coolboarderguy 0 Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 Hi All, anyone know the cost/travel time, from Shinjuku to either Niigata or Nagano areas.? On a rather tight budget. Link to post Share on other sites
SnowConnection 0 Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 I would say it is difficult for non-Japnase speaking people to use long-distance buses in Japan. All (guidances, signs, etc.) are in Japanese. Japanese only. No English. Don't imagine the bus stations/stops as US/Canda Greyhoud ones. Sometimes, there are no signs be addressed as "just in front of xxx building." Sometimes, even for native Japanese, it would be tough work to find out the local bus stops at the 1st visit. Some Gaijins would say it is easy. But, it is rare happy cases, or he/she can speak/read Japanese very well. Then, you want to challenge "Kousoku Bus" (long-distance express bus), please click this Japanese web site. http://www.bus.or.jp/kousoku/ I would suggest the bus for Nagano leaves from Shinjyuku, but the bus for Niigata leaves from Ikebukuro. Link to post Share on other sites
amandanism 0 Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 i just posted this in the other thread. you can take a bus from shinjuku-to the hakuba resorts (goryu and happo). the schedule is: http://www.alpico.jp/access/express/hakuba_shinjuku/index_e.html and it is 8500 yen return. ive done the overnight a few times. leaves at around 10:30pm and drops you off at a road below goryu (you have to carry your stuff up a hill) at 5:30am. its not recommended for everyone. its a long ride (2 hours or so longer than the other departure times) and if you get a crowded bus its bloody uncomfortable. but it atleast gets you there for a full day of riding. the shelter with the locker rooms and bathrooms at goryu is open fairly early (as far as i remember) so you can atleast be inside until the hill opens. oh and i also dont speak japanese and managed fairly easily. the bus drops you off and there is a Goryu sign pointing you up the hill. Link to post Share on other sites
amandanism 0 Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 oh and i forgot to mention...im not sure if the bus DOES go up to the top to drop you right outside hakuba goryu. ive always just gotten off at the bottom and i cant seem to remember seeing the bus drive up or continue along the main road. Link to post Share on other sites
SnowConnection 0 Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 manda, I am very interested in how you reserved an ALPICO bus and how you paid the fare from your country (Canada). Were you OK on telephone reservaton? Did they accept your credit card ? (Some Japanese travel operaters refuse credit cards issued outside Japan.) If you do not mind, please tell me. Link to post Share on other sites
Kraut_in_HongKong 0 Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Do you buy the tickets in advance or 'as you enter'? There is a link to here: https://www.highwaybus.com - but all in Japanese. And a phone number: 03-5376-2222(9:00-18:00) I hope somebody can help a non-japanese soul! Link to post Share on other sites
cmack500 0 Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Does anyone know the line that gets you to Niigata via bus? I saw the link above to an english bus website but unsure if that is to Niigata or not. Is the JTB helpful in any way? Link to post Share on other sites
amandanism 0 Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 i didnt reserve and i was already in japan (staying for 4 weeks or so) so my schedule was fairly flexible. i just rolled up and bought a ticket (in cash) so im afraid i am absolutley no help in buying off the phone. i did mainly day trips during the week. i guess it would be a little harder to time your trip and more necessary to reserve a bus ticket in advance if you were flying in, taking the bus and had accomodation booked for that night. sorry i cant help! Link to post Share on other sites
alferg 0 Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 i've been researching all this too. this company does narita airport <> nozawa & nartia airport <> hakuba http://www.chuotaxi.co.jp/ booking request form http://www.chuotaxi.co.jp/air/mail_nr.html (click on revervation in english) there is someone there who types good english. they might do shinjuku > nagano too - im not sure. but... they are pretty slow... they said approx 7 hrs for hakuba > narita, while by train its more like 4.5hrs... so i think we are getting the train. but they are pretty fast for narita > nozawa - only 45 min slower than the train apparently. Link to post Share on other sites
Kraut_in_HongKong 0 Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 low pressure lover What's the Hakuba>Narita cost? Any idea? Looks like a taxi service, should be really expensive, right? Link to post Share on other sites
alferg 0 Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 The fare is 12,500Yen per person for one way. its door to door, so thats not bad i reckon. we r using it narita > nozawa, & its 9000 yen - which i think is slightly cheaper than the train. Link to post Share on other sites
SnowConnection 0 Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 > manda wrote: > i didnt reserve and i was already in japan > (staying for 4 weeks or so) so my schedule was > fairly flexible. i just rolled up and bought a > ticket (in cash) so im afraid i am absolutley > no help in buying off the phone. manda, thank you for your posting. Basically, Japan major travel agencies and ticket offices do not accept credit cards issued outside Japan. Cash payment is welcome. HIS does not accept c/c except their brand c/c. Keio expressbus shinjyuku office does not accept c/c. At this point, I can find NO WAY that people outside Japan reserve/buy express bus tickets from their home countries. For getting a credit card issued in Japan, he/she must be a residential person having a Japan bank account. Link to post Share on other sites
amandanism 0 Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 im not too familiar with the issue but do tourists usually pre-book shinkansen tickets too? or do they buy tickets just before they board the train? if time allows im sure you can go into the bus station ticket office the day before you leave and buy a ticket. Link to post Share on other sites
SnowConnection 0 Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 > manda wrote: > do tourists usually pre-book shinkansen tickets > too? or do they buy tickets just before they > board the train? Yes, mostly it is the later. People in Japan think they have to make reservation of transportation on Y/E&Y/B week and on OBON week. Usually, they buy tickets just before they board the train. The issue comes when a foreigh traveler wants to fix his/her schedule "exactly". Link to post Share on other sites
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