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Tokyo-Hakuba-Karuizawa Trip for February

xenon14
xenon14
8 days ago
1 answer

Hello!

I have a trip this upcoming February 2025 and was considering getting the JR East Nagano Pass for 5 days since a big portion of the trip will be in the Nagano area. But I wanted to ask for advice if it would be more cost efficient. I wanted to ask also if my current plans on how to use the pass are correct.

Note: Also not considering renting a car as I have never driven on ice/snow in the past hehe

Current Itinerary is:

Day 1 - Arrival in Tokyo -> Hakuba
Day 2 - Hakuba
Day 3 - Hakuba -> Karuizawa
Day 4 - Karuizawa -> Tokyo
Day 5 - Tokyo surrounding areas

Current plans to use the JR East Nagano Pass:

Day 1 (check-in day in Hakuba)
- Use Narita Express from Narita Airport to Tokyo Station - Use Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Nagano Station - Use Alpico Bus from Nagano Station to Hakuba - Use Shuttles to get around Hakuba

Questions for Day 1:
Is there a more cost efficient and time efficient to get from Nagano Station to Hakuba using the JR Pass?
Are there any discounts for the Hakuba Valley Pass thru JR Pass?

Day 2
- Use Hakuba Valley Pass to get around Hakuba - Skiing Day

Day 3 (check out day from Hakuba, checkin Day in Karuizawa)
Option 1
- Chill around Hakuba until Lunch time, checkout - Use Alpico Bus from Hakuba to Nagano Station - Use Hokuriku Shinkansen from Nagano Station to Karuizawa

Option 2
- Use Oito Line from Hakuba to Matsumoto - Use Shinano or Shinonoi Line from Matsumoto to Nagano Station - Use Hokuriku Shinkansen from Nagano Station to Karuizawa

Questions for Day 3:
Is the Oito Line covered by the JR East Nagano Pass?
I also saw that there is a limited express Chuo Line from Hakuba to Matsumoto but it only passes once a day at ~3PM, is there no other JR Pass trains we can take earlier in the day?
What is the fastest and cheapest way to get from Matsumoto to Karuizawa using the JR East pass if possible?

Day 4
- Go around Karuizawa

Questions for Day 4:
Are the buses and trains around Karuizawa covered by the JR East Nagano Pass?

Day 5
- Use Hokuriku Shinkansen from Karuizawa to Tokyo Station - Use JR East Pass to get around Tokyo

Hope I can get some advice on my itenarary!

Alexis
Alexis
1117 posts
1 day ago
Expert

Hi there,

Using the bus to get to Hakuba is the option I’d recommend and is definitely your most cost-effective option. The Hakuba pass is separate to the JR Pass and so no discount is available.

For Day 3, I assume you’re referring to the JR East Nagano/Niigata Area Pass - if this is the case then yes, Oito line is covered and so your travel from Hakuba to Matsumoto is covered. Therefore you have two options: Chuo or Oito line. The best (and essentially only) way to travel from Matsumoto to Karuizawa is to go via Nagano and change there - the trains you need to take can be found linked here.

The pass will cover bus travel to Yokokawa, but other than that it will just cover surrounding Shinkansen and Ltd. Express trains.

Kind regards,

Alexis


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