo Station going south east towards the Bio Park)

Fujiwaribashi 藤原橋 (A stop on the main road, parallel to Oomiya)

For example, W4-5 is a bus bound for Yamine going via Oomiya. Once it passes Oomiya, you will simply see the route code as W4. So, keep this in mind when you are looking for your bus. If you're trying to find the bus with a W4-5 route and you are at the City Hall and the only buses that are coming are W4s, then that's because the number has already been dropped and the W4 bus is still the same bus bound for Yamine.

What the bus routes look like (Maps)

For the city buses, there are 14 letters being used to designate certain sections of the city (A, B, C, G, K, M, N, P, T, U, V, W, X, and Y). The Saihi buses are a another matter that I am not going to address here. (Saihi is another bus company for Sasebonians, but it has a much wider route, including the hinterlands of Sasebo and most of the main highways of Nagasaki.) The letter and number codes are consistent between the two companies. That is why you will see large jumps in the alphabet for the city buses, and numbers sometimes begin at 6 rather than 1. The missing letters and numbers are for other bus companies.

So, without further ado, here's what the letters and numbers mean for Sasebo City Bus riders.

Downloadable PDF A3 size paper

Original map from Sasebo City Bus website

Downloadable map

What this actually looks like on a real map

*Most, if not all, destinations for the bus routes are pinned

How to figure out your bus route

With the new letter codes, it got at least a little bit easier. Below I have a few common destinations. I've oriented the directions for someone beginning at Sasebo Station. Ask the driver if you need help!

Q: 佐世保駅前に行きますか？（佐世保駅前をとうりますか？佐世保駅けいゆですか？）

Sasebo-eki-mae ni ikimasuka?
Does this bus go to Sasebo Station?

Yes: はい、はい。/はい、行けますよ。
　　Hai, hai. / Hai, ikemasuyo.
Yes. / Yes, of course it does.

No:　行けない。/行かない。
ikenai. / ikanai.
It can't go. / It doesn't go.

A diagram of the Sasebo Bus Station Bus Stops

From the Sasebo City Bus Website

Details of which bus routes go to which bus stop

From the Sasebo City Bus Website

Sasebo Station

All the bus routes (A, B, C, G, K, M, N, P, T, U, V, W, X, and Y) stop at Sasebo Station.

Just make sure you're headed in the right direction to get to the station! If you want to make sure you are pointed in the right direction, don't be afraid to ask the driver.

A1—Saseboeki-Mae 佐世保駅前 buses always take you to Sasebo Station, but they terminate there.

These DON'T go to the station: X11 —Yamazumi via. Tonoo-cho　戸尾→山祇 But, you can get off at Tonoo-cho 戸尾 because it is just one stop from Sasebo Station. Also, I think most buses going there are rotary routes and will swing back around to the station eventually. M8 Ainoura 相浦 is a rotary route within the M (Ainoura) area (I think). There are a handful of routes that shuttle between Ainoura area and Yamine rather than go via the station. There are three W4 Yamine buses, one V1 Oono, one M8 Ainoura, and two N5 Hinotouge buses that go on this shuttle route. Keep in mind that those buses can only be accessed if you find a bus stop on the shuttle route. If you are at any place besides the shuttle route (Hinotouge, Ainoura, Oono, Yamine), you can get on any W4, V1 or N5 bus and it will take you to the station, granted you are getting on before the station.

The Yamine Bus Route 矢峰

W4・W3 is the most run of the bus routes. It's a convenient bus to grab at any time of the day and is the last bus of the day, leaving the station at 11:28 P.M. It does go out to what looks like rare-bus-land, but with buses leaving the offices there multiple times an hour, you can easily catch a ride back into town (and hopefully find your way to where you want to go!)

Plus, W3 takes you awfully close to the best gellato ice cream in the prefecture. Still a fifteen minute hike along the rode, but worth it.

Navigating Downtown: (Oono, City Hall, Matsuura-cho, The Arcade, Kyo-machi, Kami-kyo-machi, Sasebo Station, Oomiya)

From the station going NORTH BOUND for Oono Mall:

T4—Ogawauchi　小川内, T7—Tenkubo　天久保

V1ーShyougyou-Koukou　商業高校, V2—Oono　大野, V4—Sakuragi　桜木

W3—Yunoki　柚木, W4—Yamine　矢峰

From Oono Mall going SOUTH BOUND for the station and Oomiya:

B1—Higashihama-machi　東浜町, B2—Higashihama-machi　東浜町, B3—Jyurohara　十郎原, B4—Jyurohara　十郎原, B5—Kyoikuzokumae　教育族前, B7—Kyoikuzokumae　教育族前, B8—Tenjin via. Oomiya*　大宮→天神, B10—Tenjin via. Higashiyama*　東山→天神, B21—Higashihama-machi　東浜町, B22—Okishin-machi　沖新町

C1—Kurokami　黒髪, C2—Koba　木場, C3—Kamikoba　上木場, C4—Syokuhindanchi　食品団地, C5—Momijigaoka-machi　もみじが丘町, C6—Ootakedai via. Amagata*　尼潟→大岳台, C7—Ootakedai via. Sakurababa*　桜馬場→大岳台, C8—Oroshidanchikaikanmae　卸団地会館前

K6-5ーShimonoharabashi 下の原橋 via Oomiya Be careful! Only three of these a day!

From Oono Mall going SOUTH BOUND for only the station:

A1—Saseboeki-Mae 佐世保駅前

B6—Kyoikuzokumae　教育族前, B9—Tenjin via. Ookura　大黒→天神, B11—Maehata　前畑

K6-6ーShimonoharabashi 下の原橋 via Fujiwaribashi

Be careful!
B buses will turn up a mountain either a stop after Oomiya. B6, B9, and B11 turn just after the station to go around the mountain.
C buses will continue to the main road to the Kurokami area.
K buses almost always go via Fujiwaribashi before continuing towards Haiki.

Enkais are usually located at Kyo-machi/Kami-kyo-machi. From the station going north bound, get off at the third stop Kyo-machi 京町.

Some may be easier to get to from Matsuura-cho, at the opposite end of the arcade from Kyo-machi. From the station going north bound, get off at the fifth stop Matsuura-cho　松浦町中央公園入口

Don't get on these buses for downtown

X buses take you up a mountain. Once you figure them out, though, they can be pretty fun. And of course they are rotary buses. They just come back to the station.

Y buses can get you into trouble, too. They are rotary buses that stay with in downtown, but they can surprise you by swinging up the mountain behind the City Hall or going via obscure places.

G, M, N, P, and U buses all go north bound from the station in downtown, but they will turn at Matsuura-cho, just five stops from the station. When they turn west at Matsuura-cho, these buses take you out of downtown. Some go via the US Navy Base/SSK (with the via code of 2) OR via Hino-touge (with the via code of 1 and sometimes 3). The via 2 buses stop at the US Navy Base, Nimitz Park, and SSK. The via 1 buses go up the mountain, but you can get off at the hospital, the seventh stop from the station, and walk to Nimitz Park or the Base from there. About 10-15 minutes.

Daito: Daito Aeon, Daijus, UniQlo, Don Quixote, Nafco, Conan, (and Haiki)

Best bet is the train (leaves about once/twice an hour, is 260￥, Daito is the second stop from the station. Haiki is the third stop). But, the bus is possible.

SOUTH BOUND from the station:

K6ーShimonoharabashi 下の原橋 is the only City Bus that will take you straight to Daito Aeon and Uniqulo and Haiki. It's fun, will take up by Ootakedai, and it will feel like a successful adventure. Get off at Daito Interchange　大塔インター路, which is right under the over pass for the Nagasaki Hwy. Turn left for the afore mentioned places, turn right and cross the road for Nafco and Conan. (I'm not sure of it's route, so just keep your eyes peeled for the Aeon mall and your finger on the button.)

C4—Syokuhindanchi　食品団地 Get off at Syukuhin-iriguchi 食品入口(the stop before the bus terminates). Walk along the main road the bus had been travelling before it terminated. Go until you get to an intersection with an over head pedestrian walk, about a 10 minute walk. Turn left. The shops are about a 15 minute walk from there.

C5—Momijigaoka-machi　もみじが丘町 I think this is possible. To be safe, get off at Nekoyama 猫山, about a 30 minute walk. This bus will go up the mountain before reaching Syukuhin-iriguchi, it might come down again bringing you closer to Daito or it may not.

C6—Ootakedai via. Amagata*　尼潟→大岳台 Get off at Oroshihonmachi-iriguchi 卸本町入口 by the over head pedestrian bridge. Cross the street at the pedestrian walk by turning right, going towards "Denki Best" electronic store. Keep going. It's about a 15 minute walk.

C7—Ootakedai via. Sakurababa*　桜馬場→大岳台 Get off at Oroshihonmachi-iriguchi 卸本町入口 by the over head pedestrian bridge. You will already be on the "Denki Best" electronic store side of the street, so turn left towards the intersection and turn right (no need to cross the street). It's about a 15 minute walk.

C8—Oroshidanchikaikanmae　卸団地会館前 Same as C7. (I think. Or it might be the same as C6. Or it might terminate. If it terminates, that's an easy 10 minutes walk to the stop described at C7 or C6.)

Hiu By-pass: Hard Off, Nitori, Arion

Best bet is a car. Neither the City Bus or the Saihi bus go via the Hiu by-pass often. But, the places you can get off at are just a fifteen minute walk to these stores.

SOUTH BOUND from the station:

C1—Kurokami　黒髪, C2—Koba　木場, C3—Kamikoba　上木場, C4—Syokuhindanchi　食品団地, C5—Momijigaoka-machi　もみじが丘町, C7—Ootakedai via. Sakurababa*　桜馬場→大岳台, K6-6ーShimonoharabashi 下の原橋 Get off at Hiu-eki-mae, the eighth stop from the station. When you get off, turn to your right. The Hiu By-pass goes up a ramp and "by-passes" Hiu-machi. The road you are on splits in half, going around and under the by-pass. Get to the other side of the road and follow the small pedestrian bridge up the by-pass. It's about a 15 minute walk to Hard Off and Nitori, 25 mintues to Arion.

Yamato-cho: Himaraya, Daiso, Yamato Kitchen, Sukiya, Yamada Denki, Trial, Max Value

Best bet for Yamato-cho is a Saihi bus. Almost all Saihi buses go via Fujiwaribashi (via code 6 ) (a bus stop in the Yamato-cho area). But occasionally, there is the grand opportunity to take a City Bus along that road. This road runs parallel to Oomiya (via code 5 ), a route most City Buses take. So, basically take any south bound bus with a via code of 6.

SOUTH BOUND from the station:

K6-6ーShimonoharabashi 下の原橋 For Himaraya, the Daiso, Yamato Kitchen, and Sukiya, get off at Kita-Yamato　北大和, the eighth stop from the station, and cross the street.

For Yamada-Denki, get off at Ushikai-inari-iriguchi 牛買稲荷入り口. Cross the street. You are in front of the store.

B22—Okishin-machi　沖新町, C6—Ootakedai via. Amagata*　尼潟→大岳台 For Trial or Max Value, alight at Okishin-machi 沖新町 or Yamato-cho-chuo-byouin-mae 大和町中央病院前. For the former bus stop, you can easily find a way over the river/creek. Max Value is tucked behind the parking lot. For Trial, the latter bus stop is better. Continue walking to the next big intersection (with Red Cabbage and a Shell station). Turn right across the street. Follow that road down for about 5 minutes until you see Trial on your right. The famous burger stand as seen in "Nagasaki is Happy" is along this path.

NORTH BOUND from Daito:

V2-6 Oono　大野, W4-6 Yamine　矢峰 For Himaraya, the Daiso, Yamato Kitchen, and Sukiya, alight at Kita-Yamato. You will be in front of the stores.

For Yamada-Denki, alight at Ushikai-inari-iriguchi 牛買稲荷入り口. You are in front of the store.

OR, if the bus goes via Oomiya (via code 5) and ISN'T a B1-B11 bus, then get off at Yamato-cho-sei-ryuu-bashi 大和町清龍橋, the second stop from Oomiya. If you turn left and cross the road left again at the intersection, you get to all the Yamato-cho stores. If you turn right and go under the train over pass and turn left at that intersection, keep going straight to the next intersection (Red Cabbage, Shell Gas Station) and continue to follow the instructions for Max Value or Trial from there.

Nakiri Koen, Chuuoo Koen (Central Park), Culture Gym

Get off at Matsuura-cho-chuuoo-koen-iriguchi　松浦町中央公園入口, just the third stop from the station going north bound. Cross the street. Turning right or left around the block on the opposite side of the road will take you to the parks. Just turn left or right (respectively) again at the very next road (not exactly sure where Nakiri Koen is... it might be by the cultural gym).

For the Cultural Gym, you can walk from Matsuura-cho no problem, but the closest bus stop would be Shima-no-se 島の瀬。Cross the road. Turn right and go under the train over pass. Turn left at the very next turn. Go straight for about five minutes, but you should be able to see it from there.

Go-ban-gai 五番街

Not much need for a bus. Located just behind Sasebo Station and the Arkus Performing Arts Center at Tonoo-cho bus stop, it's about a 5-10 minute walk to the west if you are at either location.

Sightseeing! Pearl Sea Resort, Mt. Eboshi, Mt. Yumihari, Shirahama Beach

G2 and P1, P2 for Pearl Sea Resort (beautiful!). There are restaurants, souvenir shops, and an aquarium as well. Rumor has it you can rent sea kayaks? And of course, the cruise. X1 for Mt. Eboshi. Plan for at least five hours before a bus can take you down.
Y1 for Mt. Yumihari. About five buses a day, but it has a beautiful view, hotel, and restaurant. Sometimes Enkais or Soubetsukais are held here.
Shirahama... I know this bus exists seasonally. G9 will take you awfully close, but it would still be a hike, and getting back would be a problem. I'd inquire further about when those buses are.

Getting Directions from the Website

The Sasebo City Bus Office has the large A3 sized bus route map available at numerous offices. Besides that, I BELIEVE that there are other publications you can get, but there are not any publications with specific bus routes. It's all bus stop specific. Besides that, there are some other things that are tucked away on their website.

For example, if you go to their "Bus Stop Guide," you can click on the links pictured below. I suppose they did this when people protested that they couldn't get their bearings at bus stops. The Bus Offices picked some of the most commonly used bus stops to feature. (I think this may be the other publication they have available.)

If you clicked on the link for "Shimanose," this is what you would see:

Besides that, there is one more thing you can do (well, besides wait someone to make pretty brochures that you can pick up). If you go to the timetable page and scroll down a bit, you'll have something that looks like this:

Basically, it's the timetables for all the different routes. Only, it is organized by where the buses depart from. So, click on the link of the bus stop nearest to your location. I am trying to see if I can't organized the information in a more traditional fashion, but I'm scared that there might be a reason why it's never been done like that....

I hope this was a little helpful and not too overwhelming!

Now... about those buses and how to navigate getting off it

Step 5. It's not like a soda machine! This task of making change is your first real test to see if you are a newbie or not. It is also the one test question that you can be warned about and still miss.

A Blog For JETs

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Sasebo City Bus Routes!!!