Where is Norikura Ski Resort?

Norikura Ski Resort is one of the Hakuba Valley ski resorts, located at the northern end of the valley between Tsugaike and Cortina ski resorts. It’s inter-connected via the slopes with Cortina, whilst the base areas of the two ski areas are a few kilometres apart by road.

Hakuba Norikura shouldn’t be confused with the Mt Norikura Ski Resort near Matsumoto.

The village at the base of Norikura is somewhat spread out. There are various lodges in the Satomi and Warabitaira (officially part of Cortina ski area) villages, whilst about 1km away is the Wakaguri area which is dominated by the large Hakuba Alps Hotel.

Travel to Hakuba Norikura – Overnight Guests

Airport Shuttles to Norikura

The easiest way to get from the airport to Norikura is to get a shared or private taxi with Chuo Taxi. This is particularly ideal if you have a group to make it more cost effective.

Airport Bus to Norikura

Nagano Snow Shuttle offers bus transfers from Narita Airport and Haneda Airport to Hakuba Base Camp (in Echoland). For the late night shuttle, the bus will drop you off at your accommodation. The Hakuba bus trip takes about 5-6 hours and provides the advantage of not having to drag your luggage around train stations. This is also a good option if you arrive at the Narita airport in the evening, so you can avoid having to overnight in a Narita hotel or Nagano hotel, although keep in mind that not all Hakuba hotels will allow you to check-in at 1:30am. If the bus schedule doesn't line up with your flights, Nagano Snow Shuttle also offers train/bus combos.

Shuttles to Norikura

The easiest way to get from the airport to Norikura is to get a shared or private taxi with Chuo Taxi. This is particularly ideal if you have a group to make it more cost effective.

[AdListings collection="Japan" category="Hakuba" subcategory="Airport Transfers"]

Trains

If you want to get into part of the Japanese culture you can catch trains from Narita or Haneda Airport (see the Hakuba travel page for more information). One option is to get the bullet train from Tokyo (or Ueno) to Nagano and then there are buses from Nagano train station to Hakuba Norikura, but they’re not that regular (your accommodation will be able to assist you with info regarding timetables).

Alternatively you can catch local trains from Nagano to Minami-Otari train station (see Navitime for timetables), and your accommodation can pick you up from there.

Driving to Norikura

Whether you’re staying at Norikura or other Hakuba accommodation, it can be a bit clunky to catch buses (and there’s no guarantee you’ll get a spot on the bus) to or from Norikura, so having a car gives you a lot more flexibility. These days with huge advances in GPS technology, it is soooo easy to get a rental car and drive around Japan. The telephone number for Norikura Ski Resort to enter into the GPS is 0261 822821.

Parking is readily available at the Wakaguri base of Norikura near the Hakuba Alps Hotel.

[AdListings collection="Japan" category="Honshu" subcategory="Car Rentals"]

Day Trip to Norikura Ski Resort from Elsewhere in Hakuba

The Hakuba Valley ski buses that travel from the Happo bus terminal to Cortina also stop at Norikura (Konayuki Line). There’s only a handful of schedules per day and only one that arrives before the lifts open, so on a powder day the crowds at the Happo bus stop can get a bit crazy (and there’s a good chance you may not get on)! These Hakuba Valley buses are reasonably inexpensive, or they are free if you have a HV lift pass or Epic Pass.

Day Trip from Norikura to Other Hakuba Ski Resorts

Hakuba Valley is made up of lots of ski resorts and one of the major attractions of Hakuba is the opportunity to sample as many ski areas as you can manage. The only limitation is that the bus schedules from Norikura are not early enough for powder hounds (with the exception of Cortina) nor particularly regular and they only operate in the main part of the season, but thankfully some Norikura lodge hosts provide a transport service.

The Hakuba Valley ski buses go from the Hakuba Alps Hotel and Satomi village area of Norikura to Tsugaike Ski Resort, but the first bus doesn’t get there in time for first gondola. The Hakuba Valley shuttle bus (Konayuki Line) also heads onto Hakuba train station and the Happo bus terminal, and from there you can get a connecting bus to other Hakuba ski resorts.

In the evening, your accommodation host may provide transport to Otari or Tsugaike if you want to head out to a restaurant.