Overnight Bus/Train: Kyoto to Hakuba
 

Does anyone know of an overnight bus/train, preferably direct, from Kyoto or Osaka to Kyoto.

I think the train is pretty much out but buses were proving hard to find. As always, thanks!

Do you really need to do this trip overnight? If you can go in the afternoon, it looks like 5-1/2 hours and 3 transfers but it can be done by train and you'd be there before 9:00 pm. It is 4-1/2 hours and 2 transfers if you can leave in the morning.

http://www.hyperdia.com/en/cgi/en/se...d&sum_target=7

During winter season there are several overnight bus from Kansai (Osaka and Kyoto) area to Hakuba area, catering to skiers. These bus services are seasonal and usually run as a charter bus by various tour companies. Tickets are sold as individual passengers, just like scheduled bus service, but often tickets are sold through tour companies only. Usual websites to search trains and bus schedules will not show these type of bus services.

Websites are in Japanese only and often reservation by phone calls are by Japanese only. One way fares are somewhere form 5000 yen plus. Departing Kansai area anywhere after 9 p.m. and arriving Hakuba 6-7 a.m. next day. If you read Japanese, some of tour companies with such bus services are:

http://bus.otokuski.jp/kansai_hakuba.html

http://www.upon.co.jp/nature/ssw/

http://www.snowclub.jp/bus/kansai_hakuba.html

JR used to have various overnight trains form Tokyo and Osaka area to ski areas during ski season back in good old days of peak of bubble era. However, as ski become less popular and people shifted mode transport to driving, those winter only overnight ski trains disappeared.

I saw this, and was planning on doing these exact trains if I could not find an overnight. The benefits of the overnight is you get to save a night on expensive Japan hotel. Then you get to ski the next day.

Thank you! Tricky to read and book but maybe I will be successful haha.