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Always use this site to book bus tickets, never encounter any issue. You can even choose type of fare like student fare if you are a student. It also filter most of the bus companies so you can sort the bus by time, fare, location etc.
I did the cheapest once and never again. Legs are extremely cramped for 7+ hrs and the knee pain was horrible. Driver said he would only turn on the lights twice during the trip but then proceeded to turn on the lights at every single stop all night. Wish I flew. (Pre covid)
Most buses were ok. I thought the gender separated with curtains were the best. There are a lot of weirdos on the bus if you travel alone though.
I usually took the night bus on a whim and didn’t feel much of a difference in bus quality except whether the bus was a newer model or older model.
That being said I had one experience where a passenger’s phone went off at 3am at full volume yet I was the only person who woke up to that noise. Friendship ended with night bus. Now Shinkansen is my new best friend.
I used Willer Express before. The ride was so so. Though bit expensive
I used to use willer express all the time. No problems.
I’ve used willer up until Hiroshima/Sendai
Being short and able to sleep anywhere is a good thing
In my experience its gonna be similar whichever company you choose. Willer Express was recommended by my Japanese friends so I guess you should consider
One piece of advice tho! Depends how budget you are but after doing round trip Tokyo Kyoto on a night bus once Id be more than happy to pay extra for flights, train or highway tolls and just drive there myself. Prepare for a sleepless night and gas station stops every 2/3 hours that will wake you up, you will be tired the next morning
I’ve always had good experiences with Willer Express
I used willer express the cheaper one, awful… pay a little more and will be ok.
Used one a couple times. If you can afford it, take the Shinkansen instead. You won’t get much sleep on the night bus. Especially if you’re 5’10” or taller. My short wife can curl up just fine on the seats. My leg length & knees don’t allow for that.
For me, as someone who needs to look outside, all Night Busses are horrible!
(Because of the closed Curtains)
I recently took the Sakura Kosoku night bus to Kyoto. While no night bus is going to be spectacular, I highly recommend taking some sleep medication or something. Even being dead tired won’t allow you to sleep if the person in front of you decides to lean their seat all the way back lol. You may get lucky and have a bit more leg room, but prepare to be very squished (and be pleasantly surprised if that isn’t the case)
If you’re ok with Japanese, Rakuten travel has good deals. But like others said, it’s not a great experience. There are some buses where the seats recline a lot and it’s a bit more bearable.
The shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo is ¥14,000. A cheap night bus is ~¥6,000. There are also day buses that start early morning and get you to Tokyo or Osaka around 3/4pm for ¥4,000. Those are more bearable as you just get out and stretch every two hours instead of trying to sleep.
Don’t get 4列 unless you’re really on a budget. I found it really difficult to fall asleep since the space was so narrow.
Not about bus, but there is the Sunrise Express between Osaka and Tokyo. I do not know if anybody took it and what is your budget and if your travel period match but could it be a better alternative in term of confort thought more expensive.
I remember doing this once…this is a bit random but a man (Japanese) wearing a daffy duck themed dress shirt starting losing his shit when I titled my seat back – as everyone else was doing to sleep. He was kicking the seat and shouting in Japanese. I turned around and stood up and he stopped when he saw the 185 cm gaijin staring at him. When we arrived in Osaka he got off the bus and ran away and I never saw him again.
I’ve done many long distance buses across Japan and the worst was probably Tokyo to Sendai overnight. If it’s quiet on board and there’s legroom it’s fine. I’ll be taking the 11 hour bus from beppu to Osaka tomorrow, so wish me luck.
Willer Express, cheapest and not bad
I’ve also used Willer Express and recommend the buses where you have the curtain, toilet on the bus, outlets, all the amenities lol. It’s not that comfortable but if you bring eye mask, ear plugs, and aren’t a light sleeper it isn’t so bad. I’ve done the day bus too and fell asleep a bit more easily lol.
24 comments
You may also want to try asking in /r/Osaka.
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You can check a list of all companies here: https://idou.me/search/bus/tokyo/osaka/202306
Sorry I can’t give a specific recommendation but I did it once from Fukuoka to Osaka and did not enjoy it. Never again.
Depending on seat layout the price changes significantly.
4列標準 is the worst setup, 3列独立 is usually the most expensive.
I used Kosoku Bus and they were fine.
https://s.kosokubus.com/
Willer Express. Not great not terrible
https://www.bushikaku.net/
Always use this site to book bus tickets, never encounter any issue. You can even choose type of fare like student fare if you are a student. It also filter most of the bus companies so you can sort the bus by time, fare, location etc.
I did the cheapest once and never again. Legs are extremely cramped for 7+ hrs and the knee pain was horrible. Driver said he would only turn on the lights twice during the trip but then proceeded to turn on the lights at every single stop all night. Wish I flew. (Pre covid)
Most buses were ok. I thought the gender separated with curtains were the best. There are a lot of weirdos on the bus if you travel alone though.
I usually took the night bus on a whim and didn’t feel much of a difference in bus quality except whether the bus was a newer model or older model.
That being said I had one experience where a passenger’s phone went off at 3am at full volume yet I was the only person who woke up to that noise. Friendship ended with night bus. Now Shinkansen is my new best friend.
I used Willer Express before. The ride was so so.
Though bit expensive
I used to use willer express all the time. No problems.
I’ve used willer up until Hiroshima/Sendai
Being short and able to sleep anywhere is a good thing
In my experience its gonna be similar whichever company you choose. Willer Express was recommended by my Japanese friends so I guess you should consider
One piece of advice tho! Depends how budget you are but after doing round trip Tokyo Kyoto on a night bus once Id be more than happy to pay extra for flights, train or highway tolls and just drive there myself. Prepare for a sleepless night and gas station stops every 2/3 hours that will wake you up, you will be tired the next morning
I’ve always had good experiences with Willer Express
I used willer express the cheaper one, awful… pay a little more and will be ok.
Used one a couple times. If you can afford it, take the Shinkansen instead. You won’t get much sleep on the night bus. Especially if you’re 5’10” or taller. My short wife can curl up just fine on the seats. My leg length & knees don’t allow for that.
For me, as someone who needs to look outside, all Night Busses are horrible!
(Because of the closed Curtains)
I recently took the Sakura Kosoku night bus to Kyoto. While no night bus is going to be spectacular, I highly recommend taking some sleep medication or something. Even being dead tired won’t allow you to sleep if the person in front of you decides to lean their seat all the way back lol. You may get lucky and have a bit more leg room, but prepare to be very squished (and be pleasantly surprised if that isn’t the case)
If you’re ok with Japanese, Rakuten travel has good deals. But like others said, it’s not a great experience. There are some buses where the seats recline a lot and it’s a bit more bearable.
The shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo is ¥14,000. A cheap night bus is ~¥6,000. There are also day buses that start early morning and get you to Tokyo or Osaka around 3/4pm for ¥4,000. Those are more bearable as you just get out and stretch every two hours instead of trying to sleep.
Don’t get 4列 unless you’re really on a budget. I found it really difficult to fall asleep since the space was so narrow.
Not about bus, but there is the Sunrise Express between Osaka and Tokyo. I do not know if anybody took it and what is your budget and if your travel period match but could it be a better alternative in term of confort thought more expensive.
I remember doing this once…this is a bit random but a man (Japanese) wearing a daffy duck themed dress shirt starting losing his shit when I titled my seat back – as everyone else was doing to sleep. He was kicking the seat and shouting in Japanese. I turned around and stood up and he stopped when he saw the 185 cm gaijin staring at him. When we arrived in Osaka he got off the bus and ran away and I never saw him again.
I’ve done many long distance buses across Japan and the worst was probably Tokyo to Sendai overnight. If it’s quiet on board and there’s legroom it’s fine. I’ll be taking the 11 hour bus from beppu to Osaka tomorrow, so wish me luck.
Willer Express, cheapest and not bad
I’ve also used Willer Express and recommend the buses where you have the curtain, toilet on the bus, outlets, all the amenities lol. It’s not that comfortable but if you bring eye mask, ear plugs, and aren’t a light sleeper it isn’t so bad. I’ve done the day bus too and fell asleep a bit more easily lol.