WILLER night buses from Tokyo to Osaka and Kyoto | Timetable, fare examples, seat types, toilets, luggage, women-only seats, booking

Overview

From Tokyo to Osaka and Kyoto, there are night buses that leave Tokyo in the evening and arrive the next morning. This article explains the night buses of WILLER EXPRESS (the bus company that runs pink buses). You book WILLER EXPRESS buses on the booking site WILLER TRAVEL. WILLER TRAVEL also sells tickets for buses of other bus companies. Buses of other bus companies have different rules for seats, luggage and cancellations.

• Where you board in Tokyo depends on the bus. The buses in the tables in this article leave from Busta Shinjuku, Bus Terminal Tokyo Yaesu (on B2 of Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, which stands in front of the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station), and Ikebukuro Sunshine Bus Terminal. In Osaka, many buses arrive at WILLER Bus Terminal Osaka Umeda. Some buses also stop at Kyoto Station Hachijo Exit.
• A timetable example: bus SY154 leaves Bus Terminal Tokyo Yaesu at 21:40 and arrives at WILLER Bus Terminal Osaka Umeda at 06:45 the next day. Counted from the times in the timetable, this is 9 hours 5 minutes.
• Fares change with the travel date, the bus, the seat type and the plan. On October 30, 2026, we checked one-way adult fares from Tokyo to Osaka on WILLER TRAVEL. For night buses with Relax and Prime (4 seats across), the fares were ¥5,000 (tax included) to ¥7,000 (tax included) on November 18, 2026 (Wednesday) and ¥10,400 (tax included) to ¥11,900 (tax included) on November 21, 2026 (Saturday). Separately, WILLER TRAVEL has rules for an "arrangement fee" for each ride. This is explained in detail in "Costs" in this article.
• The buses in the tables in this article have no toilet. At WILLER EXPRESS, the only buses with a toilet are the buses of the seat type "Relax with toilet". The buses stop at a rest stop about every 2 to 3 hours.
• You can put up to 2 pieces of luggage per person in the trunk. For one piece, the length, width and height added together can be up to 155 cm. For two pieces, the length, width and height of the two pieces placed side by side, taken as a whole and added together, can be up to 240 cm. This is explained in detail in "Good to know" in this article.

Your options

Seat types

These are the WILLER EXPRESS seat types in the seat list on WILLER TRAVEL. Passengers choose the bus and the seat type on the booking screen. The seat types you can choose differ by bus.

• On some Relax and Prime vehicles, there is a USB port instead of a power outlet.
• On Prime, Dome and Reborn, you can use the reading light and your smartphone even after the lights are turned off. For these three seat types, the seat list asks passengers not to make phone calls and not to let sound leak out.
• The timetable says that buses such as Reborn, Dome, Comodo and Prime may use a different vehicle, for example because of vehicle inspections. Check when you book.
• On weekends and in busy periods, WILLER EXPRESS may add buses at the same times that are operated by another bus company, using sightseeing coaches (seat type "Economy", named STAR EXPRESS). These vehicles are not WILLER EXPRESS's pink buses.

Women-only seats

• On the booking screen, buses with Prime and Relax have a plan whose name says “Rear area | Women-only seats” and a plan whose name says “Front area | A man and a woman may sit next to each other”. Only women can book the women-only seats toward the rear. In the seats toward the front, a man and a woman may sit in seats next to each other.
• WILLER's "Safe for women" page says that WILLER arranges for a woman to sit in the seat next to a woman. However, it also says that depending on the conditions, such as when the bus is full or when a group books, this may not happen, and that a man may sit in a seat on the other side of the aisle.
• When you book, you enter the number of passengers separately for men and women. If you change a passenger's gender after booking, it is treated the same as a cancellation (Cancellation Policy of WILLER TRAVEL).

Night bus times from Tokyo to Osaka and Kyoto

This table shows some of the night buses that run every day, chosen from the WILLER EXPRESS timetable (buses from Kanto to Kansai, the one updated on September 10, 2026).

• The arrival times at Kyoto Station Hachijo Exit are the times the bus arrives at the G2 bus stop of Kyoto Station Hachijo Exit, except for the buses marked "Hachijo Exit East" in the table.
• Many of the buses in the table first leave the Tokyo Disney Resort bus terminal or Shinkiba Station, and then stop at the boarding place in the table. Some buses stop at other places (such as Ikebukuro Station West Exit and Shin-Yokohama Station) after the boarding place in the table. Some buses also stop at other places after the Osaka stop in the table. Check the stops and times in the timetable or on the booking screen.
• The timetable says that night buses arrive on the day after the day they depart.

Examples of night bus times from Osaka and Kyoto to Tokyo

• Bus SY252 leaves WILLER Bus Terminal Osaka Umeda at 21:15, leaves the G2 bus stop of Kyoto Station Hachijo Exit at 22:30, and arrives at Busta Shinjuku at 06:55 the next day.
• Bus WK251 leaves WILLER Bus Terminal Osaka Umeda at 21:00 and arrives at Bus Terminal Tokyo Yaesu at 05:40 the next day.
• The night buses of the JR bus companies (the buses that leave from the Yaesu South Exit of Tokyo Station and from Busta Shinjuku) are explained in Night Buses from Tokyo to Osaka and Kyoto (JR Night Buses) | Times, Travel Time, Fares, Booking, Luggage Size, Toilets.

Step by step

How to book

1. On the booking site WILLER TRAVEL, choose the departure place, the arrival place and the travel date, enter the number of passengers separately for men and women, and search. Besides Japanese, WILLER TRAVEL has screens in English, Korean and Chinese (Traditional and Simplified).
2. From the search results, choose the bus, the seat type and the plan. The results also show buses of bus companies that are not WILLER EXPRESS. The name of the bus company is shown for each bus.
3. Choose where you board and where you get off, and choose your seat. If you do not choose a seat, a seat is assigned automatically.
4. Log in as a WILLER member, or continue to book without becoming a member. Choose how to pay and finish the booking. Your booking number is in the booking confirmation email.

• The payment methods on the English WILLER TRAVEL page are credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express), WeChat Pay and Alipay+, paying in cash at a convenience store in Japan, and WILLER points.
• Convenience store payment can be used only in Japan. The payment deadline is shown on the booking screen or in the booking confirmation email. If you do not pay by the deadline, the booking is canceled automatically.
• Bookings paid with WeChat Pay or Alipay+ cannot be changed. If you want to change one, cancel the booking and book again. In that case, you pay the arrangement fee again.

Where to board

• Busta Shinjuku: 4F of the expressway bus terminal on the south side of Shinjuku Station. How to get there and the facilities inside are explained in How to Use Busta Shinjuku | 4F Boarding Bays and Ticketing Counter, Getting There from Shinjuku Station, Coin Lockers, and Waiting Room Hours.
• Bus Terminal Tokyo Yaesu: B2 of Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, which stands in front of the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station. According to the timetable, WILLER EXPRESS buses leave from "Underground Area B". The shops and passages inside Tokyo Station are explained in Eating and Shopping Inside Tokyo Station | Where to Find Tokyo Ramen Street, Tokyo Character Street and Gransta Tokyo, Inside or Outside the Ticket Gates, Opening Hours, Ekiben, Tax-Free and Luggage.
• Ikebukuro Sunshine Bus Terminal: ground floor (1F) of the Bunka Kaikan (Culture Hall) building of Sunshine City.
• WILLER Bus Terminal Osaka Umeda: ground floor (1F) of Umeda Sky Building Tower East. It is usually open from 6:00 to 24:30 (24:30 is 0:30 the next day).
• The English WILLER TRAVEL information says that the URL of the map of the boarding place is in the booking confirmation email.

WILLER Bus Terminal Osaka Umeda has the following facilities (official information).

• Coin lockers: small ¥200, medium ¥300, large ¥500. An extra charge applies after 12 hours.
• Luggage storage at the counter: ¥700 per piece. You can pay in cash, by credit card or with PayPay.
• Women's powder room (a room for getting ready; paid): women who ride a bus that leaves WILLER Bus Terminal Osaka Umeda or a bus that arrives here can use it.
• A machine that exchanges foreign currency into Japanese yen.

When you board

1. Arrive at the boarding place at least 15 minutes before the departure time. The bus leaves on time and does not wait for people who are late.
2. Show the QR code on your smartphone screen to the driver. The QR code is in the booking confirmation email and in the departure confirmation email that arrives about 2 hours before departure. If you do not have a smartphone, print the booking confirmation email with the QR code and bring it.
3. Put luggage that you do not take inside the bus, such as suitcases, in the trunk, and get on the bus.

• Even without the QR code, you can board by telling the driver your name.
• If one booking is for several people, there is one QR code for the whole booking. The representative shows it.
• On vehicles with Economy seats (STAR EXPRESS), you cannot board with the QR code.

Costs

Fare examples

The table below shows the results of checking one-way adult fares from Tokyo to Osaka on WILLER TRAVEL on October 30, 2026. We looked only at WILLER EXPRESS night buses. In the search results, each plan showed "Adult ¥… and up", the lowest fare for that plan. The table shows the lowest and the highest of those displayed amounts.

• This table is an example of two days. For fares on other days, choose the travel date on the booking site and check.
• On the booking screen, depending on the plan, there may be fares for children or students.
• In addition to the fare, the following "arrangement fee" is charged.

Arrangement fee

• Since April 1, 2025, when you book an expressway bus with reserved seats, an arrangement fee of ¥330 is charged for each ride (Cancellation Policy of WILLER TRAVEL). The same information also says that “routes that include sections where the basic adult fare is ¥3,000 or less” are not subject to the arrangement fee. The information does not say whether this rule is about the whole route or about the section you book.
• The arrangement fee is not refunded even if you cancel the booking. It is also not refunded when the bus is canceled. In that case, the full fare is refunded.
• The information does not say whether the fares shown in the search results include the arrangement fee. Before you pay, check the total amount on the booking screen.

Cancellations and changes

• The cancellation fee differs by the plan you booked. To check the cancellation fee after booking, members use My Page, and non-members use the booking confirmation page.
• A booking that is not paid by the deadline is canceled automatically, and no cancellation fee is charged (the Japanese WILLER TRAVEL user guide).
• For WILLER EXPRESS plans marked on the booking screen as allowing changes after booking, you can change the following on My Page: the travel date (to the day before or the day after the original travel date), the bus, the seat type, where you board and where you get off, and the number of passengers. If the fare goes up, you pay the difference. If it goes down, the difference is refunded.
• The following changes are treated the same as a cancellation, and a cancellation fee may be charged: reducing the number of passengers, changing a passenger's category (student or adult), changing a passenger's gender, and changing to a boarding place or a place to get off with a different fare.
• Amounts paid by credit card are refunded to that card (no fee is charged). Amounts paid at a convenience store are refunded only to a bank account in Japan (fee ¥440) or as WILLER points. They are not sent to an account outside Japan.

Good to know

Toilets and rest stops

• In the seat list on WILLER TRAVEL, the only buses with a toilet are the buses of the seat type "Relax with toilet". Buses of the other seat types have no toilet.
• In the timetable updated on September 10, 2026, there are no WILLER EXPRESS buses with Relax with toilet seats from Tokyo to Osaka and Kyoto. Among buses from Tokyo to Kansai, the bus with this seat type is bus WK184, which goes to Kobe Sannomiya, Akashi and Himeji.
• The timetable says that the bus takes a rest stop about every 2 to 3 hours. The rest stops are planned and may change depending on road conditions.
• Some stops are only for changing drivers, and you cannot get off the bus there. The timetable says that in an emergency, you should speak directly to the crew.

Luggage

These are the luggage rules for WILLER EXPRESS buses in the English WILLER TRAVEL information (Bus luggage policy).

• Some buses have no trunk. Whether there is a trunk depends on the seat type and the bus. Whether you can use the trunk is shown on the booking confirmation page. Double-decker buses have no trunk, so large suitcases cannot be carried on them.
• Bicycles, including folding bicycles, cannot be carried either inside the bus or in the trunk. Pets and other animals cannot be carried (guide dogs can ride).
• Skis, snowboards and golf bags can be put in the trunk on single-deck buses even if they are larger than the size in the rules. In the official table, the rows for skis, snowboards and golf bags each say "As a rule, up to one per person".
• Knives and other bladed items cannot be brought inside the bus. Gasoline and other flammable liquids cannot be put either inside the bus or in the trunk (lighters can be brought on board).
• You are asked not to put valuables or fragile items in the trunk. WILLER does not compensate for luggage that is lost or damaged. Passengers are advised to put a name tag or another mark on their luggage.
• You can also send large luggage ahead to your hotel or elsewhere. Ways to send luggage are explained in Send Your Suitcase by Courier | Airport to Accommodation, Accommodation to Airport (Yamato Transport).

On the bus

• You cannot smoke on the bus, including e-cigarettes.
• The English WILLER TRAVEL information advises you to tell the driver during a rest stop if you have trouble with the seat's power outlet or reclining, or if it is hot inside the bus.
• WILLER's "Japan Bus Pass" (a pass for unlimited rides on WILLER buses) stopped being sold on September 30, 2025.
• You can also travel between Tokyo and Osaka by Shinkansen. Shinkansen tickets are explained in Tokyo to Kyoto and Osaka by Shinkansen | Nozomi, Hikari and Kodama compared, where to board, travel time and fares.