Matsue in Shimane Prefecture is one of my all-time favorite destinations in Japan, and I think a big part of that can be attributed to the ease of getting from A to B. The city operates a service called the Lake Line bus which runs a loop around a wide variety of different tourist attractions, including Matsue Castle, the Karakoro Art Studio, and Gessho-ji Temple to name a few. Best of all, the fare is cheap as chips, meaning that transport costs won't eat into your trip budget.
You have two options for the fare you choose. There are single trip options priced at 200 yen for adults and 100 yen for children, or you can opt for the all-day pass at 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for children. The all-day pass allows you to hop on and off the bus as many times as you'd like, providing excellent value for money and paying for itself quite quickly if you're visiting several spots. Once you compare it to the cost of a single short-distance taxi fare at around 700 yen, it becomes an obvious choice to take the bus.
The full loop takes around 50 minutes to complete, and it's a great way to get your bearings and explore some spots you may not have considered for your itinerary. The route timetable can be found here in Japanese, but translated English versions can be obtained at the International Tourist Information Center outside Matsue Station.
For more on what there is to see and do in Matsue, check out the Japan Travel guide here.
Loop buses in general can be very practical for tourist, even though it still baffles me how many are not exactly English-friendly. But this one in particular is rather frequent compared to many others, and what also stands out is that it runs almost until 7pm. It's so frustrating when you exit a museum at closing time, only to find out the last bus has already left...
Aizu Wakamatsu City has a hop on, hop off bus on a route that is similar in length. It was so easy. The drivers reminded me of their return trips and bus pick up times, and pointed out what was open when.