Arriving in Kagoshima: the Airport Bus, Streetcar Fares and the One-Day Pass
How to get from Kagoshima Airport into the city on the limousine bus and how to pay for it, what the streetcar costs since its fare change, which cards work on streetcars and city buses, and what the one-day pass covers.
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Kagoshima Airport is north of the city, and the limousine bus is the way in. If you are coming down through Kyushu by Shinkansen, what the JR Kyushu passes cover is in our pass guide, and the Fukuoka arrival guide covers the other end of the line.
The airport limousine bus
Nangoku Kotsu runs the airport shuttle bus into Kagoshima:
| Adult | Child | |
|---|---|---|
| Airport to central Kagoshima | 1,500 yen | 750 yen |
The direct bus takes about 38 minutes from the airport, or 55 minutes via Yoshino. The city’s tourism bureau says buses run about every 20 minutes. You can pay in cash, with a RapiCa or other Iwasaki IC card, or with a tap-to-pay credit card. Nangoku Kotsu notes that discounts for paying by RapiCa or card tap have been withdrawn.
Streetcars and city buses
Kagoshima City Transportation Bureau charges a flat streetcar fare of 200 yen for an adult and 100 yen for a child. The adult fare went up from 170 yen on 1 August 2026.
- Tap-to-pay cards work on every streetcar and city bus except the Aibus. A card tap does not get the 60-minute transfer discount between bus and streetcar.
- RapiCa is Kagoshima’s own IC card, shared by the city, Nangoku Kotsu and JR Kyushu Bus.
- Nationwide transit IC cards have worked through the Pay-don system on every streetcar and city bus since 21 October 2026.
Passes are bought through a smartphone app and bus times are online, so you want data from the airport onwards. Set up Saily before you fly and you are online in Kagoshima. On a longer trip, one Saily profile takes a plan for each country.
The one-day pass
| Pass | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| Streetcar, city bus and City View, one day | 700 yen | 350 yen |
| 24-hour pass, smartphone only | 900 yen | 450 yen |
The one-day pass covers streetcars, city buses and the Kagoshima City View sightseeing bus, including its night course, on the day you use it. It is not valid on private buses, and the bureau’s pass pages do not list the Sakurajima ferry.
By Shinkansen
JR Kyushu’s Southern Kyushu Area Pass covers the Kyushu Shinkansen only between Kumamoto and Kagoshima-Chuo, for three days, at 12,000 yen. The All Kyushu Area Pass covers Hakata to Kagoshima-Chuo, but not the Sanyo Shinkansen between Kokura and Hakata.
Emergency numbers
The Japan National Tourism Organization lists 110 for police and 119 for fire and ambulance. Its Japan Visitor Hotline, 050-3816-2787, runs 24 hours a day in English, Chinese and Korean.
Saily, a data eSIM you install before you fly and top up per country Our full write-up. (affiliate link)