Japan Rail Pass NowAustralia's No.1 Choice
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Japan Rail Pass NowAustralia's No.1 Choice
Nagano is a mountain city that hosted the Winter Olympics in 1998 and got a Shinkansen line out of it. That line now runs through to Kanazawa, but Nagano remains the stop that matters for three things Australians come here for: the snow monkeys, the ski fields, and one of the most important temples in the country.
Jigokudani Monkey Park, where the macaques sit in the hot spring, is the main reason most visitors stop here. From the station you have two choices.
The express bus from the east exit goes to the park entrance in about forty five minutes. Or the Nagano Electric Railway to Yudanaka, about fifty minutes, then a short bus. Neither is covered by a rail pass, as both are private operators. From where the bus drops you it is still a thirty minute walk up a forest path to the pool itself, which is icy in winter, so wear proper shoes.
Zenkoji is one of the oldest and most visited temples in Japan, and it is a straight walk from the station up the main street, about half an hour, or a few minutes by bus. The street is lined with shops and old inns and is worth walking rather than riding. Go early in the morning if you can, when the priests process to the main hall.
Nagano is the gateway to several of the main resorts. Hakuba is about an hour by bus from the east exit. Nozawa Onsen is reached by taking the Shinkansen one more stop to Iiyama, then a bus. Shiga Kogen is up past the monkey park. The Shinkansen leg is covered by a rail pass, the buses are not.
Your Japan Rail Pass covers the Shinkansen in and out and the Shinonoi line to Matsumoto. It does not cover the Nagano Electric Railway or any of the buses. For a trip built around Nagano alone, a regional pass may work out better than a national one; for a trip that also takes in Tokyo and Kyoto, the national pass usually wins.
Nagano is a compact, modern station and easy to navigate. The Shinkansen platforms are upstairs behind their own gates, the Zenkoji exit faces the temple and the main street, and the east exit is where the buses leave from. The Nagano Electric Railway is in the basement.
Soba. Nagano is the soba capital of Japan and the station area is full of it, including a good stand on the Shinkansen concourse. Oyaki, grilled buns stuffed with vegetables, are the other local thing and make a good snack for the train. Apples in autumn, from the orchards you see from the Shinkansen window.
If you are booking individual journeys rather than using a pass, this is the route that starts here.
Yes, and plenty of people do. About ninety minutes on the Shinkansen, forty five on the bus, a thirty minute walk each way, and the same back. It is a long day. An overnight at Yudanaka or Shibu Onsen is a much nicer way to do it.
The monkeys are there all year, but they only bathe when it is cold. In summer you will see them around the pool rather than in it, which is a different experience. Winter is the one in the photographs.
The fastest Kagayaki services take about eighty minutes but do not stop at every station; the Hakutaka and Asama take closer to a hundred. All are covered by the pass.
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