Ebino Kogen by taxi and some more questions

I would really like to go to Ebino Kogen in the beginning of June for a 2-day hike, but I am disappointed by the lack of frequent public transportation.

The ideal plan would be to arrive to Ebino Kogen in the morning of the first day, hike to Karakuni-Dake and return to Ebino Kogen to sleep.
Then second day with bus (or on foot via the open vehicle road) to Takachiko-gawara, hike via Takachiko-no-mine to Haraigawa and then by bus to Takaharu JR station.

Regarding reaching Ebino Kogen.
I have been trying to use the very useful information posted in another topic with date 21/2/2024, but if I understand correctly it seems that I cannot arrive to Ebino Kogen before 12:56 pm if I take the combination of the bus from Kirishima to Maruo (10:43-11:08) and then Maruo to Ebino Kogen (12:30-12:56). Also, if I understand correctly the Kirishima bus does not operate during the weekend? (I would like to begin on a Sunday). If I take the bus from Kagoshima airport the earliest on a Sunday seems to arrive to Maruo at 13:24, if I understand correctly, which is too late to catch a bus to Ebino Kogen.

I also prefer to avoid renting a car for many reasons, one reason being that I would prefer to end up at Haraigawa rather than returning to Ebino Kogen.

So I was wondering if it is possible to get a taxi from Ebino city (which would be convenient, as it seems that I can get there by bus from Kumamoto) or from Kirishima train station? If yes, any idea how much this would cost? And would I need to book in advance? Does one also need to pay the return fare for the driver to return to Ebino city?

Also, I assume that hitchhiking may not be a reliable option in Japan? Would people stop to pick up two people?

Regarding the second day. It seems that the 9 am bus from Ebino Kogen does not go to Takachiko-gawara anymore? So I would need to get down at the entrance of Shinyu-Onsen and go to Takachiko-gawara on foot?

One more question, is there a link to the bus schedule from Haraigawa to the Takaharu JR train station? Does this bus still exist?

Thank you and sorry for the long e-mail.

Ebino kogen Located in kirishima , miyazaki prefecture.so if you buy SunQ bus pass 3 day 8000 yen,you can visit miyazaki,kumamoto, kagoshima prefecture unlimited timefor 3day

Perhaps, here is the latest information.
https://www.city-kirishima.jp/kirikan/kanko/leisure/busmap.html
Buses seem to run from Kokubu station（国分駅,Kokubu-eki) on Saturdays and Sundays as well.
https://www.city-kirishima.jp/kirikan/kanko/leisure/documents/jikoku1....
I think this is also useful.
https://www.city-kirishima.jp/kirikan/kanko/bus/renzan.html
Note that there are several bus stops in Maruo (the numbers seem to run from 1 to 4). You can roughly see the location on Google Maps.

There are some parts that cannot be translated into English, but this hiking route may also be useful.
https://kntf.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/KAG_01.pdf
Buses leaving Ebino Kogen（えびの高原） at 9:00 arrive at Takachiho-gawara（高千穂河原） at 9:29 (daily).
The bus from Kokubu station I wrote earlier seems to go through Kirishima-Jingū Station（霧島神宮駅,Kirishima jingu-eki） as well.
https://www.iwasaki-corp.com/wp-content/uploads/4b19c07310042d26b25172...
Bus from Haraikawa（祓川） to Takaharu Station（高原駅,Takahara-eki) or Kobayashi station（小林駅,Kobayashi-eki） (weekday service)
https://www.town.takaharu.lg.jp/uploaded/life/41607_1685362_misc.pdf

When I look at the timetable of Miyazaki-kotsu, it says that the time will change from April 1st, but the buses in Haraikawa don't seem to change.
https://www.miyakoh.co.jp/rosen/timetable-rosen.html

Thank you very much haro1210! Now I have to see if I can make this work...