From Yunomine to Tanabe:
You can start the day early from Yunomine and catch the first bus at 6:13 that drop you at Tabane at 8:00. It costs 1980 ¥… 6:13 is quite early but if you don’t want to spend one night in Tanabe this is the cheapest option, otherwise, you must use the train, which offers more flexibility.
From Tanabe to Osaka:
From Tabane to Osaka (stopping at Namba station and Osaka Station) there are direct trains several times a day, but if you don’t you have the JP rail pass, it’s cheaper to travel by bus.
There are 9 buses during the day departing from Tabane; the trip costs 2930 ¥ and takes about 3 hours.
If your destination is Kyoto Statin, there are also direct buses from Tanabe twice a day; the trip costs 3400 ¥ and takes about 3.5 hours.
Unfortunately even taking the first bus from Yunomine, you can’t reach on time (just for a few minutes) to catch the direct bus to Kyoto (7:30 am) and you need to wait in Tanabe until 9:30… but it’s not so bad as you have time to have breakfast! There is a /eleven just in the Kii Tanabe station, where there’s also a living room where you can wait. The buses to Osaka and Kyoto departure from the bus terminal just in front.
From Osaka (Namba) to Kyoto station:
If you take the bus from Tanabe you can stop at Namba Station or at Osaka Station. From both stations, you have trains connection to Kyoto. Apparently, the trip to Kyoto is cheaper by train than by bus.
I got off at Namba as I had plenty of time… and wanted to spot again at Namba Udon, one of the most delicious meal that I had in Japan!!
From the bus terminal, I walk until Namba Metro station, took the Midosuji Line (180 ¥) to Yodoyabashi and there took the Keihan Main Line to Gion-Shijo Station (420 ¥), that is a bit further from Kyoto Station, but it drops me closer from my guesthouse. Maybe it isn’t the cheapest option but was the most convenient to avoid to take the metro in Kyoto… but it all depends on where your accommodation is located.
Here is a resume of the option given by the tourist information center in Osaka (inside the metro Namba station) that, by the way, is a good source of information also about Kumano Kodo and Koyasan.
