How to Purchase Shirakawa-go Illumination Bus and Express Bus Tickets on “Hassha Orai Net”

Post date: 2025-09-26 | Categories: Japan Travel

「Hassha Orai Net」 is one of Japan’s major express bus ticket booking websites. You can purchase tickets for most express bus services operated by Japanese bus companies on this site. Additionally, you can also buy tickets for certain regular sightseeing bus tours, such as the Shirakawa-go Illumination Bus Tours held annually from January to February. This article will guide you on how to purchase tickets for the Shirakawa-go Gassho Village Illumination Bus Tours on the “Hassha Orai Net” website, serving as a supplementary guide to the main article, 《Complete Guide to Shirakawa-go Illumination: Dates, Transportation, Ticketing, Accommodation, and Itinerary Planning》. Furthermore, it will also explain how to purchase Japanese express bus tickets on “Hassha Orai Net”.

How to Purchase Shirakawa-go Illumination Bus Tickets and Express Bus Tickets on “Hassha Orai Net”

“Hassha Orai Net” is a Japanese-language website. However, the company operating “Hassha Orai Net” also runs a foreign-language version called 「Japan Bus Online」, which offers versions in Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), English, and Korean. Compared to “Hassha Orai Net”, Japan Bus Online has two disadvantages: first, payment is required immediately upon booking (although cancellations are possible before the deadline with a 100 yen handling fee), whereas “Hassha Orai Net” allows deferred payment; second, “Hassha Orai Net” allows seat selection (except for buses where self-selection is not available), while Japan Bus Online does not have this feature.

If you prefer not to use a Japanese website and don’t mind these two drawbacks, you can use Japan Bus Online to purchase tickets. For a detailed guide, please refer to this article: 《Guide to Purchasing Japanese Bus Tickets on Japan Bus Online》.

If you want to select your own seat when purchasing tickets, or if you wish to reserve tickets first and pay later after your plans are confirmed, then you can use “Hassha Orai Net” for booking. The “Hassha Orai Net” website is only available in Japanese, but the booking process and operations are not difficult. If you want to purchase Japanese express bus tickets or sightseeing bus tour tickets on the “Hassha Orai Net” website, you can refer to the following step-by-step guide.

Table of Contents

I. Registering a “Hassha Orai Net” Member Account
II. How to Purchase Shirakawa-go Illumination Bus Tour Tickets on “Hassha Orai Net”
- 1. Making a Reservation
- 2. Payment
- 3. Boarding the Bus
- 4. Canceling a Reservation
III. How to Purchase Express Bus Tickets on “Hassha Orai Net”

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Registering a “Hassha Orai Net” Member Account

To purchase tickets on the “Hassha Orai Net” website, you need a member account. It is recommended that you register an account in advance before tickets go on sale to avoid delays during the purchasing process. The method for registering a “Hassha Orai Net” member account is as follows:

1. After entering the main page of the 「Hassha Orai Net」 website, click the “会員登録” button in the upper right corner of the page to proceed to the membership agreement page.

2. At the very bottom of the membership agreement page, check the box next to “会員規約に同意する”, then click the “次の画面へ” button to proceed to the member registration page.

3. On the member registration page, fill in the following information, then click the “登録する” button to submit your registration application.

a. Account Password (パスワード) – Set by yourself;
b. Name (お名前) – Must be in Japanese Katakana. You can use this webpage for conversion;
c. Email Address (メールアドレス) – Enter twice. The email address will be used as your member account username;
d. Phone Number (お電話番号) – Foreign phone numbers are acceptable.

4. After submitting the registration application, a page confirming the submission will be displayed. Simultaneously, you will receive a confirmation email from “Hassha Orai Net”. Click the hyperlink in the email to verify that your email address is valid. Once verified, the member account registration process is complete.

After completing the member account registration, you can click the “ログイン” button in the upper right corner of the webpage and log in using the email address and password you registered with.

How to Purchase Shirakawa-go Illumination Bus Tickets on “Hassha Orai Net”

During the Shirakawa-go Illumination event held every January and February, Nohi Bus, Toyama Chihou Railway Bus, and Kaetsunou Bus operate limited-time Shirakawa-go Illumination Bus Tours. Tickets for these Gassho Village Illumination Buses can be purchased through the “Hassha Orai Net” website.

For detailed introductions and the latest information about these bus tours, please refer to the section titled 「Information on Bus Tours by Various Companies During the Shirakawa-go Illumination Event and How to Purchase Tickets」 within the main article 《Complete Guide to Shirakawa-go Illumination: Dates, Transportation, Ticketing, Accommodation, and Itinerary Planning》.

Below are the purchase pages on the “Hassha Orai Net” website and the sales start times for the Shirakawa-go Gassho Village Illumination Buses operated by each bus company in 2026:

Nohi Bus	Course A: Shirakawa-go Light-Up Bus	Course B: Shirakawa-go Light-Up Bus with Observatory Ticket (Includes Observatory Ticket)
Toyama Chihou Railway Bus	Gassho Village Strolling Course	Round-Trip Bus Course with Observatory Admission Ticket (Includes Observatory Ticket)
Kaetsunou Bus	Course A / Depart from Takaoka: Gassho Village Strolling Course	Course S / Depart from Takaoka: Course with Observatory Admission Ticket (Includes Observatory Ticket)

Note: Ticket purchase pages will only become accessible after sales begin.

Ticket Date	Sales Start Time (Japan Time)
January 12, 2026	October 3, 2025, 14:00 (2:00 PM)
January 18, 2026	October 10, 2025, 14:00 (2:00 PM)
January 25, 2026	October 17, 2025, 14:00 (2:00 PM)
February 1, 2026	October 24, 2025, 14:00 (2:00 PM)

Note: Last year, Nohi Bus’s Illumination Bus Tour tickets were also available for purchase on KKday.

[Limited Observatory Option] 2025 Light-Up Bus Half-Day Tour | Depart from Takayama・Guanteed Seat

The following purchasing guide uses the example of buying a ticket for the “S Observatory-bound Shuttle Bus Ticket Included Shirakawa-go Light-Up Bus (Depart from Takaoka)” tour operated by Kaetsunou Bus in 2021. The procedure for purchasing Nohi Bus’s Gassho Village Illumination Bus Tour tickets, or other types of sightseeing bus tour tickets, is essentially the same.

The process for purchasing tickets on the “Hassha Orai Net” website is divided into two steps: Reservation and Payment. After completing the reservation, immediate payment is not required; you just need to complete the payment before the specified deadline. Payment methods generally include online credit card payment, convenience store payment, payment at the bus company’s ticket office, etc. However, for purchasing Kaetsunou Bus tickets, only online credit card payment is available. (Note: The “Hassha Orai Net” website cannot be used for ticket purchases between 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM Japan Time each day.)

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1. Making a Reservation

1. After entering the main page of the 「Hassha Orai Net」 website, switch to the “定期観光バス” (Regular Sightseeing Bus) tab in the search bar at the top left. Then, set the departure region for the sightseeing bus (The departure region for Toyama Chihou Railway Bus and Kaetsunou Bus tours departing from Toyama City or Takaoka City in Toyama Prefecture is “Hokuriku”. The departure region for Nohi Bus tours departing from Takayama City in Gifu Prefecture is “Tokai”). Then, click the “検索する” button to search.

Note: Besides using the main page search bar, you can also directly go to the Hokuriku Region Regular Sightseeing Bus Ticket Reservation Page or the Tokai Region Regular Sightseeing Bus Ticket Reservation Page on the “Hassha Orai Net” website. Alternatively, you can click the purchase links for each bus company provided above to go directly to the purchase page.

2. On the search results page, find the Kaetsunou Bus tour “S Observatory-bound Shuttle Bus Ticket Included Shirakawa-go Light-Up Bus (Depart from Takaoka)” that you want to purchase, and click the “空席照会” (Seat Availability Check) button.

3. Move the calendar to the month of the date for which you want to purchase tickets, then click the button on the date. (Note: Only illumination dates will have clickable buttons. If tickets for that day are sold out, a red “満席” (Full) mark will be displayed. A green circle indicates many tickets are still available. An orange triangle indicates only a few tickets remain.)

4. Select the boarding location and the number of passengers, then click the “次の画面へ” (Next Page) button. (Note: If the bus information shows “座席指定不可”, it means you cannot choose your own seats. All Illumination Bus Tours do not allow self-seat selection.)

5. Enter the email address and password for your member account, then click the “次の画面へ” button to log in. (Note: If you have already logged into your account before Step 1, you do not need to log in again here.)

6. This page will display your member account information, including your name (in Katakana), email address, and phone number. You mainly need to ensure the email address (メールアドレス) is correct, as the ticket will be sent to this address. Additionally, this page shows the payment method and the final payment deadline (購入期限). Since purchasing Illumination Bus Tour tickets only allows online credit card payment, the payment method cannot be changed here. If purchasing other types of tickets, you can change the payment method here. Finally, double-check that the ticket information you are purchasing is correct, then click the “次の画面へ” button.

7. After confirming all details are correct, click the “予約を確定する” (Confirm Reservation) button to complete the ticket reservation.

After completing the reservation, your reservation details will be displayed. If you wish to pay immediately, click the “発車オーライネットで決済する” (Pay on Hassha Orai Net) button to proceed with payment. If you prefer to pay later, you can close the webpage for now.

After completing the reservation, you will also receive a confirmation email.

2. Payment

If you have confirmed that you want to purchase the tickets, you can log into your member account to make the payment. The payment deadline may vary for different tickets or bus companies. For Shirakawa-go Illumination Bus Tour tickets, the payment deadline is typically within 7 days after completing the reservation. Unpaid orders will be automatically canceled after the deadline.

1. After logging into your member account, click the “マイページ” (My Page) button in the upper right corner of the page to enter the My Page section.

2. On the My Page, you will see your reservation record. Click “決済する” (Pay/Settle). On the next page, click the “決済する” button again to proceed to payment.

3. Fill in your credit card details, including the cardholder’s name, credit card number, expiration date, and security code (CVC/CVV). Then, click the “決済する” button to complete the payment.

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3. Boarding the Bus

After payment is completed, you will receive an electronic ticket (e-ticket) sent by email from “Hassha Orai Net”. When boarding the bus, you simply need to present this e-ticket. You can print the e-ticket on paper or show the email on your phone. Alternatively, you can log into your member account and open the Mobile Ticket from your My Page.

The Kaetsunou Bus “S Observatory-bound Shuttle Bus Ticket Included Shirakawa-go Light-Up Bus (Depart from Takaoka)” tour includes a shuttle bus ticket to the Tenshukaku Observatory. This ticket will be distributed by the bus driver when you board in Takaoka.

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4. Canceling a Reservation

After making a ticket reservation, you can cancel it at any time. If canceled before payment, no fee is charged. However, if canceled after payment, a handling fee of 100 yen per person will be charged. The method to cancel a reservation is: After logging into your member account, click “予約取消” (Cancel Reservation) next to your reservation record on the My Page. Then, on the next page, click the “予約を取り消す” (Cancel Reservation) button to confirm the cancellation.

How to Purchase Express Bus Tickets on “Hassha Orai Net”

The steps for purchasing express bus tickets on the “Hassha Orai Net” website are also divided into two parts: Reservation and Payment. Immediate payment is not required after completing the reservation; you just need to complete the payment before the specified deadline. After payment is completed, you will receive an electronic ticket, which you simply need to present when boarding the bus. Since the operations for payment, boarding, and cancellation are identical to those described above for sightseeing bus tours, they will not be repeated here. This section will only cover the process of reserving express bus tickets.

The following guide uses the example of purchasing an express bus ticket from Osaka to Arima Onsen. The procedure for purchasing tickets for other express bus routes (e.g., Shirakawa-go buses) is basically the same. However, please note that not all tickets allow seat selection. For example, express buses traveling between Takayama, Shirakawa-go, and Kanazawa do not allow self-seat selection.

1. On the main page of the 「Hassha Orai Net」 website, under the “高速バス” (Express Bus) tab in the search bar at the top left, set the departure point, destination, and travel date. Then, click the “検索する” button to search.

Tips: Since the search bar only allows setting prefecture-level areas for departure and destination, the search results might show a large number of bus options. You can narrow down the results by entering the specific destination in the “停留所絞り込み” (Filter by Stop) field. For example, entering “有馬” will only show bus options for Arima Onsen.

2. In the search results, find the specific bus departure you want to purchase, and click the “片道予約” (One-Way Reservation) button.

Note: The bus information will use icons to indicate basic features, such as the number of seats per row, availability of WiFi, availability of a toilet, etc. It will also show whether seat selection is possible. If you see the “座席指定可能” icon, it means you can select your seat during purchase.

3. Select the boarding and alighting stops, and the number of passengers. Then, click the “次の画面へ” button.

4. If you are not logged into your member account, you will need to enter the email address and password associated with your account, then click the “次の画面へ” button to log in.

5. This page will display the ticket purchaser’s name (in Katakana), email address, and phone number. These details are from your member account registration but can be modified. The name and phone number are generally not critical, but the email address (メールアドレス) must be correct, as the e-ticket will be sent to this address. Additionally, this page shows the payment method and the final payment deadline (購入期限). The default payment method is credit card online payment, but you can change it to payment at a convenience store in Japan. If the bus has the “座席指定可能” (Seat Reservation Available) indicator, you can click the “座席指定をする” button to select your seat.

6. After selecting your seat, click the “決定する” button and then the “次の画面へ” button.

7. After confirming that the ticket details are correct, click the “予約を確定する” button to complete the ticket reservation.

After completing the reservation, your ticket reservation details will be displayed. To pay immediately, click the “発車オーライネットで決済する” button. If you prefer to pay later, you can simply close the webpage for now. (Note: For payment instructions, you can refer to the section above on purchasing sightseeing bus tour tickets.)

After completing the reservation, you will also receive a confirmation email.