first-ever bunk-bed ‘sleeper bus’ aims to remove accommodation costs for young travellers.

The double-decker sleeper bus is due to be unveiled on March 4 and will travel between and the southern city of Kochi, located on the island of Shikoku. The operator Kochi Ekimae Kanko has called the service a "mobile capsule hotel" on its website, adding that the new bus is aimed at domestic travellers who want to avoid the rising costs of hotels, amid increased inbound foreign travel.

The bus is expected to be used by young adults hoping to travel to concerts and other events. They will be able to sleep onboard, meaning by the time they get to their concert or event, they will be fully rested. When they then board again to return home, they do not need to worry about navigating.

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The journeys are expected to last up to 13 hours. The website adds: "Someille Profon is a special seat that creates new travel styles and possibilities."

The bus has been dubbed 'Sommeil Profond', which is French for 'deep sleep'. The Sommeil Profond will house 12 bunks, allowing for 24 passengers at a time. The journey between Tokyo and Kochi will cost 7,300 yen (£37.89) for a limited period, reports

Once normal service begins, the fee is planned to be 14,000 yen (£72.67), according to KUTV News.

In November 2024, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism set out safety guidelines for operators of full-flat sleeper buses. The provisions included specific design features such as secure plates on all sides to keep passengers from sliding off or out of their sleeping area and a requirement for all passengers to wear seatbelts whilst sleeping.

In a preview video on seats on the Sommeil Profond can be configured into bunk beds by a special mechanism that allows one seat to move upwards before being folded flat, and the other to slide underneath. It is unclear whether passengers will be able to move around the bus, when it is in motion.

However, there is one major catch for passengers. It is unlikely that passengers will be able to reconfigure the bunkbeds back into seats on their own, so for the duration of the journey they will have to lay horizontally.

Japan has a lot of long-distance domestic travel options, for example, the Shinkansen bullet train or the Willer Express, which offers sleeping pod-style seats. A slightly more luxury option is the Kanto Bus' Dream Sleeper from Tokyo to and Nara, which has individual cubicles that have 'zero gravity' reclining seats, costing up to 20,000 yen (£103.80).