Night Buses: Transporting You Comfortably From Place To Place, In Dark Space

When it comes to travelling between distant cities in Japan, the Shinkansen (and its distant "relatives" in the form of various types of express trains) immediately come to mind as the most famous means of travelling large distances in the country.  Though, for those who have tried it or even just searching out bullet train fares, it's not cheap.

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The most comfy bus ride ever! #japan #bus #willerexpressbus #asia #iphoneasia

A post shared by akiba16 (@akiba16) on May 29, 2019 at 4:56am PDT

Air travel, while generally even more expensive than rail, is also up there in popularity.  Though personally, I could live without the hefty check in, wait, and baggage claim times associated with any travel via airport.

Through the internet and word of mouth, though, I learned about the cheapest reasonable means to travel from the Kanto plain to the Kansai region: the night bus (also known as the highway bus).  For a relatively reasonable fee, one can conceivably sleep through the night and wake up at his/her destination.  And from the photos I've seen of the night bus interior, this is travelling in style!  Some buses afford passengers an enclosed room for themselves to presumably enjoy and await arrival at the destination the next morning.

So, we decided to give it a go.  I'd never been to Universal Studios Japan, so that seemed like a good destination to give this mode of travel a try.  It would preclude the need for hotel/lodging, since we could also board a night bus the evening of our arrival at Osaka to get back to the Kanto region.

Reservations were easy enough, through Hyperdia, though it takes you to Willer Bus express, which is the company that manages the route we would be taking.  They had a convenient trip scheduled both ways, which had us arriving at USJ just before opening (08:30) and departing around the time I expected we'd experienced all we wanted for the day (19:55).

On the evening of our travel, a couple of things amazed me:
- the bus terminal area was on the fourth (4th!!!) floor of a building(!!!)
- the clockwork precision of the buses, departing and arriving like a choreographed performance:

The onboard experience was wonderful!  For the nine hour journey from Shinjuku to Universal Studios, I had a comfortable seat (which reclines pretty way back, though not quite close to horizontal), and my own personal space courtesy of curtains that provided a cozy "room" on the bus.  It kind of felt like flying business class on an international flight, though without the served food and drink.

I slept probably as well as possible, considering I was in a moving wheeled vehicle, after all.  Bathroom/rest area breaks were about 2-3 hours apart during the journey, which are a welcome opportunity to use the bathroom (there was no restroom on the bus), get food/drink, or otherwise just bask, breathe in, and wander around in a part of the country I would not find myself at if not for this red-eye journey.

Coming home, I slept even better, which was predictable since that was coming off a full day of USJ walking and excitement.  For all the reasons I've stated and understated, the night bus is an experience worth having, and for me it'll be the preferred mode of travel to other major/distant cities to keep more money in my travel budget!

Recommendations:

- Book your trip in advance; though there were a few empty seats on both rides of my experience, I can't imagine what trouble it would've been had I not booked in advance and the bus was full.

- Wear comfortable clothes for the trip, something you believe can fall asleep in.

- If needed, bring snacks/drinks but not the smelly kind... to be kind to your fellow long-distance travelers.

Specifics:

Visit some of the bus companies that have night/highway buses to book online:

Willer Express

Japan Bus Online

JR Bus Kanto

Ashikaga Flower Park: Mysterious Wisterias Abound

Though I have gained a greater appreciation of nature, and all of God’s creatures over the past few years, I’m not the type to really go out of my way to see something along those lines.  After all, even in the urban Kanto plain you are never really that far from nature, right?

For my lover’s passion and interest though, on a Saturday morning in May we ventured out to Ashikaga-Shi, in Tochigi prefecture, to see what the hysteria over Wisteria was all about.

Ashikaga flower park had been recommended to me by a few friends, but those friends’ interests run a bit differently from mine... so the idea had hit a dead end until this year, about three years since I’d first heard of it.

Well, I really enjoyed it!  Not as much as other things I tend to enjoy, but still, it was a breath of fresh air to be out in a more natural setting.  The flower park is well thought out in both appearance and egress.

If you like water, there is a lot of it to see and it complements the flowers quite beautifully.

But the main attraction was the wisteria, and it didn’t disappoint.  It was my first time to see this type of flower/plant and my camera had more than its fill of image work on those wisteria.


Aside from the main attraction(s) of the park, I will also mention that the food is worth the visit as well!  The ramen is a different variety that that found in the Kanto plains, and gyoza in Tochigi prefecture (especially Utsunomiya) is wonderful.  Ashikaga will definitely not disappoint, and leave you in awe of all creations of god and man alike.

Recommendations:

- Be prepared to walk!  Even if you opt to drive or take a bus tour to get there instead of using the train system, to see/taste all that is good here you'll be walking to get to it.  Wear shoes you're comfortable with for walking a lot.

- Keep an eye out on the weather.  As the flower park is entirely outdoors, plan accordingly with regards to forecasts of rain.

Specifics:
Ashikaga Flower Park
Admission: Varies by time of year and age (see website if specifics costs are needed)
Location:

Azuki Shiba Cafe: Geeking Out on Doggies in Akihabara

Akihabara, as you may already know, has a great many things catering to many interests.  So, while the animal cafes (notably owl and cat) have been in the neighborhood for years, it is only recently that canines have entered the Akiba scene.  More specifically, those cute mame shiba dogs.

Azukishiba No Sato is in the heart of the "otaku" world in Akihabara, along Chuo Street and very close to JR Akihabara Station (about a 1-2 minute walk).  As it is a newer establishment, compared to the popular Mame Shiba café in Harajuku, it was less populated with visitors and wait times very minimal, if any, at the times I'd visited.





So, if you find yourself curious to meet the shibas, Azukishiba gets my recommendation for a first timer due to ease of entry and being less crowded.

Azukishiba offers 30 minute stays with the dogs.  It can go by quickly, but you always have the option of purchasing another stay.  They also offer point cards, the rewards for filling up are unknown to me at this time.





The dogs seemed lesser in number compared to the café in Harajuku, but there are quite a few here to fawn over.  And, they are no less cute and cool than their counterparts.  It's also a bit easier to move around from shibe to shibe here, as it's less crowded, so that is another plus.




If you're in Akihabara and your schedule (and your heart) has room for more, the mame shiba at Azukishiba café can easily fill up both with their cuteness and affection!


Recommendations:

- Wear comfortable clothing: you'll likely sit or kneel on the tatami (mat) floor to get closer to the pups

- Use restroom before going if needed: I didn't notice any public restroom in or near the café.


Specifics:

Azukishiba No Sato
Location:

TeamLab Planets: A Fun Time In The Dark and Lights (and water!)

TeamLab Planets is a relatively new attraction in town, and along with its sister attraction, TeamLab Borderless, gets a lot of attention and reviews from both locals and tourists in Tokyo.  Be warned: it is relatively on the high cost of activities (even in Tokyo), but if you can manage it, and manage it along with others, it is definitely a fun experience and worth the time and money you put into it.









I won't go too much into detail here, as I believe that the element of surprise always has its merits.  But I'll share some of the photos and videos I took at Planets, and along with the many others you'll see online (or already have seen), and perhaps it'll convince to give it a try.









As you can see, it is a fun experience which takes your eyes all over, and puts your feet into some wet places... submersing yourself into nearly knee-deep waters at times.  Don't worry too much about the moisture though, as the event gives you towels to dry off after each water-based experience.  Just watch your step(s).






According to their website, Planets is operating for a limited time, until Fall 2020.  So for those considering taking a step into the world of Planets... don't think or procrastinate too long on it.





After all, after that first step into Planets, every step, every second of the experience seems to differ from the last one.  A galaxy full of possibilities and fun awaits!

Recommendations:

- Regarding the waters, TeamLab Planets does give everyone an informational briefing before you enter, part of which addresses how to avoid getting clothes wet.  That said, for the ladies, long skirts probably give the most headache with regards to them possibly getting wet.  Jeans and pants can be rolled up relatively easily.

- Bring a photographic device of some kind!  Whether it's your phone or a DSLR camera, you have to capture some of those moments somehow.  That said...

- Video is even better than photos.  You'll discover this while you're there.

- If you fully intend to use the site's app on your phone while there, it's probably worthwhile to download and install it on your phone in advance of your visit.

- Go with someone!  Selfies, while great, won't do your experience justice by itself... having someone do the photography for you will be worth it.

- As is the case with almost all activities that occur every day, weekdays will be more pleasant and less crowded than weekends.


Specifics:

TeamLabs Planets
Admission: Various depending on day of week, as high as 3200 yen for adults.  Night admission tickets are cheaper.
Location: