I carried out an accessibility field work at the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, known as “Basuta Shinjuku”, which opened in April 2016. Before it was built, people found it very difficult to find long-distance bus terminals in Shinjuku because they were located differently from place to place according to their companies. How did it become convenient?
Firstly, I will show you how to reach the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal. From the South Exit of JR Shinjuku Station, go across the Koshu-kaido Road and soon you can find an elevator towards the right with your back to JR Shinjuku Station. Taking the elevator, you can find the short-distance bus terminal, the tourist information center and the taxi stand on the third floor and reach the long-distance bus terminal on the fourth floor.
Tourist Information Center
Female staff members wearing Kimonos welcome you at the tourist information counter. The tablet installed on the counter can display tourist information in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese and Korean. The staff members can speak English, Chinese and Korean. The tourist information center is open from 6:30 to 23:00 for buses which arrive and depart early in the morning and late at night. There are many travel guides to various parts of Japan. Moreover, ticket bookings and arrangements for delivery services can be made. This information center is very convenient for tourists.
Information Counter of Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal
The long-distance bus terminal is located on the fourth floor. Passengers can board each company’s buses at the platform. There is an information counter in the waiting area. Many different company’s buses bound for various parts of Japan depart from Basta Shinjuku. When you are lost or you do not know which bus you should take, you can ask staff members for help at the counter. You would find it very convenient. Besides, you can borrow wheelchairs from the counter by advance booking.
The building of Basuta Shinjuku has direct connections to a high-rise complex facility called Shinjuku Miraina Tower and shopping areas such as NEWoMan. You can enjoy shopping at the shopping areas during their opening hours. You would find them useful because you can buy some food and drink at their shops and bring them into a long-distance bus when you start a journey.
Although I carried on this field work in the evening, Basuta Shinjuku was crowded with tourists. In the past, the long-distance bus systems in Shinjuku had been so complicated because their terminals were located differently from place to place. But I believe now that many tourists would find Basuta Shinjuku quite convenient since all bus terminals are consolidated. The electric bulletin boards which display information in several languages would be helpful especially for tourists from overseas. I saw many tourists from overseas that day. You can collect tourist information at the information counter and also kill some time while enjoying shopping at the shopping areas. All the facilities are wheelchair accessible so that wheelchair users would find it comfortable to walk around. However, wheelchair accessibility of buses depends on each bus company. It is necessary to check wheelchair accessibility when you book a bus ticket.
For safety reasons, taxis cannot stop at Koshu-kaido Road between Basuta Shinjuku and JR Shinjuku Station. It is also meant to avoid traffic jams on the road. All taxis stop on the third floor of Basuta Shinjuku. Although you might have often gotten off a taxi in front of the South Exit of JR Shinjuku Station in the past, no taxi can stop there now. Be careful about that.
