Japan’s largest expressway bus terminal opened at the south exit of East Japan Railway Co.’s Shinjuku Station in central Tokyo on Monday.
The terminal, used by 118 bus operators, connects 39 prefectures from Aomori to Fukuoka. The number of daily bus arrivals and departures reaches up to 1,625, the biggest number in Japan.
The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry spent about ¥70 billion to build the terminal.
The new terminal put together 19 bus stations around Shinjuku Station. Its first floor houses train platforms of the JR East station, while train ticket gates and pedestrian space are on the second floor, cabstands on the third floor and bus platforms and waiting areas on the fourth floor.
About 45,000 passengers are expected to use the terminal per day. As the terminal is directly linked to the JR station, transfers between trains and buses are smooth.
The third floor also has a tourist information center that provides information about Tokyo and elsewhere in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.
A ceremony took place in Tokyo on Sunday ahead of the opening, attended by transport minister Keiichi Ishii and Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe. Ishii said he expects that the terminal will help Japan become a leading tourism-oriented country.
Source and image: Jiji Press
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