How to get there
Where is Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort?
Nozawa Onsen is located in the northern part of the Nagano Prefecture of Honshu, the main island of Japan. Nozawa is one of the Nagano ski resorts, located 46km northeast of the city of Nagano.
Driving times to Nozawa Onsen from:
- Tokyo- 4.5 to 5 hours
- Narita Airport – 5-6 hours
- Nagoya - 5 hours
- Osaka or Kyoto – about 7 hours
Travel to Nozawa Onsen
There are broadly two options to get to Nozawa Onsen from the Tokyo Narita Airport. Option A is road transport (ie bus or taxi) which takes about 5-6 hours and provides the convenience of not having to drag your luggage between trains and buses.
Option B consists of catching a train to Tokyo and then to Nagano. Depending on connections it takes about 4 hours to get from Tokyo to Nozawa Onsen via train and bus. In the future the trip will be much quicker because construction is underway for a Shinkansen that goes to Iiyama, only 12km from Nozawa Onsen.
Option A: Shuttle Transport to Nozawa Onsen
There are private charter operators that provide transport from Narita
Airport to Nozawa Onsen. Chuo Taxi provides a competitive shuttle service from Tokyo or Nagoya
airports. The cost from Tokyo is ¥12,000 per adult one way (convert
here). See the
Chuo Taxi website for more information.
A cheaper option than a taxi or the trains is to catch a bus with
Nagano Snow Shuttle which travels from Tokyo Narita Airport to Nozawa Onsen. This option will work well for flights that arrive into Narita late in the day because the bus departs at 8pm and arrives at Nozawa Onsen at 1am. All guests will be dropped off at their accommodation in Nozawa Onsen on arrival.
Option B: Train from Tokyo to Nagano
Catching the train is the most common mode of transport to Nagano. From Narita Airport (the Tokyo international airport), catch the Narita Express (NEX) train to Tokyo Station (1 hour). There are frequent departures from the airport railway terminal.
Upon arrival at Tokyo Station take the escalators up and follow the green signs for the Nagano Shinkansen Asama. The platform number for departure is usually about 20-23. Check
Hyperdia for schedules, although unless you’re travelling early or late in the day, there are frequent departures so you can probably just go with the flow. The bullet train from Tokyo to Nagano takes about 100 minutes.
The most economical way to cover the fares for the NEX and the Shinkansen is to purchase a JR East 4 day pass which provides 4 days of train travel over a one month period. Purchase a voucher from our
Japan rail page. This voucher can be exchanged for the rail pass at the airport station, and then you’ll need to reserve seats for the trains.
For train travel to Nagano from Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto or other parts of Japan, see Hyperdia for routes, schedules and fares.
Option B: Getting from Nagano to Nozawa Onsen
Option 1:
From Nagano there are six buses each day to Nozawa Onsen between approximately 9am and 4pm. The trip takes 1:20 hours. Return buses start at 9:15am from Nozawa with the last bus departing at 4:45pm. Check the
Nagaden Express website for the latest timetables (it’s in Japanese but hopefully your google translator will pop it into English for you).
Upon exiting the gates at Nagano station turn left to the east exit and take the lift down to the bus stops. The buses for Nozawa Onsen generally depart from bus stop number 4, but the bus schedules are listed next to each bus stop so you can check. A one way fare costs ¥1,400 per adult (2011 rates). This bus only stops at one central place in Nozawa Onsen.
Option 2:
Catch a local train from Nagano to Togari Nozawa Onsen Station on the Iiyama Line (about an hour). When checking schedules in Hyperdia, type in “TogariNozawaOnsen” with no spaces, and don’t confuse it with Nozawa Station about 4 hours away from Nagano. From Togari Nozawa Onsen train station it’s a 20 minute taxi ride to Nozawa Onsen. Alternatively there’s a bus that usually connects with the train. This bus makes various stops in Nozawa Onsen town at Shinden, Nakao and other stops.
Option 3:
If you arrive late in the afternoon you may need to catch a taxi from Nagano to Nozawa Onsen. Taxis are small sedans that don’t necessarily have roof racks, so you may need to take your skis or board out of the bag to fit into the taxi.
Getting Around Nozawa Onsen
The town of Nozawa Onsen sits below the ski resort, and considering there are three main base areas (Hikage, Nagasaka, and Karasawa), most lodgings are not too far away from a lift. Access to and from the Hikage gondola is facilitated by Yû-road, a 300 metre undercover uphill moving escalator (minus the steps). Sometimes getting up and down to Yû-road can be a little treacherous in ski boots (but it makes for an interesting spectator sport!). If you’re renting skis and boots, you may want to store them overnight at one of the Hikage gondola shops.
There is a town shuttle bus that travels up to the Nagasaka gondola, but most people don’t tend to use it unless they’re staying in the lower reaches of town.
The town is rather hilly and even though the narrow roads are heated with onsen water, it can be a little slippery so wear sturdy footwear. Take care (even if you haven’t been drinking!) because there are many ditches and drains off the side of the walkways, some with six foot plus drops. And if you’re driving around town, be really careful of these big dikes!
Other Ski Resorts Nearby
There are various other ski resorts near Nagano, so Nozawa Onsen can easily be combined with other ski areas on your Japan ski holiday. To get to
Hakuba,
Myoko Kogen or
Shiga Kogen, the cheapest way to get there from Nozawa is to catch the bus or train back into Nagano and then get a bus back out to the other ski resort. This can be a little time consuming. A quicker option is to get a taxi or private shuttle. A private door to door shuttle to Hakuba may cost about ¥30,000, whilst a taxi to Shiga Kogen or Myoko Kogen (a one hour trip) costs about ¥21,000.
Nearby Madarao Kogen can be plenty of fun on a powder day, and the ski area is connected to Tangram Ski Resort. Togari is also close by and has largely mellow slopes. The
Nozawa Togari Madarao Bus provides transport between the three ski resorts for very reasonable rates.
Nozawa Onsen Transport Listings
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Nagano Snow Shuttle
Nagano snow shuttle is the ideal way to get to and from Tokyo (Narita) airport to Hakuba, Shiga Kogen or Nozawa Onsen. Buses leave after 3pm & are only filled to 75% so plenty of room for luggage.
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International Rail - JR Rail Passes
International rail is a specialist rail travel company. Buy JR East Rail Passes online. 5 or 10 consecutive days or 4 days in a 30 day period. Non-Japanese residents only. Must be purchased outside of Japan.
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