Part of the much-discussed Newoman complex on the south side of Shinjuku Station, Japan’s biggest bus terminal opened for traffic on April 4, with ample pomp and circumstance accompanying the first departure – a coach for Haneda Airport at 4am. Busta, the amusingly named new highway bus and taxi hub, is located right outside the south exit of the station and streamlines traffic in the area quite a bit: it houses a whopping 118 companies and accommodates up to 1,625 buses passing through daily, with departures to 300 cities in 39 prefectures.
The building occupies four floors, with the buses – including the Shinjuku WE bus, which circles the area and costs a mere ¥100 to ride – and taxis housed on the third and fourth storeys. If you need help finding your ride, head up to the fourth-floor Tokyo Tourist Information Center, where you can get your questions answered in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. Yay, no more aimless wandering through construction sites, dark alleyways and homeless huts to find your Gotemba Premium Outlets express or overnight ride to Kansai!