Faster way from Kumamoto to Takachiho

Hi all, I am planning to travel from Kumamoto City to Takachiho via bus. With my very limited Japanese knowledge, I interpreted that it would take me 4 hours to travel from Kumamoto JR Station to Takachiho Bus Centre (http://www.kyusanko.co.jp/sankobus/toshikan/takachiho/table/tt1.html). Could anyone please advise if I am right? If yes, is there a faster bus trip?

Is it also worth spending 1 whole day in Takachiho? Thank you! :-)

With my very limited Japanese knowledge, I interpreted that it would take me 4 hours to travel from Kumamoto JR Station to Takachiho Bus Centre

No, it takes slightly under 3 hours.

熊本駅前 = JR Kumamoto Station
熊本交通センター = Kumamoto Kotsu Center
高千穂バスセンター = Takachiho Bus Center

Note that the bus does not terminate in Takachiho. It runs beyond Takachiho to Nobeoka City. The trip all the way to Nobeoka would take about four hours.

There is no faster way to get to Takachiho by public transportation. If you were to use a rental car, you should be able to do the trip in about two hours:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2024.html

Is it also worth spending 1 whole day in Takachiho? Thank you! :-)

I found the gorge and Amano Iwato Shrine to be very nice. And the evening yokagura show at Takachiho Shrine was also very memorable. Ideally I think it is best to spend one night at Takachiho and then you will need half or a full day to see the gorge and shrine.

Hi Uji,

Thanks for the prompt reply. One more question, which bus service can I take to travel from Takachiho Bus Center to Nobeoka Station? Thank you!

Like Uji said, Takachiho is on the bus line going from Kumamoto to Nobeoka, so Takachiho to Nobeoka is just the last part of the trip. Of course, you can board the bus at Takachiho.

In addition to the Kumamoto-Takachiho-Nobeoka buses, there are some buses that operate just between Takachiho and Nobeoka. Below is the timetable in Japanese:
http://www.miyakoh.co.jp/bus/rosen/0_jikoku/6-01_20140401.pdf

高千穂ＢＣ = Takachiho Bus Center
延岡ＢＣ = Nobeoka Bus Center