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Getting to Hakuba Options
1st October, 2013
Many people ask us what the best way is to get to Hakuba. There are many options and what’s the best for one group may not be the best for another.
Here are the options:
1. Late night arrivals – if you are arriving after 8pm there is only one option and that is to book a seat in a minivan. We can arrange your driver to meet you at arrivals and take you to your hotel. In the evenings this takes normally around 4 – 4.5 hours and includes two rest stops along the way.
2. If arriving on the evening Jetstar flight or a flight prior to 8pm you will be able to book a seat in a coach that leaves Narita at 8pm each night and takes you to your hotel via a number of other stops in Hakuba.
3. If arriving in the morning or afternoon you have the option of getting the train to Nagano Station and then either a transfer or the local bus to Hakuba. This involves getting the Narita Express to Tokyo Station and then the Shinkensen to Nagano. You buy your ticket at the Narita Express terminal at Narita Airport when you enter the train station area. Most of the staff speak some English and you just need to ask them for a Nagano Station ticket and you will
4. The most convenient when arriving on a late flight is to get a transfer direct to your hotel. Not only is this cheap compared to international rates it is also the quickest way at night. A taxi from Narita Airport (or slightly quicker from Haneda Airport) to your hotel door in Hakuba takes approximately 4.5 hours during the evening or 6 hours during the day. The perfect solution if you are arriving at the airport on a late flight and want to make the first runs the next morning. After a long flight it's a no brainer as your driver will meet you as you exit the baggage terminal and then drop you at your hotel. Please note however this popular service must be booked in advance as it booked out early.
Another option, perfect if you are travelling around Japan, is to get a 4 day flexi pass through JR East. These passes, only available to non Japan residents, must be purchased yourself in your country of origin and picked up in the train station at the airport upon presentation of your passport. The pass allows you 4 non consecutive days travel in a month time frame. This gives you the luxury of side tours or Tokyo stopovers without increasing your transfer costs to Hakuba. The train will take you as far as Nagano Station if coming from Tokyo where you will then need to get the local bus to Hakuba or we can arrange a transfer for the extra one hour journey.