Buses¶
“A train is a train – a bus is a bus” - former Nara JET Pat Kelly (1992-1995)
Buses can be a way of getting around your town, or getting way to Hokkaido. Buses, as we all know, are never the fastest or funnest way to travel, but they are usually the cheapest.
City and local buses¶
Front-Entrance Buses¶
In local city buses, pay the fare (¥160 in Nara) when boarding. Put the fare in the fare collection box next to the driver. If you have a bus pass, show it to the driver. There is a change machine on the side of the fare box for ¥1000 bills, ¥500 and ¥100 coins. The machine cannot take ¥5000 or ¥10,000 bills. For bus card users, there is a green box at the entrance. Insert the card at the flashing red arrow, the fare will automatically be deducted, and the card will come out the bottom slot.
Back-Entrance Buses¶
At the entrance take a ticket from the ticket machine; the ticket will have a number on it. There is a fare chart at the front of the bus (looks sort of like a bingo board) with numbers. When you get off, match the number on your ticket to the number on the chart—this is your fare. Put the money and your ticket in the fare box. If using a bus card, insert the card into the green bus card machine at the flashing arrow. The machine will record the stop at which you boarded and the card will come out the upper slot. When you get off, insert the card in the green machine at the front of the bus, and the fare will be deducted automatically.
If you ride the bus every day or quite often, you may be interested in a pass, coupon tickets, or a bus card.
Bus passes (teiki-ken) are available for 1-, 3-, and 6-month periods. They are not transferable.
Coupon Tickets (kaisuu-ken): a book of 11 tickets for the price of 10.
Bus Cards (basu-kaado): ¥1000 (¥1050 value), ¥2000 (¥2250 value), ¥3000 (¥3400 value) and ¥5000 (¥5700).
Night Buses¶
If you’re off to Tokyo Disneyland, Saitama, Fukuoka or the Snow Festival in Hokkaido, an overnight bus (or buses) might be a cheap way there.
Night buses generally leave between 9 and 11 and arrive in the early morning, saving hotel fare. The seats recline, and a blanket and slippers are provided. There may well be a restroom, sink, and telephone, and you can wake up to a cup of green tea and toasty oshibori.
In Nara, the main terminal is the Line House, across from Kintetsu Nara Station
For a little over a one-way shinkansen ticket, you can get a round trip long-distance night bus ticket. The seats are relatively comfortable and big. make sure you book well in advance, especially on main routes during peak season. There are nightly departures from Nara which arrive around Tokyo or many other destinations early the next morning.
