Access to Nagano
Access to Nagano is remarkably easy, and in a quick 1 hour and 20 minutes you can escape the concrete jungle of Tokyo and find yourself surrounded by mountains. Shinkansen bullet trains and expressway buses connect Japan’s major metropolitan areas with most of Nagano’s cities, and from these cities you can take a local train or bus to explore the rest of the prefecture’s destinations. Renting a car (make sure to specify snow tires and 4WD for winter driving) or using taxis can add flexibility. If coming straight from Narita or Haneda Airports, consider using an airport shuttle. Matsumoto Airport offers daily flights to and from Kobe, Fukuoka, and Sapporo.
Tokyo ⇔ Nagano
Train
Additional stops in Nagano Prefecture include Karuizawa, Sakudaira, Ueda, and Iiyama.
An average of three trains depart per hour, bound for either Nagano or Kanazawa. All trains bound for Kanazawa also stop at Nagano Station.
Bus / Car
From Shinjuku, Ikebukuro or Akihabara, take an expressway bus operated by Alpico Kotsu or WILLER. Buses depart once an hour. Night buses are also available.
Nagoya ⇔ Nagano
Train
Take the JR Limited Express Shinano. Slight delays common.
Bus / Car
Take the Syoei Kotsu (Japanese site) night bus.
Kyoto, Osaka ⇔ Nagano
Train
From Kyoto Station or Shin-Osaka Station, take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya (35 to 70 min), then transfer to the JR Limited Express Shinano and get off at Nagano Station (3 hr).
Bus / Car
From Osaka or Kyoto, take a night expressway bus operated by Alpico Kotsu or Syoei Kotsu (Japanese site) and get off at Nagano Station in about 7 to 8 hours.
Kanazawa ⇔ Nagano
Train
Additional stops include Toyama, Joetsu Myoko and Iiyama, depending on the shinkansen.
Tokyo ⇔ Matsumoto
Train
From Shinjuku Station, take the Limited Express Azusa to Matsumoto Station. The train passes through the Mt. Fuji area. Additional stops include Chino, Kami-Suwa, Shimo-Suwa, Okaya, and Shiojiri.
Bus / Car
From Shinjuku, take an expressway bus operated by Alpico Kotsu to Matsumoto Bus Terminal. Buses depart hourly.
Nagoya ⇔ Matsumoto
Train
Take the JR Limited Express Shinano. Slight delays common.
Bus / Car
Take an expressway bus operated by Alpico Kotsu to Matsumoto Bus Terminal. Several buses depart each day.
Kyoto,Osaka ⇔ Matsumoto
Train
From Kyoto Station or Shin-Osaka Station, take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya (35 to 70 min), then transfer to the JR Limited Express Shinano and get off at Matsumoto Station (2 hr).
Bus / Car
From Kyoto or Osaka, take an expressway bus operated by Alpico Kotsu and Syoei Kotsu (Japanese site) and arrive in Matsumoto in 6.5 to 7.5 hours. Several buses depart each day. Night buses also available.
Hida-Takayama ⇔ Matsumoto
Bus / Car
Take an express bus operated by Alpico Kotsu or Nohi Bus. Several buses depart each day.
Tokyo ⇔ Hakuba
Train
From Tokyo Station, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train to Nagano Station (80 min), then transfer to an express bus to Hakuba (60 min).
Bus / Car
From Shinjuku, take the Alpico Kotsu bus to Hakuba. Several buses depart each day. Night buses also available.
Nagoya ⇔ Hakuba
Train
Take the Limited Express Shinano to Matsumoto (120 min), then transfer to the Limited Express Azusa bound for Minami-Otari (60 min, one train per day) or the local Oito line train (100 min).
Kyoto,Osaka ⇔ Hakuba
Train
From Kyoto Station or Shin-Osaka Station, take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya (35 to 70 min), then transfer to the Limited Express Shinano to Matsumoto Station (120 min). From there, take the Limited Express Azusa bound for Minami-Otari (60 min, one train per day) or local Oito train (100 min).
Tokyo ⇔ Iida, Komagane and Ina
Train
From Tokyo Station, take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Toyohashi Station (about 130 min). From there, for Iida Station, take the Limited Express Inaji (150 min); for Komagane Station or Inashi Station, take the Limited Express Inaji and get off at Tenryukyo Station (140 min), then change to the local Iida line until your destination (115 to 150 min).
From Shinjuku Station, take the Limited Express Azusa bound for Matsumoto and get off at Okaya Station (140 min), then transfer to the Iida Line and get off at Inashi Station (52 min), Komagane Station (65 min) or Iida Station (155 min).
The Iida Line is a rural railway with a nostalgic atmosphere but is inconvenient as it operates infrequently.
Bus / Car
From Tokyo, take an expressway bus operated by Shinnan Kotsu or Ina Bus to Ina (3 hr 15 min), Komagane (3 hr 30 min) or Iida (4 hr 15 min).
For this route, buses are more convenient than trains.
Nagoya ⇔ Iida, Komagane and Ina
Train
Take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Toyohashi Station (30 min). From there, for Iida Station, take the Limited Express Inaji (150 min); for Komagane Station or Inashi Station, take the Limited Express Inaji and get off at Tenryukyo Station (140 min), then change to the local Iida line until your destination (115 to 150 min).
Bus / Car
Take an expressway bus operated by Meitetsu Bus (Japanese site), Shinnan Kotsu, or Ina Bus to Iida (130 min), Komagane (155 min) or Ina (185 min). Several buses depart each day for Iida. Other buses go as far as Ina via Komagane.
Kyoto, Osaka ⇔ Iida, Komagane and Ina
Train
There are two options depending on your schedule. For Iida, option 1 is almost always faster.
- 1. From Kyoto or Shin-Osaka Station, take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Toyohashi Station (70 to 100 min). From there, for Iida Station, take the Limited Express Inaji (150 min); for Komagane Station or Inashi Station, take the Limited Express Inaji and get off at Tenryukyo Station (140 min), then change to the local Iida line until your destination (115 to 150 min).
- 2. From Kyoto or Shin-Osaka Station, take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya Station (35 to 70 min). Then, transfer to the Limited Express Shinano and get off at Shiojiri Station (115 min). Take the Chuo Main line train to Tatsuno Station (25 min), then transfer to the Iida line and get off Inashi (30 min), Komagane (65 min) or Iida (140 min).
Bus / Car
From Kyoto, take an expressway bus operated by Ina Bus (Japanese site) or Hankyu Bus bound for Minowa to Iida (3 hr 30 min), Komagane (4 hr 5 min) or Ina (4 hr 40 min). From Osaka, take an expressway bus operated by Ina Bus (Japanese site) or Hankyu Bus bound for Minowa to Iida (4 hr 40 min), Komagane (5 hr 15 min) or Ina (5 hr 50 min).
Airport Shuttle
Chuo Taxi
Chuo Taxi offers direct airport shuttles from Narita and Haneda Airports to your accommodation in Nagano. Minimum of one passenger, and shuttle times are tailored around flight times. Reservations are required six days in advance (consultation required for shorter notice).
Example prices (same for both airports)
〈For Nagano City〉
13,500 yen per person
〈For Hakuba〉
16,500 yen per person
〈For Matsumoto〉
66,000 per group of one to four passengers, or 16,500 yen per person for a group of five or more passengers
Visit the Chuo Taxi website or call 026-282-7777 for reservations. Payment by credit card available.
Matsumoto Airport
Domestic flights connect Matsumoto Airport with Sapporo Airport (90 min), Fukuoka Airport (110 min) and Kobe Airport (60 min). From Matsumoto Airport, it is just 30 minutes by bus to central Matsumoto City. From Kansai International Airport, take a ferry to Kobe Airport, then fly to Matsumoto Airport (180 min, including all transfers).
See here for more information on flights to/from Matsumoto Airport.