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While night trains with sleeping berths are no longer unusual for anyone, most tourists still associate a night bus trip with complete inconvenience.
However, Japan has decided to buck this trend by launching night buses with special reclining seats that transform into full-fledged horizontal beds for sleeping. This way, tourists will be able to travel long distances at night and avoid the unnecessary expense of staying in a hotel, writes Nikkei Asia.
It is noted that the first such bus from the Kochi Ekimae Kanko company will go on the route in test mode on March 4, 2025. It will be designed for 24 passengers, offering them a daily ride from the Japanese capital Tokyo to Kochi Prefecture in the south of the country (the distance between them is over 700 kilometers - ed.).
The bus, called Sommeil Profond (from the French for “deep sleep”), will be equipped with 12 bunk beds, and a ticket for it will cost 7300 Japanese yen (approximately 1965 hryvnias) during the entire trial period, after which its price will be raised to 14 yen (approximately 000 hryvnias).
“Many people think that night buses are cheap but uncomfortable. I want to give them the option to fold down their seats and make buses the best option for getting around,” said Kochi Ekimae Kanko President Akitoshi Umebara.
The publication notes that amid a surge in tourism in Japan in 2024, travelers have become more likely to take overnight buses instead of booking hotels. For example, Tokyo-based bus operator Willer Express said that the average occupancy rate of express buses increased by 5% to 86% over the year. A survey conducted by the company in October also found that more than 60% of respondents said they took overnight buses because hotel accommodation was too expensive.
Given this, the operator expects that the majority of demand will be from tourists heading to Tokyo for concerts and other pop culture-related events, which will allow them to not only avoid having to pay for a hotel, but also get a good night's sleep.
As UNIAN reported, Japan has been experiencing a real tourism boom since 2024. On the one hand, this was facilitated by the lifting of Covid restrictions, and on the other hand, by the sharp fall of the local currency against the dollar. In addition, Japan, which has been repeatedly recognized as the most beautiful country in the world, is itself on the lists of dream destinations of many tourists.
