Photo/Illutration An express bus for the Yagi-Shingu route in Nara and Wakayama prefectures sets out from Kintetsu Yamato-Yagi Station to JR Shingu Station through Totsukawa Onsen and other areas. (Provided by Nara Kotsu Bus Lines Co.)

An express sightseeing bus is winning plaudits after making its debut along Japan’s longest fixed bus route and shaving the travel time to the famed Totsukawa Onsen resort in Nara Prefecture by more than 30 minutes.

The Yamakaze express started operations in October.

The 169.8-kilometer Yagi-Shingu line is operated by Nara Kotsu Bus Lines Co. and connects Kintetsu Yamato-Yagi Station in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, with JR Shingu Station in Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture.

The Yagi-Shingu section, known as the nation’s longest regular bus route that does not use expressways, has as many as 168 stops. The route on Saturdays and Sundays is shorter--at 166.8 km--as the bus makes 166 stops and no detours.

Tourists from faraway regions rave about the Yagi-Shingu line when they visit Totsukawa Onsen in Totsukawa.

Nara Kotsu Bus Lines said it decided to operate the express service after receiving complaints from passengers who wanted to arrive at their destination quickly in hopes of “spending more time in Totsukawa.”

With that in mind, Nara Kotsu Bus Lines decided to operate a sightseeing express shuttle bus service exclusively on weekends and national holidays.

Yamakaze now skips 77 stops in Nara Prefecture’s Gojo and Totsukawa. While the trip between Yamato-Yagi Station and Totsukawa Onsen normally takes four hours and 25 minutes, the time has been shortened by 35 minutes to three hours and 50 minutes.

Reaching Shingu Station now requires six hours and 10 minutes, compared with six hours and 45 minutes for non-express buses.

BUS BUFFS BE WARNED

Yamakaze will take shortcuts in some areas.

Its total traveling distance will be 163.2 km, shorter than Japan’s second longest line called Kushiro-Rausu, which extends 165.5 km and is managed by Akan Bus Co. in Hokkaido’s Kushiro.

Nara Kotsu Bus Lines acknowledged this could pose problems for bus buffs who stick to Japan’s longest distance as a regular bus route.

However, passengers on Yamakaze will also be eligible for a “completion” certificate presented to those who take the entire route. It comes with a special stamp, according to Nara Kotsu Bus Lines.

Yamakaze starts from Yamato-Yagi Station and Shingu Station at 11:38 a.m. and 10:18 a.m., respectively, on weekends and national holidays. The same model as ordinary buses will be used, and the fare will also be the same.

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