Bus650

It’s no secret that there are tons of densha otaku, or train nerds, (and tons of different types as well) in Japan. And with the wide range of trains zipping around the country, it’s totally understandable. But what about bus nerds? Do they even exist?

Well, while we haven’t actually met anyone who claims to be a bus nerd, this new product from the Tokyu Bus Corporation makes us think they must be out there. And if you’re a bus nerd, you’ll be happy to know that you can now have your own authentic “stop” button at home! But you’ll have to put it together yourself.

This realistic Tokyu Bus Stop Button Construction Kit can be yours for only 3,000 yen (about US$28), which might seem like a lot for a button that lights up and plays back audio recordings, but it is, apparently, an exact replica as what you would find on one of these.

Bus (6)Wikipedia (Linearcity)

In addition to having an insanely detailed Wikipedia page, the Tokyu Bus Coproration is the bus company that services a large portion of the Kanto area, including Tokyo. If you’ve been on a public transportation bus in Tokyo, Yokohama, or Kawasaki, it was probably operated by the Tokyu Bus Corporation. As such, you should probably recognize the button pictured below.

Bus (5)Yahoo! Auction

Seeing a gap in the home public transportation market, Tokyu Bus has started producing these buttons which, after being assembled by the owner, will light up when pressed. They’ll also play messages–including those you’ve recorded yourself. Now we’re not saying that you should go riding on buses to collect a bunch of different announcements to play back with these buttons–but we are saying that if you do decide to do that, you’ll be our hero.

Bus (1)Yahoo! Auction

In addition to the button and the adorable bus box, the kit comes with everything pictured above. It looks like the guide isn’t too complicated, so we doubt you’ll need an engineering degree to get it working. Though it may finally give you an opportunity to put your Ikea skills to use! If you were really clever, you could probably even hook this up as your door bell, but we’re guessing that’s not in the instruction booklet.

Bus (2)

If you want to the button in action, here’s a very short YouTube clip showing it off.

Well, it might not be the most eye-catching creation ever, it does look pretty cool. Though we’re not sure about the price tag; for 3,000 yen, we’d expect it come with a week-long bus pass too!

The kit is available on-line on Tokyu Style, where it costs an extra 800 yen for postage, though sadly it looks like they only ship domestically. If you find yourself in Tokyo, however, the kits can be purchased at the Tokyu Bus and Train Museum, the Tokyu Bus Shibuya Information Desk, or the Tokyu Bus Musashi-kosugi Information Desk starting on October 21. Kind of a hike for a self-assembly button, sure, but we know you bus otaku won’t let a mere plane ride get in the way of a gizmo as wonderful as this!

Sources: Tokyu Bus, ITMedia, Tokyu Style
Images: Tokyu Bus, Yahoo! Auction