Booking bus from Takayama

Hello,

I am planning to get this regional Pass, Takayama-Hokuriku Pass, I plan to pick bus from Takayama to Shirakawa-go and then Shirakawa-go to Kanazawa on the same day, I tried to check timetables in Nohi bus company website and it says that for reservations and it says I need to call, how am I supposed to do that? When I arrive Japan I will only have 5G , can I go to the ticket office and book them? Does anyone know?

Thanks

You will have 5G - i.e. internet. No international call roaming? Yes, you can do bookings at the bus terminal.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_takayama_hokuriku.html
3: Most buses between Takayama, Toyama, Takaoka and Kanazawa require seat reservations. They are free but should be made in advance by phone or at the bus terminal.

As a JR pass (rail pass), it makes sense that for use of the buses you would need to book separately for the links to/from Shirakawago. The bus booking sites do not have the functionality to cater for this particular pass. As noted on the JapanBusOnline website, they state:

*NOTE: For those passengers who have �g Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass�h, we are afraid that you cannot book a ticket through Japan Bus Online Website. Please call bus operating company, Nohi Bus Reservation Center directly for reservations at +81(0)577-32-1688 from 9AM JST to 6PM JST.

Maybe I might misunderstand something, but more than 10 years ago, I was able to call a Japanese landline phone via Skype using the Wi-Fi at a hotel in Iceland. Nine years ago, I was also able to call a Japanese landline phone via Skype from the lobby of a hotel in Crete. I don't know if Skype is still available, but I'm sure there are similar services. After coming to Japan, hotels usually have landlines, and I think you can make calls from there. I think there's a fee, but it shouldn't be too much.

@frog1954 - Microsoft killed off Skype, but the "Skype-Out" function was pretty handy while it was still around. Whatsapp doesn't have that functionality.

Thank you very much, JapanCustomTours. So it's no longer possible to easily make calls over the internet from overseas.

In that case, if you're worried about making the call from the hotel after arriving in Japan and the other person not understanding English, why not ask the hotel staff to make the call for you? I'm not very confident in my English, so when I travel abroad I often ask the hotel staff to make calls for me. You could also contact the hotel by email in advance and have them call the bus company.