Haneda Airport to Hakuba Valley

Direct Bus

Nagano Snow Shuttle

The Nagano Snow Shuttle offers 3 return trips a day between Haneda Airport and Hakuba Valley. Large comfortable coaches, equipped with WIFI make this the easy way to make the trip. No hauling luggage through crowded stations, or searching for platform numbers. Just head to our meeting point at Terminal 3 and you’ll be on your way.

Accommodation drop off options are available during daylight hours, and if you arrive after dark, you will be taken to your accommodation.

This is also the cheapest option for getting from Haneda Airport to Hakuba.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

There are a number of public transport options from Haneda Airport to Hakuba, we are going to focus on the easiest and quickest route, which is Haneda Airport – Hamamatsu Cho Station – Tokyo Station – Nagano Station – Hakuba. And while we are looking at the Tokyo Monorail line in this explanation, there is also the Keikyu Line from Haneda to Shinagawa that can also be used.

Getting a Ticket

The Tokyo Monorail is not aligned with JR, so separate tickets are required. And while there are no JR trains serving Haneda Airport, they do have tickets sales. Ticket offices are located close to the Monorail Line entry. So get your Monorail tickets first and then head to the JR counter and get the rest of your tickets there. The officer there will be able to arrange connections.

By the time you get to the ticket gate and boarding, you should have about 4 tickets per person.

1. Monorail Ticket for Haneda Airport to Hamamatsu Cho
2. JR Base fare ticket for Hamamatsu Cho to Nagano
3. Shinkansen Bullet train fare surcharge ticket from Tokyo Station to Nagano.
4. Receipt

Haneda Airport to Hamamatsu Cho

Each terminal has it’s own Monorail Station. There is also a JR counter next to several of the stations, so you can actually buy all your tickets at the airports. However you need to remember that the Monorail uses a different ticket to the JR Line, and you’ll need to change from the monorail line to the JR line at Hamamatsu Cho (not difficult).

According to the Monorail website, services operate every 4 minutes with the fastest trains taking only 13 minutes. In our experience this is not quite the case. From 9:30 – 17:00 there are 5 express trains per hour, and these do take 13 minutes. However, before and after these times, the service is set up to service commuter travelers and there are no express services, making the trip time almost double. If you can, always take the Haneda Express trains as these a quickest, and make no stops until Hamamatsu Cho Station.

Arrival at Hamamatsu Cho is always congested as everyone has luggage and a bit of rushing goes on to be the first to get through the gates. Hold back for a minute or two and it will be a lot easier.

Look for the signs to the Yamanote Line (the Tokyo Loop Line) and go out of the monorail station and into the JR Station.

Hamamatsu Cho to Tokyo Station

here are 2 lines running from Hamamatsu Cho Station to Tokyo Station. The Keihin Tohoku Line has light blue trains, and runs parallel to the Yamanote Loop Line (green trains). All trains on platform 1 and 2 will get you to Tokyo Station.

Depending on the train, there are 1-3 stops before arriving at Tokyo Station. And if you thought Hamamatsu Cho Station was crowded, then you are in for a treat.

Tokyo Station

Tokyo Station is one of the largest stations in Japan, and the hub for many Shinkansen Bullet train lines. The main concourse has 10 regular platforms and 10 Shinkansen platforms. Add to that the underground Sobu platforms (4 including the arrival of the Narita Express) and the Keiyo Line Tracks (2- heading to Tokyo Disneyland) and you will guess that this is not a place for the faint-hearted. During off peak hours it is organized chaos, while during rush hour it is mayhem. This is amplified doubly if you are carrying ski equipment.

The key to getting to the bullet train lines is to follow the arrows with the following icon.

Once you get to the ticket gate, you insert all your tickets, and collect everything that pops up on the other side of the ticket gate.

There are 4 platforms with Shinkansen to Nagano. They are numbered from 20 -23.

Identify your platform line, then take the escalator up to the platform. Once on the platform, there are overhead illuminated signs that have the car numbers for the next 2 trains leaving from that platform. People queue in an orderly manner in Japan, but if you have reserved seats you can board the train once the initial rush quietens down.

Be warned though, trains only board a couple of minutes before departure, so you need to get on board quickly once the doors open. Everything leaves on time!

Tokyo to Nagano

There are 3 types of Shinkansen that run from Tokyo to Nagano (and beyond)

• KAGAYAKI are the fastest trains. They only stop at Ueno and Omiya along the way, and arrive in Nagano about 1 hr 20 min after departing Tokyo. All seats are reserved, so you need to get a seat assignment. These trains all show Kanazawa as the destination, but all trains do stop in Nagano.
• HAKUTAKA trains also head to Kanazawa after Nagano, but make more stops along the way. There are generally 3-4 non-reserved cars on the train (meaning the seats are first come-first served – line up well in advance).
• ASAMA trains only run as far as Nagano, and stop at almost all stations along the way. Note that there is no food and beverage service on Asama Trains.

There are also 3 classes of seat on each train

• Regular Seating (5 seats across in a 3-2 layout). Both reserved and non-reserved seating
• Green Car – Higher grade seats in a 2-2 configuration. Only reserved seating.
• Gran-Class – Deluxe seating, with limited complimentary food and beverage service (not on Asama Trains)

While most of the time it is easy to get seats as you go, trains do get sold out, and run at up 150% capacity during peak seasons.

Nagano to Hakuba

There are 2 bus services from Nagano to Hakuba.

Nagano Snow Shuttle

Nagano Snow Shuttle has 7 return trips per day between Nagano Station (Hotel Metropolitan) and Hakuba. This service can be reserved in advance to connect with your bullet train.

Bus Stops in Hakuba are:

• Goryu Escal Plaza (Hakuba Goryu Resort)
• Hakuba Base Camp (Echoland)
• Mominoki Hotel (Wadano)

Fare is 2,300yen per person.

Alpico

Alpico operates buses form the East exit of JR Nagano Station. These buses cannot be reserved and are on a first come first served basis.

Bus Stops in Hakuba are:

• Hakuba Goryu (on the main road below Kamishiro Station
• Hakuba Station
• Happo Information Center