"The Poor Man's Companion, the Night Bus. Every Time I Swear Never Again, and Then It's Cheap So I Book It Again": Night Bus or Shinkansen, Settled by Japanese Travelers
「貧乏人のオトモ、夜行バス。乗るたびに二度と乗るかと思うが、安いからまた乗ってしまう」——夜行バスか新幹線か、日本人旅行者の答えは第三の選択肢だった
By Rakutaro · Tokyo, Japan
A 2023 poll video asking Japanese travelers whether they take the night bus or the shinkansen got its most-liked answer (880 likes) from someone who picked neither: take the Sunrise Express sleeper and get delivered to Tokyo while you lie down. Below that the 325-comment thread splits along one line, not price but sleep. The people who love the bus talk about the thrill of boarding at midnight and the taste of the air at dawn (522 likes); the people who avoid it say a four-across seat with a stranger beside you and no curtain is grim (477 likes), and that arriving exhausted in a city that isn't open yet wastes the day you saved. What they agree on is the fine print: three-across seats, a toilet on board, and getting off at every rest stop.
These comments are from a video published in 2023. Prices, rules and crowds may have moved since; anything we checked ourselves is marked with a source.
“The poor man's companion, the night bus. Every time I ride it I think never again, and then it's cheap so I ride it again.”
貧乏人のオトモ、夜行バス。 乗るたびに二度と乗るかと思うが、安いからまた乗ってしまう。
What Japanese people do instead
For you, then, the overnight train Having the Sunrise Express deliver you to Tokyo while you lie down is fun too
そんなあなたに夜行列車の旅を サンライズエクスプレスで寝そべってる間に東京まで送り届けてもらうのも楽しいぞ
— @TabitoTravelMost liked880 likesConclusion: nothing beats the overnight train
結論:夜行列車しか勝たん
— @ma-ru_foi102 likesNight bus. The Hakata-go, 15 hours from Hakata to Busta Shinjuku. I recommend the four private premium compartments. I'm boarding from Hakata on the 27th of next month.
夜行バスです。 博多からバスタ新宿までのはかた号15時間。 4部屋のプレミア個室がおすすめです。 来月の27日に博多から乗ります。
— @大分宇目のラブライバー223 likesThree-across is the strongest
3列が最強
— @octopuscard15628 likesIf I can choose three-across seats, the night bus.
三列シートが選べるなら夜行バスです。
— @telminn15 likes
FAQ
- Is the night bus worth it in Japan?
- If you can sleep anywhere, yes; if you can't, take the shinkansen. The case for the bus is money and the morning: you save a night's hotel and wake up at your destination (107 likes), and some riders love the trip itself (522 likes). The case against is that a four-across seat with a stranger next to you and no curtain is grim (477 likes), and arriving tired means you can't enjoy the day (243 likes).
- Is there a sleeper train in Japan?
- Yes, one regular service, and it is the top answer under the video (880 likes). The Sunrise Seto and Sunrise Izumo run overnight between Tokyo and Takamatsu, and Tokyo and Izumoshi, splitting at Okayama. Besides private berths there is a carpeted nobinobi seat car, 14 spaces per level, that needs only a seat reservation charge rather than a sleeper charge, which is why riders call it the cheap way to lie flat.
Sources: jr-odekake.net — checked 2026-08-26
- Which night bus seat should you book: three-across or four-across?
- Three-across, and the bus fans treat it as a condition rather than a preference. Three-row is the strongest (28 likes), if you can choose three-across then the night bus it is (15 likes), and a rider who chooses by total cost still insists on getting off the bus at every rest stop to move around (19 likes). The four-across seat with a stranger beside you is the one nearly everyone regrets (477 likes).
- What is the longest night bus in Japan?
- The Hakata-go, run by Nishitetsu once a day each way between Shinjuku and Fukuoka. Nishitetsu lists the run at 14 hours 2 minutes toward Fukuoka and 14 hours 19 minutes toward Tokyo, with four compartment-style premium seats and 18 three-across business seats. One rider recommends the four private premium seats specifically and had booked the trip from Hakata the following month (223 likes).
Sources: nishitetsu.jp — checked 2026-08-26
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What Japanese people said — picked from the top 200 of 325 comments
I love the travel feeling of the night bus so I end up taking it every time. The moment you board with that late-night buzz is the best part. The dawn air when you arrive at your destination tastes so good
夜行バスの旅感が大好きで毎回乗ってしまう 深夜ワクワクしながら乗り込む瞬間が1番楽しい 目的地に着いた時の明け方の空気が本当に美味しい
I'm a night bus lover, but a four-across seat with someone next to you and no curtain is rough, I'll admit
夜行大好き人間だけどやっぱ４列で隣いてカーテン無しは辛いやなぁ
With the night bus I end up worn out and can't enjoy the destination, so I'd get a proper sleep the night before and take the shinkansen. Even if you arrive early in the morning the city isn't up yet, so there's nothing to do.
夜行バスだと疲れてしまって旅行先で楽しめないから、前日しっかり睡眠とって新幹線かな。早朝に着いても街が動いてないからする事無いし。
I can sleep in any environment, so I often ride the night bus as the point of the trip rather than the means. And the fact that you took the time to get there makes the trip feel more special.
どんな環境でも寝れるから夜行バスは手段以上に目的として乗ることも多いわ。 それに時間をかけて行ったという事実が旅行の特別感を際立たせてくれるんよな。
The only thing I like about the night bus is not having to get up early
夜行バス早起きしなくて済む所だけ好き
The night bus is fun and riding it is fine, it's the getting ready afterwards that's too much.
夜行バス楽しいし乗るのはいいんだけどその後の準備が大変すぎる。
I like that night-time school-trip feeling of the night bus, but the personal space is tiny, and I'm scared of snoring and bothering the people around me, so I can't sleep.
夜行バスの、あの夜の遠足感は好きだけれど、パーソナルスペースが激狭なのと、イビキかいちゃって周りの人に迷惑かけるのが怖くて寝れません。
For people who can sleep anywhere, the night bus is better on both price and time, but most people aren't like that, so they're better off taking the shinkansen
どんなところでも寝れる人は値段、時間共に夜行バスが良いと思うけど大半の人はそんなことないんで新幹線使った方がいい
Time matters more than money to me, so nothing beats the shinkansen
金よりも時間が大事だから新幹線しか勝たん
I compare the shinkansen against a three-across night bus plus a bathhouse at the other end, and in the end I choose by my own values! When I took the Grand Dream to Toyama I sat the whole night and my body was in bits by Toyama lol Even if it's a hassle, on a night bus make sure you get off at the rest stops. (against economy class syndrome)
新幹線と3列夜行バス＋現地でのスーパー銭湯の合計金額比べて最後に自分の価値観で選びます！ 富山までグランドリームで行った際に一晩座りっぱなしにしたら富山で体バキバキに笑 面倒でも夜行バスなら休憩はしっかり外出ましょう。（エコノミー症候群対策）
The night bus is fine while you're young... once you've got some years on you it's impossible. Murder on the lower back
若い内は夜行バスで良いけど…歳食ってからは無理だわ。腰がキツい
I just end up taking the shinkansen or a plane I could do it when I was young but now absolutely not 😢 I want to pay for a comfortable trip
新幹線か飛行機乗ってしまう 若い頃はいけたけど今は絶対無理😢 お金払って快適な旅したいです
Depends how long you're staying. If it's from the morning, the night bus; if it's from about 10, I'd go by shinkansen. I took the night bus to Shin-Kiba once.
現地にどのくらい滞在するかによる。 朝からだったら夜行、10時とかなら新幹線で行くかな。 1度だけ夜行で新木場まで行きました。
In the homecoming rush the price jumps, but it's still a lot cheaper than the shinkansen, and it's good for people who study on the way
帰省ラッシュだと値段は跳ね上がりますが新幹線よりはかなり安いし、勉強したりする人にとってはいいね
As long as nobody was next to me I could cope with everything else, so I used to buy the neighbouring seat at the child fare and ride that way. (I checked with the bus company) But once my wife pointed out how bad my snoring is, I stopped using the night bus.
相席でさえなければ諸々平気だったので、隣席を子供料金で買い占めて利用していました。(バス会社には問い合わせ済み) が、イビキがひどいと家内から指摘されてからは夜行バスの利用はやめました。