I just took an overnight bus from shinjuku to Kyoto station and then from Kyoto station back to shinjuku. Most miserable 6 hours of my life.
Whatever you guys are thinking, No. if you don’t have a car and are gonna do lots of walking in the sun especially going to places like Kyoto or Osaka don’t even bother with a overnight bus. You will feel sticky, hot, tired and miserable for the entire 5+ hours on the bus. I would do anything to take back my decision and just buy shinkansen tickets. And also overnight busses have no bathrooms usually. Depends what type you get.
by Finish-Playful
24 comments
Huh. I have taken it a couple of times and found it, though boring, not too stressful. Next time I go to Kyoto, though, I’m just going to take regular trains during the day. It’ll take a lot longer than the Shinkansen or the bus (I think), but they’re a lot more fun and interesting than either.
Don’t worry, I don’t think that almost anyone would take two 5+ hour buses in the same day. That’s pure madness. It’s even rare to go from Tokyo to Kyoto and back using the shinkansen in the same day.
I’ve checked in the past that there are buses that have toilets inside. I forgot which website it was because I was trying to do an option of overnight bus, but they specify which bus has aircon and toilet (and some even have luggage space option), the prices differ of course.
have you checked before you booked? or did you book on the spot?
Jus wondering why did you do the overnight bus instead of shinkansen?:0
Haha I did this the other day from Shimoda when some of the trains went down. It was 91 degrees and 66% humidity in Shimoda. Took the local train to some station I forget the name of and then Shinkansen to Tokyo. Night bus to Osaka. I smelled rank.
If you (general you) want to do overnight travel I’d recommend sleeper trains. You’ll need ear plugs and an eye mask, and availability will depend on the departure and destination of course.
Last year, I took a night bus from Tokyo to Osaka, tempted by a cashback campaign on a booking site.
At first, I was relieved that there were no weird passengers near me, but just before departure, a dirty nerdy guy covered in dandruff and wearing “antique” pilled smelly clothes ran onto the bus and sat next to me.
Watching him, I felt that something wrong or bad was going to happen because, in addition, he also smelled of sweat, probably because he had come running to avoid missing the bus.
Even when I closed my eyes to try to sleep, his presence invaded my nostrils. To top it off, he soon started charging his Nintendo Switch Lite with a partially chipped mobile battery (how dare he charge a game console on the night bus?), and the intense light from the charging lamp leaking through the cracked battery cleverly disrupted my sleep.
That was the last time I took a night bus. I definitely learned that there are some expenses in this world that shouldn’t be saved on.
Appreciate the post, I was debating if the $60 diff was warranted and that u wouldntnhave to pay for a night in a hotel.
Absolutely agree. Have done a few overnight buses in Japan and Thailand to save money and it’s just always a terrible experience. Can’t get to sleep, can’t get comfortable, they take rest stops and sometimes wake you up to check tickets (though this was in Thailand, can’t remember if it was in Japan). The worst is that I was tired but couldn’t fully get to sleep which made me feel like a zombie the next day. Just pay for a budget room. Hell do a hostel or capsule if you need to save money
Where I am from, logistically taking the bus anywhere will take all day, so I had minimal bus experience. I thought it was our best option getting around Hokkaido. This is where I learned that I’m not a bus person. Rarely could I sit next to my partner. Solo travelers always wanted to sit alone, which I totally understand. It seemed all the politeness of Japan does not apply on the highway busses. If you have to do it, it is what it is. But I will definitely try to avoid it on my next trip.
I took a night bus from Shinjuku to Osaka when I went to Japan last February and it was honestly wasn’t that bad. The seats were a little cramped but they do stop at rest stations where you can go buy food from 7/11 adn etc. They give you 30 mins as well. The bus driver will check to see if your back on the bus as well.
I slept really well my first overnight bus experience. Even hiked the next day. Second one wasn’t the best sleep but I functioned just fine. I wouldn’t write them off if you’re on a budget.
Huh? The majority of (if not all) highway buses have bathrooms.
I used to take those all the time while living in Japan as a student and it wasn’t too bad. But I don’t recommend it if you’re traveling. They arrive really early and you can’t check in so you have to kill A LOT of time while exhausted. I was on one with a crying baby near me once and it was rough.
lol. I never even considered this an option.
Unless you’re on a shoestring budget, I value time more than money. I want to travel between Tokyo and Osaka areas fast if I get to. So plane and bullet trains are the reasonable options.
After reading this post, I guess I forgot comfort is a huge factor too. I’m too old for this itsh.
This is why I am planning on going to Japan in February. I am not ok with the heat.
You spent 12 hours in a bus in late July. Of course you were hot and sticky.
I got a huge kick out of this post because I know the feeling and I’m sorry you struggled. I take overnight buses often as I am a poor student living off savings but following a music group I like and I have done the roundtrip on two consecutive nights lots of times. If I had money for the shinkansen I would do that, but my tips for overnight bus are as follows:
1. Use kosokubus website to book the bus. Make sure you choose a bus that has the “Relax Seat” icon on the listing. Don’t just book the cheapest thing. My first night bus I didn’t do this, I just booked the cheapest thing, and the chair had almost no recline, so I couldn’t sleep.
2. In addition, usually there will be a picture of the interior of the bus on the seat selection page so you vaguely know what to expect. Look for buses that have curtains or seat helmets to protect you from your seatmate’s phone screen. Grand Grace and Willer are two I can think of right away that consistently have these. This will help facilitate darkness for better sleep. In addition, some buses offer a blanket which helps too.
3. Look for a bus with the least number of pick up or drop off points from your destination. When the bus is picking up or dropping off passengers, all the lights come on and overhead announcements are made. Also, they sometimes don’t even turn off the lights until they have done the last pickup and that can be up to three hours after you’ve boarded if you picked a bus with lots of pick up points.
4. If there is no toilet on the bus, the bus makes a stop every 2-3 hours at a rest stop. Dim lights are turned on for people who need a break but no announcement is made so it’s not so disruptive to sleep. If there is a toilet on the bus, the bus makes fewer stops. If you’re sensitive to light, use the kosokubus website to check for a toilet icon on the bus listing. If you’re sensitive to a smelly bus toilet, use the website to ensure your bus doesn’t have a toilet on it.
5. Noise cancelling functions on earbuds help a lot. I turn on a 10 hour fan youtube video (I do have student premium so I can turn off the screen) or sometimes relaxing music. Eye covers also help.
6. If you still feel like you absolutely cannot sleep on the bus, choose a bus with the earliest drop off time possible. Then head to the nearest Kaikatsu club or the similar (manga and PC cafes that charge by the hour) and get a personal room. You can usually take a barebones shower in these facilities and sleep in a blacked out room for a few hours.
7. I hate to be a sterotypical complainer, but the other individuals on the bus that have caused the most problems in my life are overwhelmingly foreigners. Japanese people almost always expect to sleep on the bus. I don’t doubt that screaming children happened but I think that’s rare as usually people don’t put their kids on a night bus. The parents will try to silence them since everyone wants to sleep. Some ways that foreigners have disrupted my sleep are: phone screen too bright. Please use night mode or something like everyone else is doing. Backpack in aisle as a fun surprise when I’m trying to access the rest stop at 4 AM. Please put your bag up above in the overhead like everyone else is doing. If you’re worried it won’t fit, give it to the driver when you board and he will stow it in the luggage bin. Talking, even whispering. Western people, and I am one myself, whisper at the volume that most others regularly talk at. I can hear your whispers. Just text your companion if it’s 2 AM or better yet, close your eyes and prepare for sleep. Also, earphones earphones earphones. When in doubt, look to everyone else.
8. Last tip, for short term travelers is that if you’re choosing one, I actually think taking the train there and bus back is a better option. Choose the earliest arrival time so you can get back to the comfy bed with good sleep as soon as possible. You want energy for the sightseeing at the destination, what happens after that doesn’t matter as much right?
Bonus: If you are traveling with a companion, don’t book individually but book as 2 people so you will sit together. If you’re separating expenses one can always give the other cash or whatever to pay the seat. It’s much better than getting someone random next to you on the bus.
On the bus I always have: a bottle of water, a bottle of barley tea (natural presence of melatonin), and melatonin 5mg dissolvable tablets. Avoid any foods or amenities with crinkly wrappers.
Hope this helps if anyone finds themselves in a night bus situation!
Noobs, the real deal is taking a bus from Tokushima departing at 10pm and arriving Tokyo 8am.
You can take a shower at net cafes….
Yup, and most (barring if you are heavy sleeper) can’t sleep much. So you end up in Tokyo tired and will likely need to crash a few hours at the hotel. Overall, bad deal, less money but waste a lot more hours that could have been used enjoying japan
I regularly take overnight busses and I love it for the convenience and price! I don’t feel ‘sticky’ for the whole ride because it’s pretty cold inside but they have a small blanket, I just try to take a warm jacket with me and because I arrive so early in the day I have plenty of time to change clothes and wash myself a little bit, put on some make up- the trip usually ends up exhausting me so after I’ve come home I’ll want to sleep more
Lol they are not for everyone that’s for sure, but if you’re trying to save some money they are the best option. I use them a lot for Osaka-Tokyo. My latest tickets were less than ¥4000 for a round-trip, so I saved around 20k by choosing bus over Shinkansen.
The cheaper ones don’t have bathrooms, but they do like 3 or 4 stops at rest-stops with plenty of time to use the bathroom and/or grab a bite.
Personally, I would go on an overnight bus only once, and just for the experience.
Most, if not all, of them arrive at the destination before noon, which means I can’t check in yet at my new hotel. I’d have to look for a locker to store my stuff and find something to kill the time.
If I take the high-speed train, I am transiting during the limbo hours of 12-3pm, and can proceed to check in once I get there.