Kansai Airport to Hakuba Valley

Kansai Airport is a very long way from Hakuba, and unless you are planning a few days in Kyoto before heading up to your ski vacation, it is better to use Tokyo as and entry point.

Private transfers

We offer a wide range of private transfer services for 2 to 200 people. With private transfers, you will be met in the arrival lobby of the airport and taken to your vehicle.

All services operate under the road transport law of Japan, and all drivers have passenger carrying full licenses.

Train

You can purchase a ticket at Kansai Airport Station all the way to Hakuba, as doing it by train is all on the JR Line.

At the ticket counter you will be given at least 5 tickets.

1. Base Fare from Kansai Airport to Hakuba
2. Express Ticket for Haruka Express
3. Shinkansen Ticket
4. Express Ticket for Shinano Wide View Express
5. Receipt

Sample Timetables

This timetable is subject to change without notice. Please confirm the latest timetables with us before you travel.

Kansai Airport to Shin Osaka Station

Kansai Airport Station is access from the 2nd floor of the terminal building (this is the domestic floor). International arrivals are on the 1st floor, so after exiting customs, catch an escalator up to the 2nd floor.

There are JR and Nankai Stations in the same area, but passengers coming to Hakuba will only be using JR.

The JR Haruka Express runs directly to Shin Osaka Station from Kansai Airport. The trip takes a little under and hour on most runs.

Arrival at JR Shin Osaka Station is on the ground level, so after getting off the train, take the escalator up to the main concourse level. There is a shopping arcade here, which you walk past to get to the Shinkansen transfer gates.

Pass through the gates and find your platform number and take the escalator up. Trains originating in Shin Osaka are generally waiting about 10 minutes before departure, while trains coming through as only stopping for a minute or two.

Transfer from Haruka to the Shinkansen takes less than 10 minutes.

Shin Osaka Station to Nagoya Station

The route from Shin Osaka Station to Nagoya Station is on the Tokaido Shinkansen. This is the main line that runs between Osaka and Tokyo.

Trains leave Shin Osaka for Tokyo every 10-15 minutes. On the fastest “Nozomi” trains, the trip to Nagoya will take less than an hour, with the only stop along the way being at Kyoto.

At Nagoya Station you head down the escalator and out of the Shinkansen concourse, and via an underground passage to the regular train lines. There are not many escalators heading up to the platforms, so you may have to haul your luggage up the stairs.

Nagoya to Matsumoto

The limited express train from Nagoya to Matsumoto is called the “Wide View Shinano” 。It is a “Furikoshiki” train, which means the cars sway into curves to allow the train to maintain a higher speed. But this can cause some people to experience motion sickness.

There is one departure per hour between 07:00am and 07:40pm. Up until and including 04:00pm, trains leave on the hour, every hour. after that times vary.

The trip from Nagoya to Matsumoto takes a little over 2 hours.

On arrival at Matsumoto you are greeted by a woman singing the name “Matsumoto” over the PA system. Which sounds (to me at least) a bit like the food trucks selling grilled sweet potatoes all over Japan.

MATSUMOTO TO HAKUBA

From Matsumoto to Hakuba, the trains run on the JR Oito line. This is very much a local line, and trains are not that frequent. It pays to plan your trip in advance at avoid a long wait at Matsumoto Station.

There are several trains a day that go straight through to Hakuba, but most require another train change in Shinano Omachi, a small town about 30 km south of Hakuba.

The run up from Matsumoto to Hakuba is very scenic, and you want to sit on the left hand side of the train to view the Northern Alps and the lakes area just south of Hakuba.