Re: [tlug] Travel

[CL <az.4tlug@example.com>]

Lyle H Saxon wrote:
> On 10/18/07, CL <az.4tlug@example.com> wrote:
> > Jonathan Byrne wrote:
> > > Anyway, there's a tokkyu train from Sasebo to Fukuoka, and then it's
> > > not that long of a flight to Haneda, 
> >
> > The tokkyu is quite nice.  I have taken it several times.  It is
> > extremely easy to get to the Fukuoka Airport from Hakata, but you should
> > also check out sleeper trains.  
>
> Aren't the overnight buses the cheapest way to get from city to city
> now?  I hate them (the seats are too narrow, so if you wind up next to
> someone unpleasant, they are h**l), but that was definitely the
> cheapest way to get to Nagoya when I visited the Expo there a couple
> of years back, and I know a college student who takes overnight buses
> up to Sendai regularly because it's the cheapest way.  Nagoya is
> close, and Sendai is still closer than Kyushu, so maybe they don't
> have them running that far from Tokyo?

I agree that the buses are cheaper than the trains but, when the purpose 
of the travel is to get out and _DO_ something, they're not good value 
for money.  A sleeper train lets you lay down to sleep and you're still 
able to get up and walk around in the morning.  I've been stuck taking 
them to get to a few meetings some small, unpleasant towns at an early 
hour.  When you're over 180cm, the bus seats are all too small and I've 
had back and leg problems (cramps, especially) bad enough to require 
taking a taxi just to get to the meeting on time.

There is a kosoku bus network that covers the entire country and feeds 
in to more local feeder routes.  In some cases they're faster than 
trains.  But, the only example I can think of off the top of my head is 
access to the big narrow valley that runs into Nagano from Aichi 
(Toyohashi).  Ekisupaato also covers this network.

--
CL