We have been wargaming our itinerary for Japan and are trying to figure out how we get from Kusatsu to Tokyo on a Sunday. Google Maps tells us that we can’t leave before 9.20, which gets us in too late for an event we have booked early in the Sunday afternoon. However we found this timetable on JR Bus Kanto that we *think* has a few services before then: http://www.jrbuskanto.co.jp.e.wn.hp.transer.com/bus_etc/cntimep01.cfm?pa=1&pb=1&pc=j0450121&pd=0&st=1
We’ve also fed the PDF timetable from that page into Google translate, but given the differences with Google maps, we’re not convinced that it’s up to date or we’re understanding it correctly.
I also asked our Ryokan in Kusatsu and they came back with the same schedule that I found on google maps.
Is anyone able to confirm the services out of Kusatsu early on a Sunday morning like the JR Kanto page suggests? Or do we go with google?
If we can’t get back to Tokyo before midday on Sunday, we’ll have to look at another Onsen town closer to Tokyo. Does anyone have any suggestions for somewhere similar to Kusatsu in cuteness/historic value? I’m preferably looking for somewhere thst would have a private onsen also.
4 comments
Depending on budget consider a taxi to Karuizawa station from Kusatsu (approx 1hr) and take the bullet train to Tokyo. Did this a few weeks ago when my schedule didn’t line up with the buses.
Google doesn’t have all the info, so it’s not the best for planning time sensitive stuff.
Use something like Y!乗換案内 or Navitime
Here’s the first bus from Kusatsu Onsen according to Y!乗換案内, which seems to match the first bus on the table you found. [First bus](https://i.imgur.com/u4NJBF1.png)
(There are other options if you search from Kusatsu Onsen to Shinjuku, which gives you a direct bus that takes you all the way to Shinjuku for example).
Playing around, I don’t think Google Map has data for that specific JR Bus Kanto line. All route I see are via Karuizawa.
There are definitely morning bus to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi. In the worse case, you can also just take the taxi.
Yes, the timetable you mentioned is correct. I looked up the route using the Japanese transit planner Norikae Annai and it suggested taking the JR Bus Kanto. However, I noticed that both Google Maps and the English version of Norikae Annai don’t show the route with the JR Bus Kanto. It’s really weird…
Here are three schedules that will get you to Tokyo before noon on Sundays:
Kusatu Onsen 6:20/6:50 -> Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi 6:45/7:15 by JR Bus Kanto
Naganohara-Kusatsuguti 7:05/7:38-> Takasaki 8:31/9:10 by JR Agatsuma line
Takasaki 8:39/9:37-> Tokyo 9:40/10:28 by Shinkansen Toki
Kusatu Onsen 8:10 -> Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi 8:38 by JR Bus Kanto
Naganohara-Kusatsuguti 8:53-> Shin-Maebashi 10:06 by JR Agatsuma line
Shin-Maebashi 10:10->Takasaki 10:20 by JR Agatsuma line
Takasaki 10:39-> Tokyo 11:28 By Shinkansen Toki