Use the. Bus services are available throughout Japan, and can often be a very convenient alternative to trains—especially when traveling in more local areas.
While journeys generally take longer, and weather and traffic can cause significant delays, fares tend to be cheaper and offer more options to travel overnight, saving the cost of a night's accommodation.
If you are traveling locally or from city-to-city, make sure to consider the bus options when planning your Japan itinerary.
When planning a trip to Japan, why be limited by where the trains and planes go? Local bus routes crisscross the whole country and offer you convenient access to some of the more out-of-the-way locations. Traveling in the city is very easy, as usually a flat-fare is charged. You can use your IC cards—such as the Suica card—on many buses, and most of the time you board at the front. The stop names generally flash up in English. Outside of the main cities, some buses calculate their fares by journey traveled.
In this case, you will board in the center door. Take a ticket and when you get off, match your ticket number with the fare highlighted on the screen at the front of the bus. Put the exact fare into the box next to the driver and exit from the front door. Be aware that it might not be possible to use IC cards on these services. Japan's highway buses link cities to cities, or cities to tourist spots. They are generally less expensive than traveling by airplane or railway and run both day and night.
