When you travel in Japan often taking the train is not feasible. There are places where taking a long distance bus is more convenient than trains. With ever expanding expressways, long distance buses are expanding and carrying more passengers than ever. They reach places where train service is either lacking or infrequent. I am going to talk about how to take long distance buses in Japan.
Booking
Since no bus company serves nationwide, multiple bus companies are operating in different regions. That makes it difficult to book bus tickets, but no worries. Most bus companies contract out to a few bus booking serves for reservations so you just need to go to a few websites to compare prices and times.
- Bus Operators
- 145 (only on Japanese website)
- Seat Selection from seat map: No
- Picture of seat: Yes
- Toilet Location show in seat map: No
- Ability to select stops for getting on/ off: Yes
- Shows information on Wifi, Power Outlet and other amenities: Yes
This is the website that has an inventory of 145 bus companies but the website does not load the entire inventory on the English version. Also, the English version does not show any discount fare. The website does not let you select seat a seat from a map. If you are on the website, pay close attention to the Dream Sleeper bus. Those buses operate from Tokyo to Osaka and Hiroshima. Those buses come with fully enclosed suite seats.
- Bus Operators
- 80
- Seat Selection from seat map: No
- Picture of seat: Yes
- Toilet Location show in seat map: Yes
- Ability to select stops for getting on/ off: Yes
- Shows information on Wifi, Power Outlet and other amenities: Yes
Like Japan Bus online, the website has an inventory of 80 bus companies. The English version of the website again does not show all available inventories but some buses show up on the English version but not on the Japanese version. Unfortunately, like Japan Bus Online, the website does not let you select a seat even though the website shows seat maps with toilet locations. I found more buses listed on this website than Japan Bus online between Tokyo and Osaka.
Japan Express Bus Net (Kosoku bus net)
- Bus Operators
- JR Bus Kanto (in/out of Tokyo)
- JR Tokai Bus (in/out of Nagoya)
- West JR Bus (in/out of Osaka)
- Seat Selection from seat map: Yes
- Picture of seat: No
- Toilet Location show in seat map: Yes
- Ability to select stops for getting on/ off: Yes
- Shows information on Wifi, Power Outlet and other amenities: No
This website strictly for select JR bus companies. The routes are spread out of Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. I think the English version of the website is easy to use. Some minor glitches are leaving Japanese characters in the English site but you can use google chrome web browser, and translate the page by right click and select translate to English. You should note that when you see the word 4列W席, this means that the fare class will let you occupy 2 seats for yourself. Wifi and power outlet information is missing but JR bus generally is equipped with WiFi and power outlets. I highly recommend taking the Dream Relier between Tokyo and Osaka. The Dream Relier’s Precious class comes with a semi private room with a curtain for full privacy par so you won’t be bothered by others.
- Bus Operators
- Mainly Buses that are in/ out of Kyushu
- Seat Selection from seat map: No
- Picture of seat: No
- Toilet Location shown in seat map: No
- Ability to select stops for getting on/ off: Yes
- Shows information on Wifi, Power Outlet and other amenities: No
This website is for bus operators in Kyushu. The website does not let you select a seat from a seat map. You will be able to input your seat preferences so at least it is better than nothing. This is the only website that can let you book the Hakata between Tokyo and Fukuoka. The Hakata comes with fully enclosed suite seats like the Dream Sleeper and the Dream Relier.
- Bus Operators
- Willer Express and its partners
- Seat Selection from seat map: Only on Willer operated buses
- Picture of seat: Yes
- Toilet Location shown in seat map: No toilets on Willer buses
- Ability to select stops for getting on/ off: Yes
- Shows information on Wifi, Power Outlet and other amenities: Yes
The pink and white Willer Express is a newcomer in the bus industry. It started operating in 2001, and it has continuously grown to one of the largest long distance bus operators in Japan. Willer’s English website is easy to use, and it shows pictures of the seats on the bus so you won’t be surprised. The website lets you select a seat from a seat map but it is only for Willer owned buses. Other Willer partner buses, you won’t be able to select a seat. You should be aware that Willer owned buses don’t come with toilets, but instead they make frequent rest stops.
- Bus Operators
- Keio bus and its partners
- Seat Selection from seat map: No
- Picture of seat: No
- Toilet Location shown in map: No
- Ability to select stops for getting on/ off: Yes
- Shows information on Wifi, Power Outlet and other amenities: No
This website is managed by Keio Bus and mainly lists the routes that Keio Bus and its partners operate. So the vast majority of the routes are in and out of Tokyo. The website does not let you select a seat from a seat map but you will be able to specify your preferences. Keio is one of the oldest long distance bus operators so people trust its name (parent company being a rail operator helps) and experience in bus operation. The English website is not difficult to navigate but it just lacks useful information such as WiFi and Power outlet.
Highway Bus Hikaku net (Price comparison website)
- Bus Operators
- 200+ operators including Willer and JR bus
- Seat Selection from seat map: No
- Picture of seat: No
- Toilet Location: No
- Ability to select stops for getting on/ off: No
- Shows information on Wifi, Power Outlet and other amenities: Yes
This website compares bus prices from various bus operators, the way the website works is like google flights. You cannot book a seat from the website but the website can direct you to the source for booking. I would first use this website to gauge the price and availability of the route. The highlight of the website is that it lists a bus trip review for the route you pick so you can assess your expectations before booking. I found the reviews very useful since they often show pictures. The website is written in Japanese but you can easily navigate using Google Chrome’s translation tool. Google explains how to enable the translation function. I noticed that Chrome web browser does not translate drop-down menus so you want to stick with the list of destinations from the left column or pick prefecture destinations (not city destinations) from the map. Here is the list of quirky translations that I found google didn’t translate well.
- Triple: Mie Prefecture (Ise Grand Shrine)
- Night train: Night bus
- Kneeling: Throw Blanket
- Glitter: KiraKira bus (name of the bus)
- 4 row wide: 4 abreast seating with extra legroom (not wide seat width!!)
- Women’s peace of mind: There is an women only section on the bus
- W seat plan: AKA double seat. Booking 2 seats for 1 person
- 3 rows independent: 3 abreast seating with 1-1-1 seating configuration
Conclusion:
I consider the following function and information important for bus ticket booking. 1. The ability to choose my own seat from a seat map. 2. Proving clear information on WiFi and power outlet. 3. Providing Pictures of the seats. I also like to book directly from the operator’s website. Only Willer, Japan Express Bus net and Highwaybus.com are direct booking sites. So what’s my take? Here are my ranking.
I put Willer because it can let you choose a seat from a seat map, the information on WiFi and power outlet is clear, and picture(s) of seats are on the website. The only drawback of the website is that my favorite buses, the Dream Sleeper, the Dream Relier, and the Hakata, are not operated by Willer. I put Japan Express Bus (Website for JR bus booking) net as second even though pictures of seats and information on WiFi are lacking. The website has lets you choose your seat from a seat map. I know the fact JR buses are WiFi equipped and have a toilet on board. Also, JR bus companies operate many different kinds of buses from double-decker sleeper to the Dream Relier, which is one of my favorite.
I hope those websites help navigate around Japan by Bus.