I arrived at Kagoshima-Chūō Station with one simple goal: take a bus toward Chiran and visit the Chiran Peace Museum.
The first problem appeared immediately.
Where is the bus?
There are several stops outside the station, and destination boards show multiple place names. Chiran is there, but so are names such as Makurazaki and Kaseda. For a local commuter, this is ordinary information. For a first-time visitor, it is suddenly a puzzle.
The answer was correct all along:
East bus stop 16.
According to Minamikyushu City’s timetable dated October 1, 2026, one service leaves Kagoshima-Chūō at 12:10 and reaches Tokkō Kannon Iriguchi at 13:31. The listed fare is ¥1,280.[1][2]
The route was not the real problem.
My stomach was.
0. The short answer: East 16 was right, and the final stop was right too
The Chiran Peace Museum’s official access page tells visitors to board a Chiran-bound bus at East Stop 16, get off at Tokkō Kannon Iriguchi, and walk about five minutes.[3]
The current Minamikyushu timetable also lists Tokkō Kannon Iriguchi as the end point of the Kagoshima-Chūō-to-Chiran timetable.[2]
I reached the station at around 11:30, leaving roughly forty minutes before the 12:10 departure.
“Stop 16. Okay.”
So far, perfect.
Later, while feeling increasingly sick, I had one more question: where exactly do I get off?
Answer: Tokkō Kannon Iriguchi.
And on this trip, it really was the final stop.
The transit plan worked.
My body did not.
1. At Kagoshima-Chūō, finding “East 16” is a small travel quest
On an official website, the instruction fits in one line: go to East Stop 16.[3]
On the ground, it feels different.
Walk outside. Look at the buses. Check the numbers. Read the destinations. Check the numbers again.
Then the internal monologue begins:
Chiran… where is Chiran? I see Makurazaki. Is this it? Wait, stop 16?
Local buses can be harder to read than trains when you do not know the city. Railway stations usually give you a line and a station name. Bus terminals may use one stop for several services and display larger regional destinations that are not your exact destination.
The useful trick here was to lock onto the stop number first.
Not “wander around until the word Chiran looks reassuring.”
Just:
East 16.
Once that was fixed, the map suddenly became much simpler.
2. Arriving at 11:30 for a 12:10 bus should have been comfortable
The October 2026 timetable includes a 12:10 departure from Kagoshima-Chūō.[2]
Arriving around 11:30 gives you roughly forty minutes.
That sounds generous.
There is time to confirm the stop, sit down, use the restroom, buy a drink, and double-check that you are in the right place.
At that point, I thought the main challenge of this journey was the confusing bus terminal.
It was not.
Some time after boarding:
I started feeling very sick.
3. I said “I’m sick from the ride.” It briefly sounded like alcohol. It was not alcohol
The word “sick” can be ambiguous.
In Japanese, saying you are “yotta” can mean drunk or motion-sick depending on context.
No alcohol had been involved.
This was pure bus-induced motion sickness.
The nausea became strong enough that after getting off, sitting down and sleeping on a bench felt like the best possible plan.
The destination was supposed to be the main event.
Instead, the immediate priority became:
Please let me sit still.
That is travel too.
4. The cruel part: you need your phone to navigate, but your phone can make motion sickness worse
When you start feeling sick on an unfamiliar bus, you suddenly want to check everything.
Where do I get off? How many stops are left? Is this the last stop? What time is the return bus? Am I even on the right service?
That usually means looking at your phone.
Unfortunately, the CDC lists looking at a stable horizon, avoiding reading and other visual tasks, and minimizing head movement among behavioral measures that can reduce motion sickness.[4]
The NHS similarly recommends looking straight ahead at a fixed point, closing your eyes and breathing slowly, avoiding electronic devices, and taking breaks with water and fresh air on long trips.[5]
So the travel paradox is simple:
The more lost you feel, the more you want to stare at the screen. The more you stare at the screen, the worse you may feel.
For a solo traveler, that is particularly annoying because there is nobody else to do the navigation for you.
This is why learning that the destination was the final stop was such a relief.
5. “Where do I get off?” — Tokkō Kannon Iriguchi, and yes, it was the terminus
When you are nauseated, the most comforting phrase in public transport may be:
“It’s the last stop.”
You cannot miss it by sleeping through a stop.
You do not need to monitor every announcement.
The Chiran Peace Museum’s official guidance says to get off at Tokkō Kannon Iriguchi and walk around five minutes.[3]
The current timetable shows the 12:10 Kagoshima-Chūō departure arriving there at 13:31.[2]
On this ride, that stop was indeed the terminus.
My reaction on arrival was basically:
Oh. It really was the last stop. I was right.
Navigation: excellent.
Physical condition: disastrous.
6. Why buses can make you sick: your eyes and balance system disagree
The CDC explains motion sickness mainly through a mismatch between visual information and signals from the vestibular system and other senses.[4]
Imagine looking down at a phone.
Your eyes see a stable screen.
Your body feels turns, acceleration, braking, and vibration.
Those signals do not match neatly.
That conflict can produce nausea, dizziness, sweating, drowsiness, fatigue, headache, and vomiting.[4][5]
After getting off, resting with minimal movement was not a strange choice. CDC guidance for acute motion sickness includes supportive measures such as lying down and maintaining fluids if vomiting occurs.[4]
This is general information, not a diagnosis.
If severe symptoms persist, repeated vomiting prevents drinking, consciousness changes, or something feels clearly beyond ordinary motion sickness, another cause should be considered.
7. Next time, the seat matters more than the timetable
I already know East 16.
I already know Tokkō Kannon Iriguchi.
The next problem to solve is the ride itself.
Common measures include:
- sit toward the front of a bus;
- face the direction of travel;
- look at a distant, stable point;
- reduce reading and phone use;
- keep head movement to a minimum;
- stay hydrated;
- avoid very heavy meals and alcohol before or during the trip.
These are consistent with CDC and NHS guidance.[4][5]
The CDC also notes that motion-sickness medicines generally work better when taken before exposure rather than after symptoms are already established.[4]
So the next strategy is simple:
Use the phone to find Stop 16. Then put the phone away.
8. Practical October 2026 note: do not assume your IC transit card will work
Minamikyushu City’s page updated October 1, 2026 contains another important warning for visitors.
It states that nationwide interoperable IC cards such as Suica and SUGOCA cannot be used on these buses.[1]
For cash payments, ¥10,000, ¥5,000, and ¥2,000 notes are also listed as unusable, so the city advises preparing ¥1,000 notes or coins.[1]
The October 1 timetable lists the Kagoshima-Chūō–Tokkō Kannon Iriguchi fare as ¥1,280.[2]
Discovering all of that while nauseated would be miserable.
So before boarding, reduce the trip to four pieces of information:
East 16. Cash. Phone away. Final stop.
9. Verdict: the route was right; my body staged a rebellion
The trip went like this.
Arrive at Kagoshima-Chūō.
Wonder where the bus is.
Find East Stop 16.
Momentarily get confused by the name Makurazaki on the destination information.
Board the 12:10 service.
Start feeling sick.
Say “motion sickness” in a way that briefly sounds like “drunk.”
Correct the misunderstanding.
Get off and sleep on a bench.
Ask where to get off.
Tokkō Kannon Iriguchi.
It is the final stop.
Correct.
Travel is not made only of famous sights and good food.
It also includes the minutes spent trying to understand a bus terminal, the moment you close your phone because your stomach has had enough, and the relief of hearing that you cannot miss your stop.
The two most useful pieces of information on this entire transfer were not long guidebook paragraphs.
They were:
“Stop 16.”
and
“Final stop.”
That was enough to get to Chiran.
References (5)
- 南九州市「鹿児島空港・鹿児島中央駅からのアクセス」更新日2026-10-01
- 南九州市「南九州市知覧 公共機関時刻表」令和8年10月1日現在
- 知覧特攻平和会館「県内からのアクセス（鹿児島中央駅から）」
- CDC Yellow Book 2026, Motion Sickness
- NHS, Motion sickness
