Travel from Tokyo to Nozawa Onsen

The safest and easiest way to travel to Nozawa Onsen from Tokyo is by a combination of trains and buses. The entire trip from the Narita Airport in Tokyo to your destination will take somewhere around four to four and a half hours.

Your Nozawa Onsen accommodation may be able to arrange for you to be met at the Tokyo airport by a private taxi/bus that will take you directly to their establishment for around 12,000 yen per person (prices vary).

If you arrange your own transportation, the first leg of the trip is on one of Japan’s speedy and efficient bullet trains. From theTokyoTrain Station you catch the Nagano Bullet Train (Asama Shinkansen) directly to the Nagano Train Station, then transfer to a local train or a bus for the final leg of the trip. The Nagano Bullet Train ride is about ninety minutes and you will find the bullet train a pleasant experience. Japan’s bullet trains are clean, comfortable and run on time.

The fastest and easiest way to get from Nagano Train Station to Nozawa Onsen is to use the express buses from the Nagano Train Station rather than the local trains. The local trains are difficult to navigate and the express bus will drop you off in the center of Nozawa Onsen where you can easily locate a taxi to take you to your Nozawa Onsen accommodation.

There are frequent and direct buses to Nozawa Onsen. You can find the correct bus stop and the schedule for the express buses at the Nagano Train Station Information Office. The bus stops are just below the east exit escalator at the station.

If you chose to take the local trains you will catch the local train at the Nagano Train Station to Togari Nozawa Onsen Train Station. This train trip will take about 60 minutes.

From the Togari Nozawa Onsen Train Station you can catch a taxi directly to your Nozawa Onsen accommodation or catch a local bus to Nozawa Onsen and then hail a taxi. The bus ride to Nozawa Onsen will be only about ten minutes. The cost for a combination train/bus ride to Nozawa Onsen will range between 9000-13,000 yen per person depending on the arrangements you chose.

Getting to Nozawa Onsen from Tokyo by car, especially in the winter is a not easy trip. The cost, assuming you are renting a car, is not much less than taking the trains or buses and unless you are comfortable driving Japanese expressways the train or bus seems like a more sensible route. And remember since you will likely be coming in the winter anticipate hazardous road conditions especially as you approach Nozawa Onsen. If you do chose to drive take tire chains, extra antifreeze and your GPS or a good map. First you will drive to Yuzawa via the Kanetsu Expressway. Then from the Shiozawa Ishiuchi Interchange take routes Route 353 and Route 117 though the mountain range to Nozawa Onsen.