Japan is a quite small country in terms of its area compared to other countries. However, it is obvious that there are far more methods to move around than any other countries. The high cost discourages foreign tourists to visit distant places. There are, however, some ways to save it.



First of all, you have to find out the best way to your destination. The website below will give you several alternatives of train based on your options, and their timetables in English;
Hyperdia

This is a website for your bus trip.
Highway Bus Database

You have to know that the website above does not cover ALL of the bus companies. There are actually small private companies that serve far more cheaply than those official buses, especially on busy routes such as those from Tokyo to Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka. However, they do not have any English websites at this moment. You may have to ask somebody’s assistance.

For your flights, you may look up their websites. Bus companies and airlines often have discount for early reservation. You should make use of it!



Railways offer a lot of discount tickets and passes. Some are seasonal while others are available anytime. The most popular one is JR Passes. You can use this expensive pass for a continuous period to take any JR trains. There is another popular pass, called Seishun 18 Kippu, available only in a high season. You can take local trains only. It is valid for five SEPARATE days, and is cheap! If you visit a distant site and want to stay there for some time, this is what you need. There are more passes so that you may want to ask JR.