I took the Shinjuku Tokyo to Nagano bus ⛄ COST + PHOTOS 🚌 Backpacking Japan travel blog

Hi there!

 

So if you’re traveling with a JR pass, then you can get from Nagano to Tokyo by taking the super fast shinkansen bullet train.

But if case you aren’t traveling with a JR pass, you might consider traveling by bus.

It will be a little slower, but it is the cheaper way to get to Nagano!

 

 

Nagano is the name of a city, and it’s also the name of a prefecture.

The popular ski resort of Hakuba is located in Nagano prefecture. Nagano City can make a perfect base to see snow monkeys in hot springs at Jigokudani monkey park. Nagano was also the home to the 1998 winter olympics.

 

More below on what it’s like to take the bus to Nagano from Tokyo!

 

 

🗾⛄

 

 

Now…

Here’s a bit of what taking the bus from Tokyo to Nagano might look like

I took a bus from Tokyo to Nagano City in February 2019, and this is my experience!

 

 

Arrive at Shinjuku bus station in Tokyo

The Shinjuku bus terminal is basically the main bus station in Tokyo, and this is where you’ll find long distance buses depart from.

The Shinjuku train station is right near the bus station.

 

 

Unless you’re staying in Shinjuku, there’s a good chance you’ll be arriving to Shinjuku by train.

It will be good to give yourself extra time to work your way around.

The Shinjuku train station is really big, but look for signs that point to the Shinjuku expressway bus terminal.

 

 

 

How to buy a bus ticket to Nagano

For this bus trip, I bought my bus ticket at the Shinjuku bus terminal right before I got on the bus.

I just went to the counter and asked for the next available bus.

There are a bunch of ticket counters, and they are also divided by the destination you are going to.

 

 

There is an information desk at the station, as well as workers standing around, and you can ask these people too if you’re not sure where to go.

 

 

There’s also the option to buy from the ticket machine, but to me it seems easier to buy a ticket from a person at the counter!

I don’t always recommend the approach of buying your ticket on the day-of as it depends on season and destination (you might not get a seat), but it worked out for me at the end of February! The bus was fairly empty.

But if you want to buy your ticket in advance because you have less flexibility or because you want to make sure you get confirmed tickets, you can try searching for bus tickets on this website. This is the website I used to buy a ticket for a bus from Tokyo to Mt Fuji 5th station, and I had no issues.

 

 

How much does the bus ticket cost from Tokyo to Nagano?

 

My bus ticket cost 2,900 yen (US$27).

 

 

Getting to the bus departure point

So once you buy your ticket, you can ask the ticket counter, information desk, or the workers standing around where to go to catch your bus to Nagano.

Then… go there! It’ll be a short walk.

 

 

Once you are there and you find your bus to Nagano, you will show your ticket to the bus driver once it is boarding time.

If you bought your ticket online, you can show the ticket on your phone.

 

 

There’s a spot to put your luggage under the bus if you don’t want to bring in onto the bus with you.

 

 

 

Enjoy the ride!!

 

 

How long is the bus ride?

My bus ride from Tokyo to Nagano was around 4 hours long.

 

 

There was also a rest stop

A little over 2 hours into the bus ride, there was a stop at a rest area for about 10-15 minutes.

You don’t have time to sit down for a meal, but you can check out what a rest area in Japan is like!

At this rest area, there was a bakery, a gift shop, a fast casual restaurant, and plenty of vending machines with drinks.

 

 

I’m pretty sure there was a toilet on this bus too.

Some long distance buses have toilets, although it’s not on all of them.

 

 

Approaching Nagano City

On this bus, there was a button to press indicating to the bus driver to stop next.

I haven’t seen these so much on long distance buses, and being that Nagano city is a main bus stop, I would expect the bus to stop no matter what. (You do want to use the buttons on local buses though.) But, in case you see it on your bus to Nagano, that’s what it is!

 

 

 

Arrive in Nagano City!!

 

My bus drop-off point was right near the JR Nagano train station.

 

 

Inside of this train station is a tourist information center, and that could be a good first stop to make!

 

 

 

And that’s a bit of what it might be like to take the bus from Tokyo to Nagano!

 

 

Where to stay in Nagano city

When I was Nagano city, I stayed at hostel called 1166 Backpackers.

This hostel will give you a “Japanese” type feel! There are dorms beds as well as Japanese-style private rooms.

There’s a common area where you can make yourself free tea.

This is on a quiet street about a 20 minute walk from Nagano Station.

There is also public transportation that will get you here, and for that, you can follow google maps!

See the reviews for 1166 Backpackers.

 

HAPPY BUS RIDE FROM TOKYO TO NAGANO!