Japan... Again!

[NoobFlyer]

Great trip report Noobflyer!


It reminded me of my old Japan trip report at FT, which I am in process of relocating to my own website.


In fact, your trip report makes me want to document my next trip to Hong Kong and Japan in next month or two.

Thanks kamchatsky
I certainly hope you do, after all the next best thing to travelling to Japan has to be reading other's experiences of travelling to Japan

 

[Kangol]

Day 9 - Tokyo to Hakuba

Not a terribly exciting day today with an early start to catch the only direct Shinjuku to Hakuba service so I'll try and provide some travel advice.
There are 2 well known options to get from Tokyo to Hakuba with the direct highway bus which is pretty cheap but slow and prone to delays in snowy weather. Also not the most comfortable. The other popular option is to take the Shinkansen out to Nagano then transfer via bus to Hakuba. The most expensive option as you need to pay for the shink and bus separately (though the shink is covered by a JR pass if you have one). The quickest option if you make a good connection at Nagano and the Shinkansen is the most comfortable way to travel. The bus to Hakuba lets this option down. However as it can get quite cramped when it is full and they have to use the fold down aisle seats.
The third option is the slower Azusa express train from Shinjuku to Hakuba direct via Matsumoto. This costs about the same as the shink to Nagano and is also covered by a JR pass but you don't need to pay the extra 1500 yen to catch the bus at the end. The problem with this option is the direct service all the way to Hakuba only leaves once a day from Shinjuku at 7:30. You can catch a faster Super Azusa to Matsumoto but then you need to transfer to a much slower local train to get to Hakuba. Even so this would still beat any option that includes a bus ride but maybe that's just me.
Another positive to this route is the train travels at a much gentler speed so you can appreciate the spectacular scenery you're weaving through even more

Bumping an old thread. Great TR btw!
I'll be looking at Hakuba next year.. doing some research.
This site shows there is another train Shinjuku to Hakuba at 1004. Was that option available at the time?
https://www.eki-net.com/pc/jreast-s...lish/wb/common/timetable/e_lex_chuo_d/04.html

How about bringing your bags/ski gear on the train - do they have a baggage allowance system?
Also did you buy the JR East (Nagano Niigata area) pass?
Getting this info isn't easy.. thanks!

 

[kevrosmith]

Bumping an old thread. Great TR btw!
I'll be looking at Hakuba next year.. doing some research.
This site shows there is another train Shinjuku to Hakuba at 1004. Was that option available at the time?
https://www.eki-net.com/pc/jreast-s...lish/wb/common/timetable/e_lex_chuo_d/04.html

How about bringing your bags/ski gear on the train - do they have a baggage allowance system?
Also did you buy the JR East (Nagano Niigata area) pass?
Getting this info isn't easy.. thanks!

Don've have answers to your specific questions, but I've found this website great for info japan-guide.com - Japan Travel and Living Guide

and the Transport section is great: Transportation in Japan

Also, use Hyperdia for searching train timetables. It's very useful.

 

[Ausbt]

Kangol, using HyperDia | ä¹—æ›æ¡ˆå†… 路線検索 時刻表 旅費精算 通勤費 ダイヤ作æˆãªã‚‰ my pref is getting a Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagano and then the bus. My ski bag is usually flat enough to go on the racks. Large suitcases can be a issue, certainly. On my last trip wheeling my ski bag around various train stations actually caused a bit of an issue with my shoulder and elbow, I strained them pretty badly and suffered for many months afterward. In Japan, if you have the luxury of a few non-skiing days after arriving and before departing then you absolutely should use a courier service to transport your bags, it's wonderful. Plenty of info at Ski.com.au for Snow Holiday offers

 

[NoobFlyer]

Bumping an old thread. Great TR btw!
I'll be looking at Hakuba next year.. doing some research.
This site shows there is another train Shinjuku to Hakuba at 1004. Was that option available at the time?
https://www.eki-net.com/pc/jreast-s...lish/wb/common/timetable/e_lex_chuo_d/04.html

I don't believe so and going by that link the train only runs in peak season on specified days which may have been the case back then and it just didn't run on the day I needed. As others have said Hyperdia has always been very informative for me so you might want to plan on taking the 10:04 then as it gets closer to the day of travel check Hyperdia to see if that train is scheduled and if not make arrangements to make the 7:30 departure.

How about bringing your bags/ski gear on the train - do they have a baggage allowance system?

As mentioned by Ausbt above, if at all possible with non-ski days at each end of your trip using a luggage forwarding service like Yamato (YAMATO TRANSPORT CO., LTD.) is very preferable to lugging ski gear on the trains. If unavoidable then it is manageable and there are no enforced luggage allowances as far as I know. Ski/board bags will fit nicely on the overhead racks assuming you are able to lift them up there with ease and obviously the train isn't too full as you will be encroaching on others' luggage space but I found larger suitcases were hanging over the edge quite a way and tried to avoid putting them overhead where possible by utilizing nearby empty seats.
Using the luggage forwarder and not having to deal with ski bags until we got back to the airport was an absolute dream though.

Also did you buy the JR East (Nagano Niigata area) pass?
Getting this info isn't easy.. thanks!

As we also traveled as far south as Hiroshima in this trip a full JR Pass was used. If it wasn't for that side-trip a JR East pass would've been useful, particularly the 'any 5 days in 14 day period' flexibility.

And thank you for your kind words regarding the TR

 

[Kangol]

Thanks all for your replies and links, will need to do some more research! Yes I think a luggage forwarding service will be the way to go...

 

[Ausbt]

Keep us informed of what you choose Kangol, will be interesting to know what accom you go for at Shiga and the other aspects of your planned trip.

 

[Kangol]

Looks like I will be taking my ski bag with me - don't have the luxury of non-skiing days either side and won't be able to use the luggage forwarding service.
I'll go for the JR East Pass (Nagano, Niigata area) - works out to be cheaper for JPY 18,000 (17k if bought outside of Japan) than if I buy 3x separate tickets: Narita-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Hakuba and then Hakuba-Narita. The 0730 Shinjuku departure appears to be the easiest option to Hakuba. Great tip, that one!
As for accommodation, Airbnb will be the way to go.

 

[Ausbt]

Looks like I will be taking my ski bag with me.

Take care wheeling it around. I had my bag loaded to circa 25 kgs and basically developed a strain injury from lugging it through various train stations. It seems I had trouble locating the lifts and always ended up having to carry it up and down short flights of stairs. It didn't affect my skiing in any way but even as long as a year afterward I still felt pain from time to time in that arm. I ended up developing a 'push' technique for the bag - rather than pulling from in front I'd hold the bag up in front of me say at a circa 70 degree angle and push it along on one wheel (for steering). With the top resting on my shoulder I just found it a bit more comfortable.

You should be able to easily fit the bag horizontally into the overhead luggage racks on the Shinkansen. Floor space for luggage is very limited - having a bulkhead behind you is another good spot for stashing a ski bag.

 

[Kangol]

I didn't have any issue with taking the ski bag on the trains. You can store it overhead or in the luggage section near the door. For the "local trains", I sat near the door and stood it upright next to me. There were lifts everywhere except for one local station.. but I digress.
The JR East pass (Nagano, Niigata) was fine, saved 1000 Yen by buying it online. Still had to wait in the same queue to redeem the pass.

I didn't take the Shinkansen, just the local/limited express trains. Interestingly, at the Hakuba info centre, they were recommending a bus to Nagano then changing to the Shinkansen for those wanting to go to Tokyo or Narita airport. Figured it wasn't much different and with no additional cost given I already had the JR East pass.