The objective of the present study was to assess the relationship between the estrus detection method and the calving rate in Japanese Black cattle in 272 farms in Miyazaki Prefecture. Farms that used bellowing to detect estrus had a higher mean calving rate than those that did not rely on bellowing(53.1 ± 0.9% vs. 50.2 ± 0.9%; p = 0.02). In addition, farms that detected estrus based on mucus characteristics alone had a lower mean calving rate than those that used multiple procedures such as bellowing, behavioral assessment and mucus characteristics(p < 0.05). In conclusion, heat detection based on bellowing was one of the good methods that was associated with high calving rate.