Due to tourist attractions are not always close to the station or the downtown, you may have to take a bus to reach your destination.
Then, there are two types of buses you can take to reach your destination. The first type is ordinary local bus which is similar to local buses in Europe. These buses might stop near to tourist attractions but the main passengers are not tourists but the commuters. Usually the routes are connected with bus stop A and bus stop B, stopping at bus stop C, D, and E on the way. When the bus reaches the final stop B, the bus runs toward bus stop A, stopping at E, D, and C. The fares are either fixed fare or pay as you ride - depends on which stop you get off. Many buses especially outside of Tokyo have pay as you ride fare system. Finally the bus size is usually normal single decker.
The second type is specialized for tourist destinations. These buses are introduced due to connecting stations and tourist destinations in the local areas. Therefore the passengers are mostly tourists and not running during early morning nor in the evening. The fare system is usually not pay as you ride but fixed fare, and it is usually cheap, JPY 100-200 and many places offer 1 day ticket too. Then, the routes are usually loop/circle lines, which means the buses are running clockwise or anticlockwise all the time. Then most places operate two or more routes. as like red line and blue line. Due to passengers are not commuters, usually the bus size is smaller than ordinary local buses, and many historical buses are introduced.