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The Sunrise Express overnight sleeper train

When the ride is the trip

Overnight travel: night trains, buses & ferries

Travel while you sleep. Only one sleeper express still runs every day, but there are overnight highway buses and long-distance ferries that leave in the evening and arrive in the morning.

Travel tips

  • Berths go on sale at 10 a.m. one month before departure and can sell out quickly.
  • There is no shop on board. Bring food and drinks with you.

Good to know

Overnight highway buses

  • Seat layouts differ by service, such as three or four seats across. Check the seat type when you book.
  • Some operators, including JR Bus, set aside women-only seats on overnight services. Availability depends on the individual service.
  • At Busta Shinjuku in Tokyo, highway buses leave from the 4th floor, which has a waiting room, an information counter and coin lockers.

Long-distance ferries

  • The Japan Long Course Ferry Service Association lists 15 routes, linking Tokyo, Oarai, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe and ports on the Sea of Japan with Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu.
  • The Osaka Nanko–Shin-Moji, Osaka–Beppu and Kobe–Shin-Moji routes leave in the evening and arrive the next morning.
  • Weather can delay or cancel sailings. Check the operator's site on the day you travel.

10 places to go

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Kanto

  1. 1

    Tokyo

    Station

    The Sunrise Seto / Sunrise Izumo sleeper express leaves Tokyo every night and reaches Takamatsu and Izumoshi in the morning. It has private berths and lie-flat carpet spaces.

    Go hereDetails
  2. 2

    Ueno

    Station

    The cruise train TRAIN SUITE SHIKI-SHIMA: a package tour from Ueno Station, sold by lottery and at a very high price.

    Go hereDetails
  3. 3

    Shinjuku

    Station

    Busta Shinjuku, the expressway bus terminal, with overnight buses to many parts of Japan. Look up destinations with the route search on its official site.

    Go hereDetails

Kansai

  1. 4

    Kyoto

    Station

    WEST EXPRESS GINGA. Its route changes by season; from autumn 2026 to March 2027 it runs overnight between Kyoto and Shimonoseki.

    Go hereDetails
  2. 5

    Osaka Nanko Ferry Terminal

    Port

    The terminal for the Meimon Taiyo Ferry between Osaka Nanko and Shin-Moji in Kitakyushu. It leaves in the evening and arrives the next morning.

    Go hereDetails
  3. 6

    Osaka Nanko Cosmo Ferry Terminal

    Port

    Ferry Sunflower's Osaka–Beppu route leaves in the evening and reaches Beppu the next morning.

    Go hereDetails
  4. 7

    Kobe Port Rokko Island Ferry Terminal

    Port

    Hankyu Ferry's Kobe–Shin-Moji route leaves Kobe in the evening and reaches Shin-Moji in Kitakyushu the next morning.

    Go hereDetails

Chugoku

  1. 8

    Izumoshi

    Station

    The end of the Sunrise Izumo. Izumo Taisha shrine is a private railway or bus ride from here.

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Shikoku

  1. 9

    Takamatsu

    Station

    The end of the Sunrise Seto. In the morning it crosses the Seto Ohashi Bridge into Shikoku. The Tokyo-bound train leaves Takamatsu at night.

    Go hereDetails

Kyushu

  1. 10

    Hakata

    Station

    The cruise train Seven Stars in Kyushu: a multi-day tour of Kyushu sold as a package, by lottery and at a very high price.

    Go hereDetails

Official information

These open external sites. Check prices, times and dates there.

From people who went

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Event dates, operating days, reservation rules and opening hours can change. Please check the official information before you go.

Checked against official information on Nov 15, 2026.

Pages we checked

Photo and data credits

The Sunrise Express overnight sleeper train Rsa (CC BY-SA 3.0) / Night skyline of Tokyo with the illuminated Tokyo Tower David Kernan (CC BY 4.0) / The twin towers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Eavesdropper6735 (CC BY 4.0) / Yasaka-dori street in the early morning with the Yasaka Pagoda Basile Morin (CC BY-SA 4.0) / Pine gardens of Ritsurin Garden below Mt. Shiun KimonBerlin (CC BY-SA 2.0) / Fukuoka Tower and the Momochi waterfront Hirho (CC BY-SA 4.0). Cropped and resized.