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No disrespect yamayamayama but being a first time driver between the two places I was hoping for more detail like route numbers. From what you said do I get back on the Joshinetsu expressway at Toyoda Iiyama I.C., get off at Nagano then look for street signs to Hakuba in Nagano city? Cheers

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Sorry I don't know many names but it is easy. There is no expressway needed.

 

Take Route 117 from Nozawa to Nagano. Easy road.

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/maps/snow-jap...nozawa-map.html

 

The road then goes through Nagano and once you pass the main city area you will turn right onto a road that takes you to Hakuba (it is signposted). You'll end up approaching Hakuba on 406 as below

 

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/maps/snow-jap...hakuba-map.html

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 Quote:
Originally posted by yamayamayama:
Sorry I don't know many names but it is easy. There is no expressway needed.

Take Route 117 from Nozawa to Nagano. Easy road.
http://www.snowjapan.com/e/maps/snow-jap...nozawa-map.html

The road then goes through Nagano and once you pass the main city area you will turn right onto a road that takes you to Hakuba (it is signposted). You'll end up approaching Hakuba on 406 as below

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/maps/snow-jap...hakuba-map.html
NO NO NO do not take that 406 road, it's a nightmare, well sketchy, narrow with big drops over the side of it, it's not the right road to hakuba at all, seriously i don't reccommend driving along there eek.gif

You should take route 19 right through nagano city and keep on following the signs from there, it's also the same road from nagano to matsumoto, but it splits off to hakuba just before the toll road. This is the olympic road, i think it's called route 31 or something, anyway there are plenty of signs..... just don't go up the 406 (there are no english signposts on that road anyway)
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I once drove along that 406 road in autumn at night, and i know i have a tendency to exaggerate stuff, but i thought i was gonna die or something ---- holy moly it was scary! The drive in from nagano is epic, over massive ravines into tunnels in rockfaces, then the houses and cars disappear, signs are all in kanji, there are wild animals lurking, it's narrow and winding with huge drops off the side, then about 5 hours later you see the lights of hakuba and wonder where the landing strip is because it looks like the view from a fecking aeroplane!!! eek.gif

 

Saying that i drove up this road a little bit the other day to get a good view of the sun going down over the mountains, but not far enough to hit the gnar factor.

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Thanks ebc. Looks like I'll be avoiding route 406. Will be doing the drive in the evening so thanks for the forewarning. Now I'm kinda interested in seeing route 406 for myself in the future, though. I love those wild, winding mountain roads with the sheer drops that you get in Japan. Maybe one day in the summer. Not to be messed with in the winter by the sound of it.

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It is easy. And you have Shiga Kogen in between as well (well, before Nagano going from Nozawa). What a lovely triangle they got going there. Count Myoko and you got a square.

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I drove the 406 last year at night in feb and had some real scary moments on my summer tires especially on the way down into the valley. It had been raining that day and the road was freezing over. It took me almost 2 hours.

I guess it is a real nice scenic route during daytime.

 

You really should avoid it.

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Sorry, but 406 is easy to drive and the fastest way to Hakuba. it took me less than 2 hours this january from Nagano City, at night.

sure it is a little windy and narrow, but not dangerous in any way.

 

just go!

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