Getting from Narita Airport to Shiga Kogen

JR Narita Express

JR Narita Express is the flagship airport express train for JR East. It is a modern train with charging points in all seats and free Wifi on-board.

It usually operates as a 12 carriage train (actually 2 * 6 carriage trains that split at Tokyo Station).

Cars 1-5, and 7-11 are standard cars, while car 6 & 12 are Green Class (first class).

There is wheel chair access in cars 5 & 11

Car 1 is the front of the train when departing from Narita Airport.

All cars have 4 seats across, with an aisle in the middle.

Almost all Narita Express Trains head directly to Tokyo Station with no stops in between, but there is the occasional train that makes a brief stop at Chiba Sation.

The trip from Narita Airport to Tokyo Station takes about 1 hour.

Tokyo Station is massive, and is the 3rd busiest station in Japanese with nearly 500,000 people daily.

On the main concourse level there are 10 platforms for commuter and express trains, and 10 platforms for Shinkansen Bullet trains.

There are also basement platforms (4) and a further 2 platforms for the JR Keio Line. Add in a couple of subway stations and you get the picture.

Rush hour here can be mayhem!

On arrival at Tokyo Station you will on basement level 5 (You arrive at Sobu Line platform 1 or 2). You need to get to the Hokuriku Shinkansen Bullet Train Platforms 20-23.

You need to go up several sets of elevators and follow the signs (the green ones as pictured on right) to the Shinkansen Bullet train platforms.

The Shinkansen have an extra set of ticket gates. You need to put your tickets into the machine before you can pass through (always remember to collect your tickets as they pop out part way through the gate).

Once through the gates you'll see a lot of digital signs that flick between English and Japanese. They will show the Train Name, Departure Time and Platform Number. Locate your platform and take the escalator up.

Hokuriku Shinkansen via Nagano

Train Classes
There are several classes on the Hokuriku Shinkansen.

1. Standard Class (reserved and non reserved*) – 5 seats across the row in a 3-2 configuration (Cars 1-10)
2. Green Class (superior class) – 4 seats across the row in a 2-2 configuration (Car 11) – Green Class costs about 20% more than standard class
3. Gran Class (first class) – 3 seats across the row in a 1-2 configuration (Car 12). Complementary food and beverage service (Kagayaki and Hakutaka trains only) – Gran Class costs about double of standard class

• reserved seat means you have an assigned seat / non-reserved means you can sit in any seat in a “non-reserved” carriage (first come first seated basis)

Train Types

There are 3 types of train that run on the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line. While the train body is the same, the speed and number of stops vary. All trains will have either Kanazawa or Nagano as the destination, but all trains do make a stop in Nagano.

In all cases there are 12 carriages on the train with 12 being the front of the train heading towards Nagano.

1. "Kagayaki" – This is the fastest type of train. After departing Tokyo it only stops at Ueno, and Omiya before arriving at Nagano. All seats on this train are reserved (seat assigned). The destination for the Kagayaki trains is Kanazawa. From Tokyo Station to Nagano this train takes about 90 minutes.
2. "Hakutaka" – This train also heads to Kanazawa, but it stops at more stations along the way and is about 15 minutes slower than the Kagayaki Train. There are reserved and non-reserved seats on this train.
3. Asama – This train only travels as far as Nagano, but it stops at most stations along the way.

Transfer to Bus to Shiga Kogen

Buses to Shiga Kogen Depart from Bus Stop #23 at the East Exit of JR Nagano Station.

On exiting the ticket gate turn left.

In the far left corner there is an elevator. Take the elevator to the first floor.

On exiting the elevator, do a u-turn to the left and you will see the bus stop numbers in front of you. Walk to bus stop 23.

Buying tickets

You buy  tickets on the bus. Cash only. There is an international ATM across the road from the East Exit of JR Nagano Station in the Seven Eleven. Different locations in Shiga Kogen have different fares (from 1,800 - 2,100yen). Bus Stop map

The Trip

The bus route goes via the Snow Monkey park to Shiga Kogen. Most buses take the route to Oku Shiga Kogen, however a few buses turn right at Hasuike and go up to Kumanoyu and Hotaru Onsen.

All buses go as far as Yama-no-Ie.

From Nagano Station to Sun Valley takes about 1 hour 15 minutes, but from there it can take nearly an hour to get across to Oku Shiga Kogen.

Note that the bus stops at bus stops, not hotels, so check with your accommodation which is the closest bus stop. Passengers staying in Hoppo Onsen area will need to let they accommodation know when they are arriving so they can come and pick you up.