Nozawa Onsen Access
Nozawa Onsen Access is a breeze from any major international airport in Japan. Most people fly into Narita airport which is just a one hour train ride from Tokyo station. From Tokyo a bullet train will get you out to Nagano, and from there you can take a bus direct to Nozawa Onsen or a train to Togari Nozawa Onsen station which connects with a local bus to the village.
- Overview
- Main Map
- Quick links
- Courier Information
- Timetables
| Overview | Cost | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train | Probably the most popular way to get to Nozawa, the bullet train from Tokyo to Nagano is unbelievably quick and a great experience. From Nagano to Nozawa you can take a highway bus or a local train and shuttle. | Around ¥10000pp one way from Narita to Nozawa | Around 4 hours from Narita to Nozawa | |
| Chuo Taxi | The easiest way to get to Nozawa Onsen, simply book in advance (at least a week to be sure) and someone will be waiting for you when you get off your flight to take you to a waiting taxi. They will drive you direct to the door of your accommodation. Some flight arrival times don’t work out very well for taking any other transport option than the shuttle. | ¥12000 one way/adult | Depends on the number of other passengers and their drop off point, but usually around 5-6 hours | |
| Bus | The bus takes longer but will save you a bit of cash and allow you to see a little bit of the countryside. Buses leave from Shinjuku and arrive in Nagano, so from there you will need to take another bus to Nozawa or take the train to Togari Nozawa Onsen and bus to the village from there. | ¥4000 one way from Tokyo – Nagano. Another ¥1400 for the bus from Nagano to Nozawa | From Shinjuku to Nozawa should take around 6 hours. | |
| Rental Car | Cars are driven on the left side of the road in Japan, quality of roads are excellent, signs are in English and it’s generally quite an easy country to drive in. Getting a rental car when visiting Nozawa Onsen is somewhat unnecessary as you can walk almost everywhere and the car will most likely just sit in its parking spot the whole time. If you are visiting a few different resorts or want to explore a bit deeper, A rental car would be very handy, but make sure you get snow tyres, snow wipers and 4wd. A company called Tocoo does rental cars in English. | Account for at least ¥12000/day for rental fees for anything that will handle the snow. | Driving from Tokyo to Nozawa should take about 4-5 hours on the expressway in good conditions with minimal breaks |
Sending luggage
“Kuroneko Yamato” has a courier depot right outside arrivals at Narita Airport. Just take your luggage to the counter and fill in a form. You will need to know the address and phone number of your accommodation.
How long does it take?
Generally you can expect your luggage to arrive at it’s destination the next day. Check with your accommodation beforehand, but most places won’t have a problem storing your luggage until your arrival.