Is Japan’s $150 Luxury Night Bus Still Worth it in 2025?

Is Japan’s $150 Luxury Night Bus Still Worth it in 2025?

Hello everyone, my name is Adam and I like trains and tonight we are in Namba in Osaka, one of the major nightlife districts in the Kai region. Now I’ve been living it up in Kai for the past few days, but unfortunately I need to return back to reality and head back to Tokyo. Now the normal way you do that would be taking a Shinkansen from Shinosaka station or Kyoto station which takes about 2 and 1/2 or 3 hours to get back to Tokyo. But tonight, we’re not doing that because it’s a little too late to get a bullet train back and still make it in time to go home. So instead, I’m doing something different. And I’m going to be taking a night bus back. But not just any night bus. The most luxurious night bus in all of Japan, the dream sleeper. Now, you might be wondering, why is the train guy deciding to take a bus back to Tokyo? Well, I wanted to do something a little different. I’ve taken the Shinkansen back and forth between Tokyo and Kansai, this region that includes Kyoto and Osaka many, many times. So, I wanted to try the Dream Sleeper instead because it’s the most luxurious night bus and I wanted to see if it still holds up in the year of our Lord 2025. Now, it is just after 10:00 at night here in Osaka. The bus doesn’t leave until about 10 before 11, so we still have some time to kill, but I think it’s best to head over to where the bus leaves from because Namba station is a bit of a maze. Now, as someone that eats Shinjuku Station for breakfast, Namba station’s confusing to me. Now, probably if I lived here, I’d be able to figure it out, but I don’t. So, it’s confusing and I’m going to complain about it, but I’ll show you how fun it was trying to find where this bus terminal actually is. The way I found the bus station went like this. I was told to come down to street level alongside Park Street here and then make a right where I’d end up in this massive lobby. After going up the escalators, you’d come to the right and head up these other small escalators hidden in the entrance to Namba Sky0ero. At the top of the escalator, you’ll see the two small signs for the bus terminal. Follow them down this narrow hallway and out these doors where you’ll eventually find where the bus terminal is up on the fifth floor. Now, just also let me add that booking this bus is not the easiest thing to do. Tickets go on sale, I believe, at 9:00 in the morning, a month before the bus date happens. Uh, and they sell out like that. I think I bought my ticket maybe 2 or 3 minutes after 900 a.m. and already a seat sold. And there’s only 11 total seats on this bus. So, getting on it is difficult. Getting on it is expensive, especially during a holiday weekend, which was something I did not consider when I was booking tickets. Bus will be here in about 5 10 minutes. I feel bad. I got my stuff up cuz I wanted to go film the bus coming in and everyone else that was in the bus terminal with me got up to leave. Even though it’s, you know, quarter to 11 at night, uh, it’s still in the mid 80s and incredibly humid. So, they say that Kai is worse for weather during the summer than Tokyo is. And I believe them, but I’m getting nervous now. Should I be nervous? I don’t know. Maybe. Now that the bus is here, let’s talk about what you get for riding the Dream Sleeper. Each seat is a small little cabin with a foldout table like you can see in front of me. There’s also ample amenities. There are these little ear lids or earplugs that help you block out the noise of the road and a face mask in case you want to cover your mouth and nose while you’re on the bus. There’s a hairet for those who want to protect their hair as they sleep, as well as this Pokémon Sleep branded eye mask. There’s also these wet wipes and a packet of tissues and a toothbrush for all your oral hygiene needs. As you can see, the seat also came with a free bottle of water and a moist towel and this diffuser, which I turned off as soon as I could because the light was too bright when I tried to go to sleep. You get a pair of headphones to borrow and a pair of slippers to take. At least I think you can take them if you want. Finally, you get a thin but still warm dream sleeper blanket and a softer, bigger blanket and a pair of night clothes, which we’ll be seeing later. There was also Wi-Fi on board, which worked, but as you can see, it wasn’t very fast. The cabin came with three USB ports, but no actual plugs, which was a little inconvenient, but it had two dimmable lights alongside the room lights. The seat itself was very high tech. There were four different control switches which could change the seat position. The top left did the seat angle. The top right the reclining angle, the bottom right raised and lowered the footrest, and the bottom left switch was an automatic switch that did everything together. While you couldn’t fully recline horizontally, you still could get pretty far back. So, the cost of a dream sleeper seat is 22,000 yen technically, depending on the time that you’re traveling. Now, it can go as low as 17,000 yen if you’re going during a not busy time, but I decided to go during Oban, which is a big summer holiday here in Japan, smack bang in the middle of school summer holidays as well. So, a lot of people use this time to travel, whether for leisure or for business. So, I managed to get the most expensive dream sleeper seat. If you compare this to the cost of a Shinkansen ticket for one, as well as a business hotel for one, it’s about roughly the same price. For me, going down to Kyoto for the past 4 days, I paid about 8 to 9,000 yen a night for my hotel room. Combine that with the 13,000 I spent on the Shinkansen ticket, and you’re looking at roughly the same price. However, when the prices are lower for the Dream Sleeper, you’re actually probably paying less. Of course, the thing about taking the Dream Sleeper is that you are directly comparing it to the other night buses that Japan has to offer. Now, your absolute bottom barrel night bus in Japan will only cost about 4 to 5,000 yen to take you from Tokyo to Osaka. If you’re American and you’ve ever ridden a Greyhound, first, I’m sorry, but second, that’s the type of bus you’re getting. For my non-Americans, it’s basically any other highway bus, but imagine sleeping on it. This is obviously, you know, closer to what I’d assume a business for first class suite is like, no, obviously I’m poor, so I’ve never taken either of those. Uh, but if there’s anyone wealthy in my comment section, uh, please first become a member, and secondly, let me know. Is this what a business or first class suite is like on an airplane, or is it better or worse? But even for the better night buses, you’re even only looking at about 8 to 10,000 yen as opposed to the 22,000 that I spent on this one ticket. Now, if you’re traveling with multiple people, it adds up very quickly. And considering there’s only 11 total seats on this entire bus, you probably can’t fit you and a bunch of your friends in here. You’re much better off just buying tickets for the other night buses instead. Now, for me, the final thing that will determine if this is worth it or not is if I can actually sleep. I’ve never been one for sleeping on buses or in cars or on planes. Both of my flights to and from Japan. Uh the three times that I’ve flown to this country, I have slept for a combined 45 minutes. So, we’re going to see if this is really worth it because would I have been better off just staying another night in my hotel in Kyoto and then getting a train back in the morning or is this a unique experience? I guess we’ll find out. But now that this bus is a lot more full, I probably shouldn’t be keeping people up by talking. So, good night for now and I’ll see you tomorrow morning in Shinjuku. All cabins are private cabins, but we request that you set your Heat. Heat. [Music] machine. Welcome to [Music] Good morning everyone and welcome back to Shinjuku. Nearly 8 hours on the bus later, we are back in Tokyo, ready to start the day off right. And by start the day off right, I mean probably go back to bed as soon as I get home because I can categorically say that was both the best and worst that I’ve ever slept on a mode of transit. I guess it’s at least a good thing that I slept on the mode of transit this time as opposed to just lying there awake for the entire length of the bus journey. So, let’s go through some of my initial thoughts about the ride. First and foremost, the rooms were actually a little smaller than I thought. Maybe, you know, it is a bus, so I probably should have expected they’d be a little small, but I’m only about 59, about 178 cm or so, and the room still felt a little cramped even for me. Secondly, every single time we’d go through a tunnel, we’d get flashbanged by light and noise. So, it made those first few hours when we were going through all the mountains in and around Kyoto a little hard to fall asleep in. Now, I said I did eventually fall asleep, but it most certainly wasn’t the easiest for me. Even with the given earplugs and eye masks and everything that was supposed to help us fall asleep, it still took me a while to do so. There’s also the issue of the armrests of the seat not being cushioned, which I know it sounds like I’m nitpicking, but considering I paid 22,000 yen for the ticket to take the bus during Oon, I feel like I can complain a little because to me it was just a little uncomfortable to have to sleep in a chair where the armrests weren’t cushioned. And the chair itself was fine, I guess. Apparently, this zero gravity chair was inspired by NASA technology or something. And, you know, it was comfortable enough, but, you know, no padded armrests. It didn’t really go that far back owing to how small the room was. I know it sounds like I’m nitpicking, and to be honest, I am. And I am just complaining partially because it’s 6:00 a.m. and I’m a little cranky cuz I didn’t get all my beauty sleep last night. But for the 22,000 yen that I paid for this ticket, I feel like I could have gotten a little bit better. But now that we’re back in Tokyo, I think it’s about time that I head home. When I do get home, I’m going to take a nap. But then after that, we’ll talk some numbers to determine whether or not the Dream Sleeper is actually worth it in 2025. The next day, we’re back. We are back in Tokyo. Back in my tiny apartment. And as excited as I am to be home in Tokyo, I’m definitely not looking forward to going back to the grind of working every single day. But now that we are home, better time than ever to talk about the Dream Sleeper. Now, I’m a bit of a numbers man. I like to see the numbers when I’m making a decision. So, let’s look at the other alternatives that we have compared to the Dream Sleeper, starting from the cheapest and finding our way to the most expensive. So, first up, we have the cheapest option, that being the other night buses that will take you between Tokyo and Osaka. Now, as I said earlier, the cheapest a night bus will cost will be about 4,400 yen to 5,000 yen. If you’re going on a weekday during a non- busy time of year, or for a more expensive night bus, you’re looking at about 9 to 10,000 yen. So, obviously, compared to the Dream Sleeper, you’re paying a lot less. When you look to book the Dream Sleeper, you are looking for that specific highclass night bus experience. So, if you’re looking for comfort, you’re getting the Dream Sleeper for that. And if you’re looking for cheapness, you’re looking for the other night buses. Next up is a flight. Now, between Tokyo and Osaka, you can get a flight for only about 5 to 6,000 yen at most times on the year on one of Japan’s many budget airlines. Now, of course, for a lot of people, flying can be very stressful. And at least if you’re taking a train or even a bus, you’re not going to be experiencing delays unless there’s an act of God or, well, in the Shinkansen’s case, a bear. So, for flying, yes, while it might be the cheapest option, it can be very stressful and, you know, you might have to pay for bags or anything else that taking a flight would be compared to the bus ride. Next up, we have what I think is the most common option, that being a shinkansen and a hotel room. Now, in Kyoto or Osaka, you’re going to be paying about 8 to 9,000 yen for one person to stay for one night at a business hotel. Of course, if you’re staying at a capsule hotel or at a net cafe, you’re going to be paying a lot less, but for a level of comfort, getting a business hotel is probably your best bet. At this point, we find ourselves being more expensive than the Dream Sleeper with 22,000 yen being the maximum that you’ll be paying for a Dream Sleeper seat, but the bare minimum you’re paying for a hotel and a Shinkansen ticket. Finally, you have the most varied option in terms of expenses, the night train. Between Osaka and Tokyo, run the Sunrise Sto and Sunrise Izumo. A ticket on these trains costs as low as 14,000 yen for the base fair between Osaka and Tokyo, as well as the Nobi seat. Basically, where you’re sleeping in a room with a bunch of other people on a hardwood floor covered by a carpet. Or you can go all the way up to a deluxe single room, which costs as high as 14,000 yen, but the room puts even the Dream Sleeper to shame. So, here you could be paying a lot less than the Dream Sleeper, or you could be paying a lot more. It really depends on what level of comfort you want. And for a lot of people, having a horizontal surface to sleep on helps a lot more than even sleeping in the reclining seat of the dream sleeper. So maybe it’s an option to consider even if you are willing to pay for that higher price. So of course, a night bus between Osaka and Tokyo is the least expensive option. And a Sunrise Setto or Sunrise Emo Deluxe Room is the most luxurious option, but the most expensive. So, in all honesty, I think the Dream Sleeper is a nice middle ground between expensiveness and comfort. You still get a very comfortable ride, but you aren’t paying an exorbitant amount of money to take you between the two major regions. So, now for the big question, do I recommend the Dream Sleeper? Honestly, yeah, I do. I think it finds a nice middle ground between comfort and affordability. Yes, while a night bus between Osaka and Kyoto is much cheaper, sitting in a normal bus seat probably isn’t going to give you the best night’s sleep. And while riding in a Sunrise Eizo or a Sunrise Setto might be very comfortable, especially if you get one of the more expensive rooms, you are going to be paying a lot more out of pocket to go between the two regions. So, I think a Dream Sleeper, especially during the non- busy times, could very well be a good middle ground for people, especially if you’re traveling by yourself. What do you think, my dear viewer? Would you want to take the Dream Sleeper in the future if you ever come to Japan? Or if you live in Japan, have you ever taken the Dream Sleeper yourself? Let me know down in the comments below. With that all being said though, I think that’s going to be it for today’s video. If you made it this far in the video, you probably enjoy my content, so a subscription to my channel or a like on this video would help me out a lot. Or consider becoming a member if you want to support my channel more directly. members do get a bunch of benefits like having their name in the credits of my videos. With that all being said, my name is Adam. I like trains and maybe I like buses, too. Now, take care, stay hydrated, and goodbye for now. [Music] [Music]

There are countless ways to get between Tokyo and Osaka. You could walk, ride a bike, swim, skateboard and so on. But most people choose to do something sensible and take a train or a long distance bus. In Japan there are tons of night buses that can take you between cities overnight, so you don’t even need to pay for a hotel room.

Among them is the Dream Sleeper, the most luxurious night bus in the whole country. With tickets starting at 150 USD, I wanted to find out if taking the Dream Sleeper was actually worth it.

Hello there!
My name is Adam, and I like trains. Thank you so much for watching this video. All your support can really go a long way. If you like trains or my videos, please consider leaving a like or subscribing to my channel. Or consider becoming a member if you’re so inclined! Members get extra benefits like special videos, early info about my upcoming content and you can get your name featured at the end of every video!

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