Day trip to Kamikochi from Takayama mid May

Hi all. We hope to take 8 am bus from Takayama to Kamikochi so 9:30 ish arrival. What do we do to make sure we get a return bus ticket for return since it can't be reserved?

Also, any favorite walks that we should focus on? Hope to be back to Takayama station by 4:30 or 5 so we can enjoy onsen at our ryokan before dinner. Is is best to bring a packed lunch so we don't waste time waiting on line for lunch?

Any other hints or suggestions appreciated for this day. Thanks

We had the same time constraint as you do, in November a few years ago. We aimed for a 4pm arrival at our onsen ryokan and opted for the Dakesawa hike. It was easy with relatively nice views. Not the best, from what I saw in pictures, but I don't think we could have done something more challenging with only 5-6 hours. Plus, the winter came early that year, there was snow at the end of the trail, and we didn't have the proper gear to go to higher elevation. I had sprained my ankle two weeks before and was still recovering so, that slowed us down as well :/

https://thejapanalps.com/en/activities/southernalps/course-02/

The hut was closed at the time, so we had to bring our own food. You should pack something to eat for lunch in any case! I would not do any hike without bringing enough food or water for at least one day, you never know if something will happen... On that trail in particular, I think we just met 3 other hikers.