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
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