Arab News Japan

TOKYO: A Japanese bus company has taken a page out of high-class airline services by offering full-flat seats on its overnight bus service.

Kochi Ekimae Kanko, a bus company that operates from the western Japan island of Shikoku, announced that it introduced the seats on a trial basis in August. It says it is planning to make them part of its regular service from November.

The journey from Kochi to Tokyo takes around 13 hours and customers had inquired about the possibility of a “sleeper” service. Some bus companies in Japan offer “pod seats” that offer privacy and a reclining seat, but the full-flat option was hampered by transport regulations in Japan.

Kochi Ekimae Kanko developed a seat that bears some resemblance to a hospital bed with a safety belt and “cage” to stop people falling out. However, the beds are in a bunk style with one passenger’s bed above another. Curtains provide added privacy.

The price for the 13-hour journey to Tokyo on the top bed was 12,000 yen ($80) and for the lower bed 10,000 yen ($67). The beds may not be suitable for tall people, as they only measure 180 cm in length.

The company calls its product “Sommeil Profond,” which means “deep sleep” in French and likens it to Japan’s famous capsule hotels. Each bus can carry 24 passengers, and the seats can be raised to operate as regular bus seats.

The bus company asked Thermal Kobo, a local model manufacturing company, to design the bus, and manufacturing was handled by Kakiuchi, a local manufacturing company.