How do buses work? (Seriously)

19 comments

1. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrahO89Q5Kc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrahO89Q5Kc)

   First, it is possible you would rarely use the bus. I’ve lived here for 10 years and have used a bus maybe 15 times. Trains are more convenient, depending.

   As for entry, just go stand in line for the bus and follow the lead of others. Some are front door entry, some are middle.

   I highly suggest using YouTube and watching videos on using busses, trains, getting Suica or Pasmo, etc.

2. Here’s a short primer: [https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2015.html](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2015.html)

3. So the busses in Tokyo work as following. You step into the back door. And pay at the front when you leave. During the traveling when your stop comes up, you need to press the stop button. It is the button that gets repeated alot in the bus, mostly yellow or red. Forgot which color it has in Tokyo. When the bus stops you get out at the front and you pay with prefferably exact amount of coins or with a suica/pasmo etc card. That is it.

4. If you’re just visiting, the easiest thing to do is this:

   – Get a Suica or Pasmo.
   – Board whichever door others board through, or if you’re the only person boarding, whichever door people aren’t exiting from. If nobody is exiting, only one door will open for you.
   – Tap your pass at the reader by whichever door you entered through. If you entered through the front door, it’s most likely a fixed price bus and you will not need to tap again. If you entered through the middle, the bus will automatically deduct an amount of money from your pass based on where you get off, so you’ll need to be ready to tap again at the front of the bus upon exit.
   – Don’t forget to push the stop button before the stop where you want to get off.

5. I don’t know if Tokyo is the same way, but when I was in Osaka they were able to make change when I handed them a 5000 yen note. Was seriously impressed with that.

6. I suggest a virtual Suica Card. So nice and you can set it up so that it automatically tops up.

7. Since you will be alone I just want to remind you to make sure whatever pay card you are using is topped up. My friend miscalculated and didn’t have enough on his to pay his entire fare once on our trip but I was thankfully behind him with a full card and the trolly driver spoke some basic English so I was able to pay what was left on his fare with my card before paying my own.

   Dont want you to have to deal with any un-needed stress. Have a great trip!

8. Prefer trains over buses whenever you can, they are easier to understand and use, also they’re more reliable.
   We lost an hour trying to figure out the correct bus station, but never had an issue with train platforms.

9. Depends on the bus company. You board in front for some buses & you pay when you enter. This typically means it’s a flat fare regardless of distance. This is how Tokyu bus works like the ones starting from Shibuya, Ebisu, Meguro etc. They don’t go long distances, typically working more as a feeder bus from a train hub to neighbourhoods around it.

   If you board in the middle, you pick up a ticket or tap your IC card (Pasmo or Suica) when you board. You exit from the front where you pay the fare based on the distance. If you’re not using an IC card, pay attention to the screen to find out how much your fare is. It’s based on whatever number is on the ticket you picked up when you enter.

   But anyway just follow what the people in front of you & don’t worry too much! If there’s no one else, just see which door the driver opens for you.

   Some bus companies also offer 1-day passes for unlimited rides within the day. This might be a good way to explore the city by bus.

10. Never thought of getting a bus in Tokyo but they are easy to use in Japan.

    Tokyo has various subway lines and other train lines which will get you where you are going efficiently. There are some boat trips too.

    For buses I suggest trying to know what the fare is and having change. Unlike the trains the buses are not to the second punctual but they do run to schedule.

11. It depends which city you are in.

    Tokyo – you board through the front doors and pay when you get on.

    Osaka – you get on through the middle doors and pay when you get off. When you board, the machine by the doors will spit out a tiny slip of paper which tells the driver where you got on. This will indicate how much you’re meant to pay when you get off.

12. https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Tokyo#By_bus_2

13. Use google maps for navigation. You can use your Suica or PASMO.

14. Basically what everyone else has said. I’ll just add that it’s super easy and even more convenient than metro sometimes. The announcements usually have English and the drivers tend to be very friendly.

15. Never rode the bus in Tokyo since the metro was so easy and cheap. Bought a 72-hour metro pass for tourists (1500 Y = $14.50). Used google maps to navigate the routes and it even told me what platform to use.

16. I lived in Osaka for a year and never took a bus. Always found a convenient train or occasionally a taxi. Don’t stress – you will be fine no matter what you do.

17. Yes, buses work seriously. It’d be ludicrous otherwise.

18. I worked in Tokyo for 10 years and hardly ever took buses. The few times I did was to connect from a station to a site more than a 15-minute walk away.

    Usually, tourist spots and public buildings away from train stations have bus connection info on their webpages.

    For fun, when I’m in Shibuya, I like to ride the Hachiko Bus which is a community bus, only 100 yen a ride. On the Jingu no Mori route, I was the only passenger (it was a weekday).

19. First few days in japan I used a bus carrying all my stuff. It was packed to the brim and I didn’t realized till the end we would have to go to front in order to pay. It was a struggle.