they do run in the summer.

But i do not recommend taking buses for long distance travel.

The traffic is brutal, buses are slow, at every stop they turn the entire bus off, then restart it when the light is green *very annoying*.

pending on when you take the bus, it can take twice as long by bus then train.

You`re talking about the normal city buses. We`re talking about the expressway buses. They`re very different.
Expressway buses are like those big fancy tour buses. They most certainly don`t shut down at every stop... To be honest, as they`re using the expressway and have a toilet built in, sometimes they don`t stop at all.

i still think train is faster then the expressway busses

What's amazing is that ones with toilets are just slightly more expensive than the ones without toilets. The amount is so trivial that I don't know why someone wouldn't just get one with toilets so you can get to the destination faster and the driver doesn't have to stop at rest areas. The bus I'm looking at costs 39,000 yen one way without toilets amd 42,000 yen one way with toilets from Tokyo to Osaka. That's only saving $3 USD.

I think you got one "0" to much there, because like you wrote the difference would be 30$ and the price 390-420$ :D
But youre right, 3 $ for a Toilette is ok!

You got to give the driver a little bit of time to stretch you know. and of course some passengers would also want to get a drink, the toilet is small, have not use it personally when I was riding the bus. I always go the toilet at the service area. much bigger and I've got the some time to stretch my back and get some food..

actually the expensive one has a bigger seat compared to the cheap one. It has its own blanket and small pillow and slipper and the seat can reclined more.. But the one you mention, the 3900 and 4200 does not have much difference , only the toilet..

if we are talking about shinkansen , then it is obviously faster. But if you are using the local trains with 18-kippu, not only will travel on daytime or till the last train but you have to transfer a lot along way. If you are planning to have an adventure by stopping along the way, it the cheapest way to go but not the fastest.

the op wants to know the fastest way ( besides shinkansen) to get to point a and b.. :vsign:

Oops, yeah. I don't know what I was thinking.

Oops, yeah. I don't know what I was thinking.

I'd rather just get one with a bathroom since I'll probably drink a bit of liquor on the bus to help me sleep better in less than comfortable positions. I may spend slightly more to be a bit more comfortable. The "stylish bus" seems like the best value, but does it have a toilet? It doesn't have a picture of a toilet. I may just spend a bit more so I can at least get some decent sleep or at least try to. Do you get to pick your own seat on the bus? Are the bus tours usually filled in your experience? Well, these are my choices:

Tokyo <-> Osaka lowest fares by Bus / 123 bus Japan

have not used this buses yet.. I usually get the JR Buses ..