Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal: How to take a Bus out of Tokyo

Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal is one of the largest bus terminals in Japan.  Located on the Western side of the Tokyo metroplex, it serves as a connecting point from Tokyo to all over Japan’s island of Honshu.  With hundreds of buses leaving daily, multiple buses leaving every 5 minutes, Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal can be intimidating to navigate and figure out. There are many different bus companies who operate out of the bus station, so you have many buses to choose from.  You can check their website for a full listing of the bus schedule. 

Through our travels around Tokyo and Japan, we found that even though the public transportation system is busy and intimidating to use, especially with a family, that the organization and friendliness of the people made it an enjoyable experience.

Getting to Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal

When in Tokyo you need to make your way to Shinjuku Station which is a major station on the JR Metro System. You will find Shinjuku Station right in the middle of this JR Metro System map.

Shinjuku Station is a major transportation hub in Tokyo where the train, metro, and bus lines meet.  It is a very large station, and it is easy to get overwhelmed, but there are signs all over the station directing and leading you to where you want to go.  The only thing is you need to know where you want to get to!  Follow signs for Expressway Bus and South Exit.  Shinjuku Station is also right next to the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, which will be where you can find your bus ticket to just about anywhere on the island.  

From Shinjuku Station you will need to exit out of the metro system onto the ground level at the South Exit and cross the road to the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal.  The bus terminal is south of Shinjuku Station and across the road.  Just follow signs and arrows for the bus terminal.  There is also an elevated crosswalk to get from one building to the other, and there is a zebra stripe crosswalk on ground level.  There is a traffic light to help you cross the road to the other side.  

Different Floors of Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal

2nd Floor – Pedestrian and Shinjuku Station

When you cross the road, you will come to the building that has the bus station, you will be on the ground level, but this is actually the 2nd Floor of the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal because the building has levels below. This second floor houses some of the bus station facilities and butts up against the Shinjuku train and metro station.   

There will be an escalator from the second floor where you can enter into the bus terminal to go directly to the 3rd floor.  There is also an escalator that runs directly up to the 4th floor.  You can find an elevator on either side of the bus station if you need an elevator.  Both the elevators and escalators can be accessed on the curbside.  On the outside of the building, you can find some ATM’s and some automated ticket machines to buy metro tickets.  These are not the tickets for the bus, for that you will head up to the 4th floor.

3rd Floor – Arrivals

The third floor is where you will find the taxi drop off and pick up area.  This is the arrivals area for buses, so when you return to the station you will be dropped off onto the 3rd floor.  You can also find a Tokyo Tourist information center on the 3rd floor.  

4th Floor – Departures

The 4th floor is where you will find your ticket machines, ticket counter, departures, and waiting lounge.

The waiting room hours:

4:30am until 1:00am

Also available on the 4th floor you will find coin lockers where you can store your belongings. There are three different size options.

Coin locker cost:

Small: 100yen/60min

Medium: 100yen/40min

Large: 100yen/30min

Buying Your ticket

Once inside the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal you will make your way upstairs where you can purchase tickets.  You will be able to buy your tickets on the 4th floor. There are ticket machines to purchase tickets from, but there are also counters where you can purchase tickets from a person.  This can be helpful if you have any questions because they will be able to help you answer your question.   Credit cards are accepted on these ticket machines.  The ticket machines will not accept all the banknotes so if you need to pay with cash you may also need to go to the counter and purchase one from a person. 

After you have your tickets, you can wait in the waiting rooms which are also located on the 4th floor.  The waiting room is open from 4:30am until 1:00am.  

Finding Your Bus

Once you have purchased your ticket, there are televisions around the station that show the times of each bus and their scheduled departure times.  There are many buses departing and arriving so check your bus number and schedule carefully so don’t mix up with another bus!  Once in the waiting room, there are colored coded lines on the floor that direct you on where to go.  If you look at your ticket or television it will inform you as to which colored arrowed lines to follow.  You simply follow the lines and it will take you to your bus. 

At Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, the boarding is on the 4th floor which is the same level from which you purchased your ticket.   This departure area is on the roof of the building, so it has a feel of being on the ground floor.  The bus arrivals are on the 3rd floor, so if you pass a lot of buses going up to the 4th floor you don’t have to worry as those are buses arriving at Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal.  This 3rd floor arrivals is also where you can catch a taxi if you wish to avoid using the metro system when you are returning to Tokyo.   

From Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal you can purchase bus tickets to all over Japan.  It is important to note that you can also purchase an Airport Express Bus from here that will take you to the airport.  You can purchase tickets for either of the two major Tokyo airports: Haneda or Narita.  There are many daily buses that go to the airports ranging from multiple every hour during peak times to less than once per hour during slower times.  Be sure to check the schedule of buses to make sure there is a bus that gets you to the airport at the appropriate time.  

The Surrounding Area

The area surrounding Shinjuku Station and the bus terminal is full of things to see and do. You could spend hours walking the streets and finding unique restaurants and shops. A few notable examples that are within a few minutes walk away are a Trading Card Shop where you can buy unique trading cards, they have Pokémon cards but there are also plenty of other card series. You can find other entertainment such as plenty of claw machine stores. Tokyo seems to love claw machines games, and you can find these stores all over. You will see plenty of these stores and machines all over the surrounding area. One chain claw store in the area is Me Tokyo. Another phenomenon, at least in Asia, is pet cafes. There are a few pet cafes within walking distance from Shinjuku, one being Cat Cafe Mocha Lounge. And the number of restaurants available is. Many fast-food chains, convenience store, and high-end restaurants can be found nearby.

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