The Nagano region is now well-known
internationally as being the venue for the 1998 Nagano Winter
Olympics. The prefecture boasts some excellent ski and
snowboard resorts with a great combination of excellent
snow, terrain and modern facilities. Travel in the
prefecture relies mainly on the JR lines, which run
parallel to the Japan Alps from north to south and
buses.
It is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Tokyo Station to
Nagano Station by JR Nagano Shinkansen Line.
It takes about 2 hours 40 minutes from Shinjuku
Station (Tokyo) to Matsumoto Station by JR Chuo Honsen
Limited Express. If you are coming from Osaka or Nagoya,
it is about 51 minutes from Shin Osaka Station to Nagoya
Station on the JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line, and about 2
hours from Nagoya Station to Matsumoto Station on the JR
Chuo Honsen Limited Express. Matsumoto airport has
flights to Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Osaka and Sapporo. There
are also regular buses between Matsumoto and Shinjuku in
Tokyo that get you there in 3 hours and 45 minutes,
Osaka in 5 hours and 30 minutes, and Nagoya in 3 hours
and 30 minutes.
Take a limited express on JR Chuo Main Line from
Shinjuku Station (in Tokyo) for 2 hours and 40 minutes
to Matsumoto Station, and then take a limited express on
JR Oito Line for 55 minutes from Matsumoto Station to
Hakuba Station. Otari is also on the Oito line, just a
bit further to the north of Hakuba.
The Oku-shiga-kogen bus stop is about 1 hour and 10
minutes from Yudanaka Station on the Nagano Railway Bus.
Yudanaka Station is about 40 Minutes from Nagano Station
by Limited Express on the Nagano Dentetsu Line. Nagano
Station is about 1 Hour and 55 Minutes from Tokyo
Station on the JR Nagano Shinkansen Line.
Take the JR Joetsu Nagano Shinkansen Line for 1 hour
and 20 minutes from Tokyo Station to Karuizawa Station.
If you are coming from Osaka, take JR Tokaido Shinkansen
Line for 2 hours and 30 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station
to Tokyo Station. The JR Shin-etsu Honsen line takes 2
hours from Ueno station in Tokyo. Continuing onto Nagano
on the same line takes 1-½ hours if you do it by local
train and 50 minutes by limited express.
Take the JR Joetsu and Nagano Shinkansen Line for 1
hour and 55 minutes from Tokyo Station to Nagano. Then
take a bus for 1 hour from Nagano Station to Togakushi
Chusha. If you are going to the Kurohime Heights and
Lake Nojiri-ko, take the JR Shinetsu Main Line for 25
minutes from Nagano Station to Kurohime Station.
Matsumoto is 2 Hours 40 Minutes from Shinjuku Station
by Limited Express by JR Chuo Honsen Line. It takes 30
Minutes by the Matsumoto Dentetsu Kamikochi Line to get
from Matsumoto Station to Shin-shimashima Station. A
Matsumoto Dentetsu bus takes 40 Minutes from Shin-shimashima
Station to Odakimae or 55 Minutes to Shirahone-onsen Hot
Spring.
It takes about 2 hours from Shinjuku Station to
Kobuchizawa Station on the JR Chuo Honsen Limited
Express, and about 25 minutes from Kobuchizawa Station
to Kiyosato Station by JR Koumi Line.
It is about 2 hours 20 minutes from Shinjuku Station
to Kami Suwa Station by JR Chuo Honsen Limited Express.
It takes 2 hours and 20 minutes from Shinjuku Station
(Tokyo) to Okaya Station on the JR Chuo Honsen Limited
Express. From there it is one hour 10 minutes from Okaya
Station to Komagane Station on the JR Iida Line. If you
are coming from Osaka, it is about one hour 50 minutes
from Shin-Osaka Station to Toyohashi Station by JR
Tokaido Shinkansen Line. Continue on for 3 hours and 40
minutes from Toyohashi Station to Komagane Station by JR
Iida Line.
Take the JR Chuo
Main Line for 50 minutes from Nagoya Station to
Nakatsugawa Station. Then go by bus for 30 minutes from
Nakatsugawa Station to Magome.
