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Need help with trains/buses in Nagano to ?

bid222
bid222
over 9 years ago
7 responses

Hello!
This will be my husband & my first trip to Japan in December (19 days in total)
And also need help deciphering which rail lines are private and which are JR.

I can see Airport to Disneyland, all of Tokyo to Kyoto, then Kyoto to Osaka return are all very straight forward. This is the first 10 days of our trip.
1. We will then travel from Kyoto to Kambayashi Hotel Senjukaku in Nagano Prefecture (I believe Yudanaka Station is closest but might be private rail line?) - which is the best route for this trip?

  1. We will then travel from Kambayashi Hotel Senjukaku to a Jonnobi Hotel in Nozawa Onsen. Would it be best to travel by train back to Nagano, or are there JR buses that travel directly North/West? I really need help with this part of our journey!

  2. After NYE we will travel from Jonnobi Hotel in Nozawa Onsen back to Narita Airport, I assume the shinkansen from Nagano is the best option for this last leg of the journey but would like to confirm.

Any help would be much appreciated!!! :)

Belinda.

ngn
ngn
3 posts
over 9 years ago

Thank you for your visit in Nagano.

1 Yes.
Yudanaka Station is closest station from Kambayashi Hotel Senjukaku, You can't use JR rail pass for your ride, because Nagano Dentetsu is private company. I think the best way is listed in JIGOKUDANI YAEN-KOEN web site JR Kyoto sta. - (JR Tokaido Shinkansen) - JR Nagoya sta. - (JR Chuo Line Limited Express Shinano) - JR Nagano sta. - Nagano Dentetsu Nagano sta.- (Yudanaka line) - Yudanaka sta. - (Nagano Dentesu Bus for Kanbayashi) - Kanbayashi Onsen.

If you want to watch Snow Monky, you should bring boots because snow is left on the road.

2 You might return to Nagano sta. Map is here.
If you have enough time, you should visit Zenkouji temple near Nagano sta.

avatar
Daniel-san
18828 posts
over 9 years ago
Expert

Hi Belinda and Ngn,

Ngn that's a great explanation!

It's indeed a bit of a tricky route going from Kyoto - Nagano. Basically there are two routes here you can consider.
1.) is to take the Shinkansen from Kyoto - Nagoya and from there the limited express train to Nagano. The 2nd is to take the Shinkansen from Kyoto - Tokyo and transfer there to an other Shinkansen train from Tokyo - Nagoya. Here are two examples. As you can see the difference is only 3 minutes. So the best thing to do, is just tell the JR Staff what time you wish to travel and they will find the best route for you.

From Nagano - Yudanaka, the best way to travel between these places is to use the Nagano Dentetsu (as ngn notes). This is a privately owned train and requires a fare of ¥ 1,160 for local trains or ¥ 1,260 for the limited express. The last part to your hotel is travelled by bus or taxi.

2.) For Nozawa, first travel back with the Nagano Dentetsu to Nagano station. From here you can take a local train to TOGARINOZAWA-ONSEN which is the station for Nozawa. From there, either take a bus or Taxi to your hotel.

3.) To return to Narita Airport, take the Shinkansen to Tokyo and from there the Narita Express. It's a pretty long ride, so plan ahead!

Hope this helps!
Daniel

bid222
bid222
7 posts
over 9 years ago

it seems I was in the right track, as you have both confirmed my initial thoughts.

thank you so much for confirming that these are the best ways to travel to our planned destinations.
very much appreciated!!! :-)

and yes, travel advisor has suggested boots for monkey park. my husband & I plan to bring our water proof proper hiking boots on our trip.
thanks!

bid222
bid222
7 posts
over 9 years ago

Hello ngn & Daniel-san!

I have another question as I have stumbled across something written on a website and am confused :/

My impression was that the 14 day JR Pass was for unlimited travel over 14 consecutive days.

I have seen on a random "japan holiday" website that these passes are for only 5 days of travel over the 14 days.

I have looked on the official JR website but it does not confirm either way, and they do not have direct "contact us" information to ask JR directly.

Can you please confirm for me which is correct?

Many thanks!

Belinda.

avatar
Daniel-san
18828 posts
over 9 years ago
Expert

Hi Belinda,

The JR Pass offers 14 consecutive days of unlimited use!

There are some local passes such as the JR East Pass which is valid in a certain region only. You may have stumbled on this one.

Also see the JR Official usage conditions.

3.1
The validity period of a JAPAN RAIL PASS is the consecutive 7, 14, or 21 days beginning on the date the PASS is first used.

Hope this helps!
Daniel

bid222
bid222
7 posts
over 9 years ago

thanks Daniel-san!

thought it might be something like that, thought it best to double check as it did confuse me :/

really appreciate your prompt replies :-)
you're a gem!

bid222
bid222
7 posts
over 9 years ago

hello daniel-san & ngn,

i have a question about my booking for Kanbayashi Onsen - that isn't really related to the jr pass... but thought it wouldn't hurt to ask as I'm a bit anxious.

my booking for Kanbayashi Onsen was processed through Rakuten Travel and pre-paid - most of our hotels have asked to be paid on arrival. i have received an email confirmation from Rakuten Travel for my payment and booking reference but nothing from Kanbayashi Onsen.
they do not have an email address on their website, but i have sent a message via their facebook page (which has been seen a few days ago) but no response.

should i be concerned? or should i try to contact the hotel again by another means? we are staying there christmas day & boxing day - it would ruin our holiday if we did not have an actual booking.

any ideas on what i should do??? :/

Belinda.

avatar
Daniel-san
18828 posts
over 9 years ago
Expert

Hi Belinda,

I think you should be fine, some hotels ask for payment upfront as they offer special rates. In most cases you don't receive anything else than the confirmation booking from your booking website.

You may also contact your Ryokan directly via this website to confirm:

Or maybe http://www.senjukaku.com/en/index.html

bid222
bid222
7 posts
over 9 years ago

you found a website for me! thank you!!! :D

i'll let you know how i go - thanks again so much for your help!

bid222
bid222
7 posts
over 9 years ago

hello again daniel-san,

i received an automated reply as below - now i'm even more anxious!! :/

Your message to was automatically rejected:
Quota exceeded (mailbox for user is full)

--Forwarded Message Attachment-- From: b***********@hotmail.com
To: [email protected]
Subject: Booking Confirmation Request
Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2014 08:39:49 +1000

avatar
Daniel-san
18828 posts
over 9 years ago
Expert

Good morning!

That does not sound good! Also found this telephone number on the website TEL:0269-33-3551. (should have +81 for Japan).

Could be worth it to give them a call - you may have get a discount for telling them their mailbox is full :)


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