Travelling to Nozawa Onsen, Japan
We’ve prepared a table of the most popular ways to get from Narita International Airport (near Tokyo) to our location in the northern part of Nagano, 300km away.
We recommend the bullet train for anyone arriving before 5pm who wishes to stay in Nozawa Onsen that night. We are more than happy to help you with your travel arrangements to Nozawa. We can also make the Nagano Snow Shuttle and Chuo Taxi reservations for you!
Coming from Osaka is relatively easy by train and you need to allow between 4 – 5 hours.
Bullet Train
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Nagano Snow
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Chuo Taxi
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Bus
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| Skyliner #8 to Ueno Train Station (45 min) |
Narita Airport direct to Altitude Nozawa Departs: |
Narita Airport direct to Altitude Nozawa | Shinjuku To Nagano (3.5 mins) |
| Hokuriku-Shinkansen to Iiyama (109 min) |
Nagano to Nozawa (Last Bus Departs 16:10) |
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| Express Bus #20 To Nozawa Onsen |
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Convert Yen to your currency:
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| Trains: 10,890 Yen |
Adult fare: 10,900 Yen |
Adult fare: 12,900 Yen |
Adult fare: 5,500 Yen |
| Express Bus: Adult: 700 Yen Child: 350 yen |
Adult fare: 10,900 Yen |
Child fare: 9,100 Yen |
Child fare: 2,750 Yen |
* You may be required to wait at the airport for up to 1.5 hours for the taxi to depart
BULLET TRAIN
Quickest way to get to Nozawa Onsen and affordable for those with JR rail passes. There's 3 connections, but they're well synchronized.
- Catch the Narita Express to Tokyo Train Station
- Transfer through to the Shinkansen terminals marked with green train symbol and catch the Asama Shinkansen. The Asuma bullet trains generally runs every 30 minutes during the day.
- At Iliyama Station, go to the main exit and find bus stop #20. Catch the bus to Nozawa Onsen. This bus leaves every 30 - 40 minutes from 8:45 to 21:15 and costs 700 yen. If you arrive into Ilyama after the last bus you can catch a taxi and the cost would be around 5,000 yen.
The Snow Shuttle has multiple departures from Narita Airport every day being 9:30am, 12:45pm, 3:30pm & 8:30pm from December 18th to March 15th*
Door to door service like the Chuo shared taxi is possible for 1,000 yen per person more and is mandatory for the last service of the day that arrives at 1am in the monring.
We can make the Nagano Snowshuttle reservation for you and arrange a late night check in simply provide us the names of those travelling with you and your flight number.
* Some services operate between 26th December and 23rd February.
Hassle Free transfer to Nozawa Onsen.
Although not the cheapest option, a shared taxi will meet you at the airport and drop you directly to Nozawa Onsen. Convenient for families with children as it saves you from navigating around train stations and lugging your luggage around. Prices are set per person and no discount is provided if a return ticket is purchased. Bookings do need to be made 5 days prior. View their website for more info.
Best option for one way trips and for those who do not purchase a JR Rail pass.
Easy and affordable (4,850 yen one way) to get from Tokyo to Nagano. Be careful as there is a limited number of departures per day (6 per day 3 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon, see timetable below) The ride is generally 4 hours with two rest stops on the way if there is no traffic jams. During holidays and weekend commuting times, be prepared for delayed times.
To find the bus terminal, exit Shinjuku Station on the west side and follow the signs, or exit on the street level and cross the street and turn left, go one block and turn right. The terminal is across from Yodabashi Camera.
Check out the Alpico website for additional information.
Route Option #1 - South and West part of Tokyo
- Take the Chuo Expressway to the Okaya Junction and then turn onto the Nagano Expressway following the signs to Nagano.
- At Noagano switch to the Nagano Expressway and continue on the highway and take the Exit number 16 for Toyota & Ilyama there has recently been a small Nozawa Onsen sign added to the bottom of the existing sign.
Route Option #2 - North and East Tokyo
- Take the Kanetsu Expressway to the Fujioka Junction and then turn onto the Joshinetsu Expressway following the Nagano signs.
- At Nagano switch to the Nagano Expressway and continue on the highway and take the Exit number 16 for Toyota & Ilyama there has recently been a small Nozawa Onsen sign added to the bottom of the existing sign.