Hakuba train

[johndknm 0]

Hi all. Can I please check a few things for our Japan expedition to Hakuba.

 

Is this current?

http://www.inhakuba.com/access/info-train-tokyo-nagano.php

 

There seem to be lots of options to get to Hakuba.

 

Thirdly should we just take the bus from Shinjuku station and be done with it ? ~11000Y with a lift ticket.

 

Finally, ski-in ski-out at Happone is possible/convenient? and what is Echoland?

 

Soooo looking forward to this trip....I missed this year skiing! And its time for new boots too...Xwave9's here i come...

 

Tia

jd

[dizzy 0]

Hi Fool. first trip to Hakuba?

 

Is that an Aussie site? looks suspicious, especially b/c the last bus to Hakuba from Nagano St. IS NOT 8:30 in the morning; that's the first bus.

 

you could try using the search function under POST A REPLY

 

you could also look here

 

more or less the exactly same questions three weeks ago

[Fattwins 0]

dizzy be nice.

 

best value is the jr east flexible 4 day pass. take the skink or the super azusa

[fb_steve 0]

Get the bus, it's the key. Cheap, easy, not a bad trip too!

[dizzy 0]

be nice? i was. my post was not intended to be mean. i was just pointing out the different options fool has.

 

if you take the bus from shinjuku, fool, yes you can get a lift pass included for 11,000 or 8,500 depending on the dates. will take more time than the shinkansen/bullet train. will also take about ten-fifteen minutes walking (w/ all your gear) to the bus stop from shinjuku station. but the bus stop is easy enough to find.

[johndknm 0]

Thanks. Walking 10-15 with gear and baby is a no go - 2 sets skis, full gear, plus baby/bits hoofing it will give me a heart attack . So the bus is out.

 

Dizzy I see we joined SJ about the same time. You will be interested to know I have in fact found the search button and spent many hours on these forums care of said button. There are a great many hits on Hakuba and I missed the bus/train one. Sorry, my bad. Im lucky everyone here is friendly and we all love skiing.

 

Everyone has a first trip to somewhere sometime and Im a detail man. Often I do the organising for my friends. Not all you see is current regarding Japan links for skiing, and the english info I can get can sometimes be misleading/badly translated. I trust you guys here way more than google or other english sites about hakuba.

 

Thanks FT I didnt know the super azusa is an option practically speaking - weve only Asama'd before. We talked and baby on bus for 5 hrs might be ugly. Baby on train is ok. Baby on train with fewer train changes is even better. I think the super azusa seems about an hour longer than the shinkansen to Nagano and a bus. No bus/change and an extra hour on a non ski day is okay by us.

 

Jr east flexible pass also means that god forbid should I have to bail for business reasons its an easy thing. Kids on laps <1 are free i believe.

 

We at least 2 of us would be keen for Evergreen assistance/lessons/guiding when we are there. We have not done avie stuff but do like trees and advanced terrain. The more fogged/snowy the better is our motto ; ) Those sunglasses days are for the locals.

 

Jr east past appears to cover the narita express to Shinjuku which is a welcome bonus. We will overnight somewhere near shinjuku i guess or overnight at Narita and do the big leg the next day.

 

We will get in at around 8pm Friday Narita i think and we want to be at Hakuba on the saturday. I think we ski Sunday. Do you think Takkyubin ?sp from Narita will get our gear there for the Sunday am? or should we carry it? Love that black cat, wish he would come to aus somehow I dont think the staff would be as committed )!

 

Oh and will they be open at Narita at 9pm at night??

 

tia

[sunrise 0]

I'm almost certain they'll be open but I'm not sure if you'd get it by Sunday am. It's possible, though, but since it's a late arrival you mightn't get it till Monday. Takkyubin normally takes 2 days from Tokyo to get to Hakuba if you send it before they pick up.

 

But from Narita they will pick up early next morning. I've arrived at 6.30am in the morning from Oz on numerous occasions and have takkyubinned my stuff and it's arrived in Tokyo the same day (usually it should come the next day). So because of this I think it could be possible, cos I assume they pick up early in the mornings but I'd definitely want to find out more in advance before taking that risk. I have no idea if they pick up in the evenings.

 

If you call the companies yourself you can usually find someone speaking English you could ask. Try searching for Yamato or yamato-Kuroneko, and Sagawa. You'll find them on the web or at least Yamato is there, in Japanese, but with English phone numbers. Hopefully not just freedial numbers.

[johndknm 0]

Thanks. Sounds too risky- i would think unlikely. Ive tried phoning Japan at various times and if the person doesnt speak engris its a very short conversation "learn to speak Japanese in the car" only goes so far. its a short trip. last time we were there no one at the counter had any english- we had japanese address. we managed. they were very helpful as has everyone we have met there.

[misorano 1]

Fool:

I'd go straight to the source for info.

For baggage see here

 

For trains see jr eact

 

For buses see alpico page

These will be updated before the ski season

[Markie 0]

I really like the Narita-Shinjuku-Matsumoto-Hakuba train-all-the-way route. The train ride from Matsumoto to Hakuba especially, on that slow, out-dated train, with fantastic views of the lakes and mountains.

However, not to be recommended if you don't have the hands to drag your luggage from train to train while holding your baby.

[johndknm 0]

Thanks! Especially the links to the takkyubin opening hrs in english!

 

The alpico page I have found and thats how I figured out the time from Nagano to Hakuba. I think we used them last time to get to Noz.

 

The super azusa run has a single change option at matsumoto. I guess we will just have to cope with one train change. Bbay Bjorn will help. We have been donkeys before..

 

http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/

tells me that there is an azusa #3 train with no change at 730am all the way to Hakuba (no matsumoto change).

 

But I dont find this on http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi

 

Its a saturday? Perhaps the morning direct run doesnt go on a saturday?

 

And JTB has an office down the road from us to give us an exchange voucher for the JReast passes Japanese tourists are quite a prominant local feature on the Gold Coast In fact the best currency exchange rates are the local mob (way better than the banks! and they always have plenty of Yen) Kings on Elkhorn ave iirc

 

One of the other threads has timetable links but the JR east site doesnt seem too.

[skidaisuki 0]

The highway buses can and do get delayed in the season, especially if there's snow or road congestion on the way. Super Azusa is surprisingly slow given the fact it's a direct train. Shinkansen to Nagano connecting to a bus to Nagano is the best way to go - though it isn't the budget option.

 

Be careful to identify the nearest bus stop to your hotel / pension in Hakuba - it is a long town, so a mistake can mean wasting quite a lot of time to get back.

 

Enjoy

[dizzy 0]

if my first post sounded rude, i am sorry. it wasn't meant to be sarcastic. i'll be more careful with my wordings

[dizzy 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by phool:
http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/
tells me that there is an azusa #3 train with no change at 730am all the way to Hakuba (no matsumoto change).

But I dont find this on http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi

Its a saturday? Perhaps the morning direct run doesnt go on a saturday?

One of the other threads has timetable links but the JR east site doesnt seem too.

the jorudan site is more reliable than the JR site. Azusa No. 3 should be running daily.
never heard of the hyperdia tho.

[keba 0]

Phool, I like the sound of the Asuza #3, that solves a lot of the carrying-the-baby-stuff problems. If it runs daily, I'd be prepared to set the alarm clock to get to the station on time... There are plenty of hotel rooms around Shinjuku Station as well.

[keba 0]

Oops, forgot to update profile. I only wish I was in Niseko...

[misorano 1]

Super Azusa 11 is operating daily

Leaves Shinjuku at 10:00 gets into Hakuba at13:44

 

Azusa#3 operates weekdays at the moment leaving Shinjuku at 7:30 getting into Hakuba at 11:27

 

If you are arriving at Narita Airport then your easiest option is to take a bus/train to Chiba and spend the night there as Azusa #3 leaves from Chiba at 6:38AM. As the train makes a few stops between Chiba and Shinjuku it may be quite full by the time it gets to Shinjuku.

[johndknm 0]

thanks for the heads up on chiba. no seat for 4 hrs and 2 babies is not a good thing... unfortunately we cannot get there weekdays so I guess the Azusa 3 is out.

 

do you think one of those luv hotels would let us in with an 8 month old??

[keba 0]

Only to be intercepted by Family Services on the way out?. No thanks.

[soubriquet 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by phool:
do you think one of those luv hotels would let us in with an 8 month old??

I'm sure it would be no problem. They don't inspect you as you go in and out. At least, the one we visited didn't.

[keba 0]

Don't even think about it Phool...

[bushpig 0]

who's gonna report you? The love hotel industry runs on the premise of discretion and privacy for customers who don't want it known where and with whom they are sneaking off for a romantic romp. I really can't see them or anyone nearby calling family services (if there even is an equivalent here) on you.

[fjef 0]

Japan has an equivalent of Family Services?

[keba 0]

I'm absoluetly certain that Phool was just kidding about staying in a Love Hotel... right, Phool? We are travelling with our wives, babies and a nanny. The love hotel will not be appropriate for us, I think.

[soubriquet 0]

I think the nanny would be a problem. A love hotel is simply an hotel. In my limited experience, you get a room with a large bed, and a bathroom. I would be quite happy to stay in one with partner and one or two infants.