Night Bus Travel

If you're looking to save money on travel costs, night buses (夜行バス yakō basu) can be a very economical option for would be travelers. Night buses are a great option if you can sleep through anything, but if you're a light or fussy sleeper you might want to research other options.

There are a variety of companies you can book with and all the buses are fairly similar. Some have toilets, some don't, but either way the bus will make a number of rest stops throughout your journey so you can stretch your legs, grab a snack or use a toilet.

No matter the company, night bus tickets must be purchased in advance (generally online or at a convenience store). You cannot just show up and ride.

Willer Express

Willer Express is an excellent bus company that runs a number of buses between the major urban areas of Japan. They run both day and night buses, and have a variety of models including the "relax" bus and other types of buses where travelers receive comfy reclining seats with a liberal amount of legroom (even for long-legged gaijin).

Destinations

Sendai • Niigata • Tokyo • Tokyo Disneyland • Yokohama • Nagoya • Osaka • Okayama • Hiroshima • Yamaguchi • Kokura • Fukuoka

Catching the Bus

Willer runs almost all of its lines out of both Nagoya (Nagoya Station Taikō-dōri exit) and Osaka (Umeda). It also runs a few buses within Mie, stopping at Tsu, Shiroko, and Kintetsu-Yokkaichi, however these buses are less frequent, run to less places, and may cost more. For example, there is a Willer night bus running nightly to Tokyo, however there are 3-4 Willer buses out of Nagoya running nightly to Tokyo, so depending on how seat status and pricing, it may very well be worth it to catch the bus in Nagoya.

No matter where you catch the bus from, be sure to check the map showing exactly where the night bus picks people up. It generally picks people up at major train stations however the exact spot is not always easy to guess so be sure to check the map that Willer provides when you make the reservation.

The average time is 11-12pm with arrival at your destination between 6-8am.

Reservations

Reservations for Willer Express can be made on their reservation website. Payments can be made either with credit card or at a convenient store.

Willer offers some generous discounts if booking over three weeks in advance, and night buses tend to always run at full capacity, so moreso than usual it is best not to wait until the last day to buy a ticket.