“JAPAN BUS PASS”, THE PASS TO TRAVEL BY BUS BY JAPAN

It seems that if you travel to Japan and do not buy in JR Pass you are a madman who does everything the other way around ... Well, you know that there is not only this way of touring Japan. Today we are going to tell you how to travel by bus in Japan using the Japan Bus Pass, an alternative to the trains of the JR Pass much cheaper, with its advantages and disadvantages.

It is a pass that allows you to use an extensive network of buses to travel throughout Japan, at a fixed price. The passes are for traveling during a specific number of days (3, 5 or 7), in the period of 1 month after the date of purchase. The best thing is that they do not have to be consecutive days, so you can travel more quietly and spend several days in the cities regardless of time. More info and reservation.

What does traveling for 1 day mean? Well, you can use up to 3 buses the same day without paying more, something similar to Interrail in Europe.

In addition, they are included night buses (By the way, very comfortable) to reduce the budget of travel in accommodation and optimize your time.

In this web you can see all routes.

There is two types of passes: the one that allows you to travel every day (more expensive) and with which you can travel only from Monday to Thursday. Depending on the days you want to travel you will have these prices:

A. Travel every day

• 3-day pass: ¥ 11,000 (about € 92)
• 5-day pass: ¥ 14,000 (about € 117)
• 7-day pass: ¥ 18,000 (about € 150)

B. Travel from Monday to Thursday

• 3-trip pass: ¥ 15,000 (about € 126)
• 5 trip pass: ¥ 20,000 (about € 168)
• 7-day pass: ¥ 28,000 (about € 235)

Remember that It is calculated by DAYS And not for travel. For example, you can take 2 or 3 buses in the same day, but it only counts as a travel day. And the total period to use the pass (regardless of the one you choose) is 1 month, which starts the day of the purchase of the pass.

Both the purchase and reservation of buses is done online. To do this you will have to enter the JBL Pass website and register as a member (The website is in English, but you can always use the Google Chrome translator with the right button). Click on the top in JBL Membership and complete the registration.

Once you are logged in you will have choose the pass that best suits your travel plan and the number of passes what do you need. The pass is valid for a single person, but with the same account you can buy and manage several passes, provided that the routes for all travelers are the same. In the event that you plan to make different trips at one point of the trip, it is best that each one be made a member profile and buy their pass.

The last ride is to put the payment details and select the email where the purchase confirmation will arrive.

* You will see that the website to make the purchase is of Willer express. This is a bus company in Japan with which JBL collaborates, but with the pass you can also use buses from other companies

You must enter your personal space (“My Page” at the top right) and click on “BusPass management". On this screen you will have the summary of all the buses that you are booking and also here is where you will have to enter to book a new one. To do this select “Search the target routes”(If here the page gives you an error because you have too many redirects, try entering with other browsers) and a search box will open, where you will have to put the origin, destination and date.

Then (after entering the password again) you get all the options, with the schedules and the stops (including the links of the maps, if you are not sure), and you must select the one that interests you most. Then choose the departure and destination stop, the seat number and if possible, the type (special seats do not cost more than the standard ones, yupi!).

To finish you will see how in the shopping cart the payment method is “Pass / Ticket” and it will come selected the chosen pass to use on this route. If you are making the reservation for two people, you will have to leave the two passes selected, see:

Once the reservation is confirmed, you will receive a e-mail with the details which will be what you will teach the driver when boarding the bus, it will also be added to your personal space on the web.

The places from where buses leave or arrive are usually the central stations of the cities, however in some cases they are simple stops on a street or on the road. However, in the email of the reservation and in the details of the section reserved in the member profile there are links that they tell you on a map the exact point (super accurate) where buses stop. We always kept it as a favorite on google maps, so as not to have to continually enter the reservation.

To upload, you just have to show the book on your phone and in theory also the passport. Although we just asked the name, crossed out the list, and inside!

A possible route for the 3 day pass would:

• Tokyo - Hiroshima
• Hiroshima - Kyoto
• Osaka - Nagoya - Tokyo

If we expand to 5 days, a type route could be:

• Tokyo - Niigata - Kyoto
• Kyoto - Hiroshima
• Hirshima - Osaka
• Osaka - Nagoya
• Nagoya - Tokyo

- Obviously the price. Compared to the JR Pass, the price of the bus pass in Japan is much cheaper, and if you travel on a low cost budget, it is the cheapest option to get around Japan (obviously without hitchhiking!).

- The possibility of sleep on the bus, thus saving a hotel night and making the most of time.

- Comfort: in general they are quite wide seats, which allow you to travel comfortably. On the way from Kanazawa to Tokyo, we had one that practically every seat was a small room, with curtains everywhere and enough space.

- Both the process of buying the ride and the booking of buses and the use of tickets is on-line. You do not need to pick up the pass anywhere or print tickets.

- Unlike the JR Pass, does not include any other transport extra, therefore you will have to add the expenses of the short-distance trains that you want to take along the way. (Mind you, there are some train lines in Japan that are not managed by JR and are not valid with the JR Pass).

- Sometimes the places of departure of the buses are hard to find, since some do not leave from the bus stations. But in the confirmation emails and on the website itself you will have the link to the exact point on the map.

- There is not restrooms on buses, although they make stops so you can answer the 'call of nature' 😉

Here we leave you some doubts that arose during the trip and that surely you also have:

• The night buses, although the departure and arrival are on different days, they DO NOT count as two days of travel. If you leave on the 15th and arrive on the 16th, on the pass it would only count on the 15th. Also if the bus leaves on the 16th (between 00.00 and 03.00 at night), it would count on the 15th.
• The day trips, for example Osaka to Nagoya round trip, are perfectly possible. What you can't do is the same route (Osaka to Nagoya twice) on the same day.
• A very important fact is that you can travel alone in the 1 month period from the date of purchase of the pass, with what in high season there is a risk of not finding a place in the first sections that you want to use. For example you buy the pass on day 1, with the intention of starting to use it on day 2 on a night bus from Tokyo to Hiroshima, in which case the seats may already be all sold.
• For that reason, before buying the pass We recommend looking at the available routes in this search engine, and going through the available places and the necessary advance notice.
• The pass is cancelable and refundable, provided you have not used it and it has not expired.
• You can too cancel bus reservations until one day before the departure date, without penalty.
• The pass can be purchased both while in Japan and before arriving.
• The Bookings of buses can only be done through the online platform, not by phone or at the stations themselves.
• There is no extra fee for the luggage.
• Just arrive 15 minutes before departure time, although familiarize yourself with the place of departure and how to get there, and if you are not sure, it is always better to go with enough time.
• It can eat and Drink inside the bus.
• In the night buses turn off the light To be able to sleep better.

Our experience with the company (customer service, punctuality, bus comfort) has been excellent, so much so that we have traveled with this pass on our two visits to Japan. And it seemed to us the best way to travel cheap in Japan. Of course, it depends on the trip you want to take, but if you have thought about the typical tour (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima), we believe this will be a good alternative to the JR Pass.

Do you dare to travel by bus in Japan? For more information and reservations visit this website or leave us a comment 🙂

Video: Japan Bus Pass Perfect Guide! Price, Review, Route and How To! (April 2024).