Japan Launches First Full-Flat Sleeper Bus to Strong Reviews

Japan's first regular overnight highway bus service with fully flat seats launched in December, running between Kochi Station and Tokyo. The service challenges the typical view of overnight buses as cramped, tiring, and sleepless.

Passengers have praised it as "less exhausting than standard seats," and average occupancy rates have exceeded 80%, well above the national average of 60–70% for overnight buses.

A representative from Kochi Ekimae Kanko, which operates the service, said, "Once you ride it, you'll feel the difference. You won't want to go back to regular seats."

The Full-Flat Experience

The overnight bus FLATON features full-flat seats called Sommeil Profond. Starting in January, two upgraded buses increased service from one to three round trips per week, with plans to expand to four weekly round trips (Thursday to Sunday) by April.

*Inside the FLATON bus, seats are arranged on two levels, with three seats across and four rows front to back.*

When a trial service ran once a week from March to August 2025, surveys showed that over 70% of passengers found the ride comfortable and less tiring than conventional overnight buses.

The bus has 24 full-flat seats arranged in four rows of three across two levels. Each seat is about 180 cm (71 inches) long, 48 cm wide, with 50–70 cm of headroom. The upper-body area is enclosed with curtains. While tall or larger passengers may feel slightly cramped, many find the seats surprisingly comfortable.

"I slept better than I expected, and the ride felt short," said a 48-year-old office worker traveling for business. A woman in her 30s returning home added, "It was more comfortable than any overnight bus I've taken."

Comfort and Accessibility

A trial service ran once weekly from March to August in 2025. Surveys showed that over 70% of passengers found the ride comfortable and less tiring than conventional overnight buses.

The bus has 24 full-flat seats arranged in four rows of three on two levels. Each seat is about 180 cm (71 inches) long, 48 cm wide, with 50–70 cm of headroom, and the upper-body area is enclosed with curtains. While very tall or large passengers may feel slightly cramped, many passengers find the seats surprisingly comfortable.

Atsushi Honda of Kochi Ekimae Kanko, who oversees the Sommeil Profond project, explained, "The first five to ten minutes lying down can feel unusual, but passengers usually adjust within about 30 minutes. During the trial, only a few elderly people out of roughly 1,000 passengers said it didn't suit them."

Honda, who has ridden the bus more than ten times, added, "Fatigue is noticeably reduced. Passengers rarely experience pain or heaviness in their lower back or legs after arrival. Once you try this, regular seats just don't compare." The company says that some travelers sleep so deeply that attendants need almost a minute to wake them.

*Passengers ride lying down with a seat belt fastened around the waist, with enough room to turn over while sleeping.*

Convenient Travel Option

Unlike conventional overnight buses, which often attract middle-aged men, FLATON draws many women and older passengers. "The curtains create a private space, which seems to reduce fatigue, especially for older travelers," Honda said. He also noted that some larger men avoid the bus, assuming it might feel cramped.

Travel between Kochi and Tokyo is mostly limited to flights or overnight buses. For those looking to save on airfare and hotels, overnight buses are an attractive option. FLATON fares vary by seat and booking: lower-level seats start at ¥15,000 JPY (around $100 USD), while upper-level seats start at ¥17,000. Passengers value that it is cheaper than flying, and evening departures between 7 and 9 PM allow for longer stays in Tokyo.

Although buses are often seen as less convenient than planes or the Shinkansen, some trips are already nearly 80% full just two months after launch. Honda said, "Once people ride FLATON, they realize its advantages. We aim to raise awareness, highlight comfort, and increase ridership."

Wider Application

The company also plans to sell full-flat seat units to other operators. It also hopes to offer flexible configurations based on demand, such as a two-by-two layout with 16 seats, wider aisles, enhanced privacy, or a hybrid setup with standard seats in the front and full-flat seats in the rear.

In the future, FLATON could be used for private charters, school or club trips, mountain expeditions, and inbound tourism.

Honda added, "Kochi would be impacted in the event of a Nankai Trough megaquake. FLATON buses could be used to carry relief supplies and provide sleeping space for victims and volunteers."

(Read the article in Japanese.)

Author: Motohiro Wada, The Sankei Shimbun