Tokyo to Nozawa Onsen
Shinkansen to Iiyama, 25 minutes on the Liner bus, and you are in the village. Each leg, with fares and times checked for 2026–27.
Transfers · Fares and times checked 14 Oct 2026
The short version
- Get to Tokyo Station: Narita Express from Narita, or the monorail and JR from Haneda.
- Hakutaka shinkansen from Tokyo (or Ueno) to Iiyama: about 1 hour 40 minutes, ¥9,090 reserved.
- Nozawa Onsen Liner bus from stop 4 outside Iiyama Station: about 25 minutes, ¥600.
Personally I'd suggest booking a reserved seat on a Hakutaka that reaches Iiyama just before a Liner bus, and sending skis ahead by courier so the whole trip is one backpack and one change.
Step 1: the airport to Tokyo Station
From Narita: the Narita Express (N'EX) runs straight to Tokyo Station, fastest in 53 minutes, ¥3,140 in a reserved ordinary seat. If you are flying home from Narita too, the N'EX Tokyo Round Trip Ticket is ¥5,200 for both ways, valid 14 days; check the eligibility rules when you buy.
From Haneda: take the Tokyo Monorail to Hamamatsucho (about 15 minutes), then JR one stop round to Tokyo Station (about 5 minutes). Allow longer with ski bags; Tokyo Station is big and the Hokuriku Shinkansen platforms are a walk from the JR local lines.
Step 2: Hakutaka shinkansen to Iiyama
Nozawa's station is Iiyama on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. Only the Hakutaka trains stop there; Kagayaki trains do not. Hakutaka also call at Ueno and Omiya, so board at Ueno if your hotel is closer.
| Tokyo → Iiyama, one way | Adult | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved seat | ¥8,360 | ¥16,720 |
| Reserved seat, quiet season | ¥8,890 | ¥17,780 |
| Reserved seat, normal season | ¥9,090 | ¥18,180 |
| Reserved seat, busiest days (New Year and similar) | ¥9,490 | ¥18,980 |
Children pay about half. The unreserved fare is the same all year.
Direct Hakutaka trains, Tokyo → Iiyama
| Leaves Tokyo | Arrives Iiyama | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 6:28 | 8:16 | 1 h 48 |
| 7:52 | 9:43 | 1 h 51 |
| 8:41 | 10:28 | 1 h 47 |
| 10:33 | 12:17 | 1 h 44 |
| 11:24 | 13:02 | 1 h 38 |
| 13:24 | 15:02 | 1 h 38 |
| 15:24 | 17:03 | 1 h 39 |
| 16:32 | 18:20 | 1 h 48 |
| 18:04 | 20:01 | 1 h 57 |
| 19:04 | 21:00 | 1 h 56 |
The autumn 2026 timetable, as listed on 14 October. Winter times can shift by a few minutes and extra trains run at New Year, so check your date when you book.
Step 3: the Liner bus into the village
The Nozawa Onsen Liner leaves from bus stop 4 outside Iiyama Station and takes about 25 minutes to the Central Terminal in the village, stopping at Maezaka, Nakao and Shinden on the way. It is ¥600 one way, half price for primary-school children. Pay by Suica or another IC card or cash on board (no credit cards on the bus), or by card at the ticket machine at Iiyama Station.
The village had not posted the 2026–27 winter timetable when I checked; the current one runs to 30 November 2026. Last winter there were 10 buses each way, from Iiyama between 8:45 and 21:20. The village warns that some shinkansen don't connect, so pick your bus first and the train second.
Coming back, last winter's buses left Nozawa between 6:30 and 19:35. For a morning flight out of Narita or Haneda, the night in Tokyo is usually less stress.
Your day, three ways
Morning landing at Haneda
Monorail and JR to Tokyo, a late-morning Hakutaka, and you reach Iiyama early afternoon. Check in, hire gear, soak.
Landing at Narita after lunch
N'EX to Tokyo, then a mid or late-afternoon Hakutaka. You arrive for dinner, but match the train to a Liner bus.
Landing in the evening
Sleep in Tokyo and take a morning train, or book the late Nagano Snow Shuttle, which drops you at your lodge in the small hours.
Ski bags
Luggage space on the shinkansen is limited, and ski bags through a crowded Tokyo Station are hard work. Send them ahead with Yamato's Ski Takkyubin at least 2 days before you ski, and check your lodge accepts deliveries. If you'd rather not, the airport shuttle takes one ski bag per person (¥825 surcharge). See getting to Nozawa Onsen for the shuttle times and the JR Pass maths.
Once you arrive
The Central Terminal is in the village. Most lodges are a short walk away, or the free village shuttle runs up to Nagasaka. See where to stay in Nozawa Onsen for walk times, rental to have gear waiting, and where to eat on your first night.
Questions people actually ask
- How long does it take from Tokyo to Nozawa Onsen?
- About 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours on the Hakutaka shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Iiyama, then about 25 minutes on the Nozawa Onsen Liner bus. With the wait for the bus, plan on 2½ to 3 hours from Tokyo Station.
- How much is the train from Tokyo to Nozawa Onsen?
- Tokyo to Iiyama is ¥9,090 one way in a reserved seat in the normal season, or ¥8,360 unreserved. Add ¥600 for the Liner bus to the village. Reserved seats are ¥200 less in the quietest periods and ¥200 to ¥400 more in busy ones.
- Which shinkansen stops at Iiyama?
- The Hakutaka services on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. The faster Kagayaki trains run straight through, so check the train name when you book.
- What is the last train from Tokyo that still reaches Nozawa the same night?
- On the autumn 2026 timetable the last direct Hakutaka leaves Tokyo at 19:04 and reaches Iiyama at 21:00. Last winter the last Liner bus left Iiyama at 21:20. The 2026–27 bus timetable was not out when I checked, so confirm before you rely on that connection.
- Is there a direct bus from Tokyo to Nozawa Onsen?
- Not from the city, but the Nagano Snow Shuttle runs from Haneda and Narita airports to the Nozawa Onsen Central Terminal in winter, from ¥14,850 one way for 2026–27. The times are on the get there page.
Checked 14 Oct 2026 against: Ekitan Tokyo–Iiyama fares and timetable · JR seasonal surcharges · Nozawa Onsen village: Liner timetable and fares · JR East N'EX fares · N'EX Tokyo Round Trip Ticket · Haneda to Tokyo Station route (Myoko Tourism) · Nagano Snow Shuttle timetable · Yamato Ski Takkyubin.
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