Central Nagoya to Hakuba

Nagoya City

Nagoya is a one of the largest cities in Japan, and being location on the Shinkansen Line right between Tokyo and Osaka / Kyoto makes this a very convenient transfer hub.

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.

Public Transport

There is only really one way to make the trip from Nagoya to Hakuba Valley.

It involves a number of changes, but is not that difficult once the route is understood.

There are a couple of very good connections but if you do not time it right you may have a long wait somewhere along the route.

Below is a summary of the most convenient connections.

Above times are subject to change without notice. Please contact us for the latest train times.
If you do not use one of the above connections, it is often easier to stay on the Wide View Shinano train through to Nagano Station , and catch the bus to Hakuba from there.

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.