Getting to Nozawa Onsen

How to get to Nozawa Onsen

There are 3 ways to get to Nozawa Onsen; by train, bus or in a rental car.
1. Bullet Train is the fastest and most exciting way to get to Nozawa Onsen. 
2. Direct bus is the easiest way to get to Nozawa Onsen, however takes a long time, especially after a long flight. 
3. Rental car is convenient only if you would like to do day trips while staying in Nozawa Onsen. The village is compact and easy to navigate on foot and challenging to navigate the small streets with a car. 

The fastest way to get to Nozawa Onsen is by Bullet train (Shinkansen).

Nozawa Onsen train and bus timetable

The 2025/2026 timetable will be released around November 2025. Until then, we will display the 2024/25 timetable below for reference. Each year the timetable usually has minor changes. 

It takes approximately 3-4 hours to get to Nozawa Onsen from Narita Airport by train/bus. 

1. (a) Take the Narita Express (NEX) train, or the Keisei bus (easier with luggage) from Narita Airport to Tokyo Station - 1 hour.
(b) Take the rapid Keisei skyliner train from Narita Airport to Ueno station - 40 minutes
2. Change to the Hokuriku Shinkansen (Bullet train) from Tokyo station or Ueno Station to Iiyama Station - 1 hour, 40 minutes.
3. Change to the Nozawa Onsen Liner bus from Iiyama Station to Nozawa Onsen (cash or Suica card) - 20 minutes.
4. Exit the bus at the Shinden bus stop in Nozawa Onsen.
5. Total walking distance to Nozawa Peaks from the Shinden bus stop: 500 meters, 7 minutes. We recommend using your preferred maps application. 

If you miss the 'Shinden' bus stop, the final stop is the 'Chuo terminal' which is also within 10 minute walking distance of Nozawa Peaks. Everything is Nozawa Onsen is within walking distance.

Narita airport to Nozawa Onsen, transfer at Tokyo station or Ueno station?
First time travelers to Japan may prefer to change trains in Tokyo station, experienced travellers may prefer to transit in Ueno station. 

Tokyo station is the starting point of the Shinkansen which allows plenty of time for boarding. If traveling without a seat reservation (train cars 1-4) it allows the best opportunity to find a preferred seat, you simply line up and choose your seat upon boarding. This transfer is all within one train station, no need to go outside. 

Ueno station is the second stop of the Shinkansen and only stops briefly. You have less time to board. If you do not have a seat reservation, you may not find your preferred seat (for example - a window seat) as many people already boarded the train at Tokyo station. You do need to go outside for this transfer. It is a short walk to transfer to the Shinkansen station. Experienced travellers to Japan often prefer this method as the trip from Narita to Ueno station on the skyliner train is a bit faster, and Ueno station is less crowded than Tokyo station. If timed correctly, this transfer is also more streamlined. 

It takes approximately 3 - 3 1/2 hours to get from Haneda Airport to Nozawa Onsen by bus/train or monorail/train. You can purchase your train ticket from the Haneda Airport train ticket office, right through to Iiyama station (station closest to Nozawa Onsen).

1. a) Take the Airport Limousine bus from Haneda airport to Tokyo station - 1 hour (longer, but easier option with luggage).
b) Alternatively, take the Monorail from Haneda Airport to Hamamatsucho station, change to the JR Yamanote subway line to Tokyo Station - 30 minutes (faster, but more difficult changing trains with luggage).
2. Change to the Hokuriku Shinkansen (Bullet train) from Tokyo station or Ueno Station to Iiyama Station - 1 hour, 40 minutes.
3. Change to the Nozawa Onsen Liner bus from Iiyama Station to Nozawa Onsen (cash or Suica card) - 20 minutes.
4. Exit the bus at the Shinden bus stop in Nozawa Onsen.
5. Total walking distance to Nozawa Peaks from the Shinden bus stop: 500 meters, 7 minutes. We recommend using your preferred maps application.

If you miss the 'Shinden' bus stop, the final stop is the 'Chuo terminal' which is also within 10 minute walking distance of Nozawa Peaks. Everything is Nozawa Onsen is within walking distance.

The Airport Limousine bus departs approximately every 30 minutes. 
The Monorail departs approximately every 5-10 minutes. 

You can send your luggage to Nozawa Peaks when you arrive to the airport in Japan to make traveling easier. It generally takes two days for luggage to arrive.

It takes 2 hours from Tokyo station or Ueno station to Nozawa Onsen. You can purchase your train ticket from the train station.

1. Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen (Bullet train) from Tokyo station or Ueno Station to Iiyama Station - 1 hour, 40 minutes.
2. Change to the Nozawa Onsen Liner bus from Iiyama Station to Nozawa Onsen (cash or Suica card) - 20 minutes.
3. Exit the bus at the Shinden bus stop in Nozawa Onsen.
4. Total walking distance to Nozawa Peaks from the Shinden bus stop: 500 meters, 7 minutes. We recommend using your preferred maps application.

If you miss the 'Shinden' bus stop, the final stop is the 'Chuo terminal' which is also within 10 minute walking distance of Nozawa Peaks. Everything is Nozawa Onsen is within walking distance.

The trip from Kyoto and Osaka to Nozawa Onsen has become faster with the new Shinkansen extension which opened on March 18, 2024. 

The new train route requires a change to the Shinkansen (bullet train) at Tsuruga Station instead of Kanazawa. Tsuruga station is much closer to Kyoto and Osaka which means more time on the Shinkansen which shortens the trip considerably. 

From Kyoto
1. Take the Thunderbird train to Tsuruga station (1hr)
2. Change to the Shinkansen train to Iiyama station (2hrs)
3. Take the Nozawa Onsen Liner bus to Nozawa Onsen (20 minutes)

From Osaka
1. Take the Thunderbird train to Tsuruga station (1.5hr)
2. Change to the Shinkansen train to Iiyama station (2hrs)
3. Take the Nozawa Onsen Liner bus to Nozawa Onsen (20 minutes)

The easiest way to purchase Shinkansen (bullet train) tickets is at the train station upon arriving to Japan. You can use a ticket machine in english, or through an agent at the ticket office. This is the way we travel, we have yet to purchase Shinkansen tickets online. 

Sometimes a train will have "no seats available", however there are 3 or 4 cars on each train which have 'non-reserved seating' which means you can take any available seat. If you are worried about seating, just arrive to the train station with plenty of time before train departure and line up at a non-reserved car.

If you are traveling on a Japanese public holiday or busy Sunday afternoon (for example), it could be worth purchasing Shinkansen tickets online in advance.

Shinkansen tickets to Nozawa Onsen can be purchased online here. The closest train station to Nozawa Onsen is Iiyama (note: often mistakenly spelt Liyama). Online tickets still need to be converted to physical tickets; this is done by scanning QR code at ticket machines in the train station. This now includes Iiyama station. Note: Shinkansen tickets can usually only be purchased one month in advance through official channels (mentioned above). Some travel agent websites have the flexibility to buy tickets further in advance.

Regarding the Nozawa Onsen Liner bus between Iiyama station and Nozawa Onsen, this cannot be booked online. The cash-only ticket vending machine located is outside the Iiyama train station where the bus departs from, you can also use a Suica card. They run up to 3 buses at each departure time. There are also taxi's available at Iiyama station. 

Note: There is a way to purchase Shinkansen tickets and use the digital ticket on your phone through the Suica app. We wish you luck in setting this up. It is all in Japanese and requires a fair bit of research. 

Please note: The bullet train between Tokyo and Iiyama station is part JR East network. If you purchase tickets through the JR west website, tickets cannot be picked up at Iiyama station. 

A Shinkansen can be completely full, including non reserved seating, however you are allowed to stand. In most cases, a seat will become available after a few stops. 

If you are only visiting Nozawa Onsen, there is no benefit to having a JR rail pass. If you are traveling throughout Japan to many locations, it could be worth looking purchasing a JR rail pass.

Please note, Nozawa Peaks latest check-in time is 8pm. This rules out the overnight bus from Tokyo airports to Nozawa Peaks which arrives around 1-2am. 

The long but easy way from Tokyo to Nozawa Onsen is with the Snow Shuttle bus from Tokyo Airports. 

The Snow Shuttle bus includes a pick up at Narita Airport or Haneda Airport. 

There are also direct bus transfers between Nozawa Onsen and other ski resorts such as Hakuba, Myoko, Madarao and Shiga Kogen.

The snow shuttle between Tokyo and Nozawa Onsen takes longer than the bullet train, if traveling with a lot of luggage or with small children it could be an easier option. 

The Nagano Snow Shuttle offer more options which include taking a bullet train and connecting to the Nagano snow shuttle bus. Please see their website for these options. For simplicity, we only included their direct buses in the timetable above.

At the time of writing, the day time buses from Tokyo to Nozawa Onsen will drop you at the Nozawa Onsen Chuo bus terminal (10 minute walk from Nozawa Peaks).

Notes
All prices listed on this page are subject to change, quoted at adult rates unless otherwise stated.