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Home - Travel - Sightseeing Guide - Chubu - Nagano

Hakuba

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Happo One with the Hakuba Ski Jumping Stadium

Hakuba, located in the Northern Alps of Nagano Prefecture, is one of Japan's most popular ski areas, offering good snow and several large ski resorts to choose from.

During the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, Hakuba gained world wide recognition as it hosted several olympic competitions, including alpine (downhill, super g, and combination) and nordic (ski jump and cross country) events.

Today some of the olympic facilities remain in use, such as the Hakuba Ski Jumping Stadium. There is also the Hakuba Olympic Village Memorial Hall, a small but interesting museum, located within walking distance of the ski jump.

On the slopes of Hakuba 47

Hakuba can be reached relatively easily not only from Tokyo, but also from the Nagoya and Kansai regions. While it is possible to do a day trip from Tokyo, Hakuba is best enjoyed overnight. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, there are hot springs (onsen) available around town.

Seven of the resorts (Happoone, Goryu, Hakuba 47, Iwatake, Hakuba Highland, Minekata and Sanosaka) have teamed up to offer the "Hakuba Happy 7" package (also known as the All Mountain Pass), which gives discounts on multiple day lift tickets to be used at any of the participating resorts. Two 1-day tickets (valid over a three day period) cost 8700 yen, while three 1-day tickets (to be used over a five day period) cost 12,500 yen. Some local hotels offer further discounts to staying guests.

Happoone
Description	Happoone is the the largest and most famous resort in Hakuba. In 1998 it hosted the downhill, super g, and combination ski events of the Nagano Winter Olympics. It is also the resort located closest to the village center and Hakuba Station.
Season	Early December to early May (2012 Season from Dec 8, 2012 to May 6, 2013)			Lifts	32 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8:00 to 17:00	4600 yen	Rentals	ski	Local
	half day	8:00 to 13:00, 12:00 to 17:00	3300 yen		board	Local
	nighter	17:00 to 21:00	2000 yen		clothes	Local
Access	bus/train	6 minutes by bus from Hakuba Station. Served by express buses from/to Nagano.
	car	2.5 kilometers west of Hakuba village center

Hakuba Goryu and Hakuba 47 group:

A ticket bought at either Hakuba Goryu or Hakuba 47 can be used at both resorts.

Hakuba Goryu
Description	Hakuba Goryu is located relatively close to central Hakuba village and is located on the same mountain as and connected to Hakuba 47.
Season	Early December to early May (2012 Season dates to be determined)			Lifts	13 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8:00 to 17:00	4800 yen	Rentals	ski	Local
	half day	8:00 to 13:00, 12:00 to 17:00	3800 yen		board	Local
	nighter	18:00 to 21:30	1800 yen		clothes	Local
Access	bus/train	5 minutes by shuttle bus from Kamishiro Station. Served by express buses from/to Nagano.
	car	4.5 kilometers southwest of Hakuba village center

Hakuba 47
Description	Together with its larger brother Hakuba Goryu, Hakuba 47 makes up the second most popular resorts in the area.
Season	Early December to early May (2012 Season from Dec 1, 2012 to May 6, 2013)			Lifts	6 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8:00 to 16:00	4800 yen	Rentals	ski	4000 yen
	half day	8:00 to 13:00, 12:00 to 16:00	3800 yen		board	4000 yen
	nighter	N/A	N/A		clothes	3000 yen
Access	bus/train	10 minutes by shuttle bus from Hakuba Station.
	car	4.5 kilometers southwest of Hakuba village center

Hakuba Norikura and Hakuba Cortina Kokusai Group:

Located just outside of the Hakuba village limits. A combination ticket to both resorts costs 4000 yen. A half day combination ticket is available for 2800 yen.

Hakuba Norikura
Description	Hakuba Norikura is located just outside of the Hakuba village limits next to Tsugaike Koen.
Season	Early December to early April (2012 Season dates to be determined)			Lifts	10 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8:00 to 17:00	3500 yen	Rentals	ski	3000 yen
	half day	8:00 to 13:00, 12:00 to 17:00	2300 yen		board	3000 yen
	nighter	N/A	N/A		clothes	3000 yen
Access	bus/train	20 minutes by bus from Minami-Otari Station. Served by express buses from/to Nagano.
	car	10 kilometers north of Hakuba village center

Hakuba Cortina Kokusai
Description	Hakuba Cortina is the furthest major resort from central Hakuba. It is just next to and partnered with Hakuba Norikura.
Season	Mid December to early April (2012 Season from Dec 15, 2012 to Apr 7, 2013)			Lifts	9 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8:30 to 17:00	3300 yen	Rentals	ski	4500 yen
	half day	8:30 to 13:00, 12:00 to 17:00	2300 yen		board	4500 yen
	nighter	17:00 to 20:00	1000 yen		clothes	4500 yen
Access	bus/train	20 minutes by bus from Minami-Otari Station.
	car	12 kilometers north of Hakuba village center

Unaffiliated Resorts:

Hakuba Iwatake
Description	Hakuba Iwatake is located close to central Hakuba, and is one of Hakuba's largest single resorts.
Season	Early December to early April (2012 Season dates to be determined)			Lifts	16 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8:00 to 17:00	3900 yen	Rentals	ski	Local
	half day	8:30 to 13:00, 12:00 to 17:00	2700 yen		board	Local
	nighter	N/A	N/A		clothes	Local
Access	bus/train	15-20 minutes by bus or shuttle bus from Hakuba Station. Served by express buses from/to Nagano.
	car	3 kilometers north of Hakuba village center

Tsugaike Kogen
Description	Tsugaike Kogen is the second largest resort in the area. It is located next to Hakuba Iwatake, just outside the Hakuba village limits.
Season	Early December to early May (2012 Season from Nov 23, 2012)			Lifts	26 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8:00 to 17:00	4500 yen	Rentals	ski	2500 yen
	half day	8:00 to 13:00, 12:00 to 17:00	3500 yen		board	3000 yen
	nighter	17:00 to 21:00	2000 yen		clothes	2500 yen
Access	bus/train	30 minutes by bus from Hakuba Station. Served by express buses from/to Nagano.
	car	7 kilometers north of Hakuba village center

Any Questions? Ask them in our question forum.

How to get there

From Tokyo:

By shinkansen via Nagano

Take the JR Nagano Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagano (100 minutes, 8000 yen) and then an express bus from Nagano to Hakuba (60-90 minutes, 1500-1800 yen), where the bus stops at Hakuba Station and directly at the base of several ski resorts. The Japan Rail Pass covers the shinkansen trip but not the bus journey.

By limited express train via Matsumoto

Take the JR Azusa limited express train from Tokyo's Shinjuku Station to Matsumoto and transfer to a local train on the JR Oito Line to Hakuba. Some Azusa limited express trains run all the way to Hakuba. The one way journey takes about 4 to 4.5 hours and costs around 8000 yen. It is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass.

By direct highway bus

During winter, six bus round trips per day are operated between Tokyo (Shinjuku) and Hakuba, where the buses stop in the village center and at the base of the Goryu and Happoone resorts. The one way journey takes about 4.5 hours and costs 4700 yen. A round trip ticket is available for 8500 yen.

From Nagoya/Kyoto/Osaka:

Take the JR Shinano limited express train from Nagoya to Matsumoto and transfer to a train along the Oito Line to Hakuba. The one way journey takes about 3.5 hours and costs around 7000 yen. It is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass.

How to get from Kyoto to Nagoya
How to get from Osaka to Nagoya

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User Ratings

Ratings for Hakuba:

japan-guide.com Rating:		outstanding
User Rating (by 138 users):	80/100	recommended

Best rated destinations (out of 148):

69. Kobe 81/100

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73. Matsumoto 80/100

74. Hakuba 80/100

75. Hachimantai 80/100

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Most visited destinations (out of 160):

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51. Iga Ueno 402

52. Yamaguchi 369

User Feedback

English Links

Happoone
Official English website.

Hakuba Goryu
Official English website.

Hakuba 47
Official English website.

Hakuba Cortina (pdf)
English PDF pamphlet.

Hakuba Iwatake
Official English website.

Alpico Bus
Official English website of the local bus operator.

Japanese Links

Hakuba Village
Official website.

Happoone
Official website.

Hakuba Goryu
Official website.

Hakuba 47
Official website.

Hakuba Norikura
Official website.

Hakuba Cortina
Official website.

Hakuba Iwatake
Official website.

Tsugaike Kogen
Official website.

Alpico Bus
Official website of the local bus operator.

Related Pages

Travel
Sightseeing
Chubu Region
Nagano Prefecture
Chubu Sangaku National Park

Guide to Skiing in Japan
How to enjoy skiing and snowboarding
List of ski resorts

Hot Springs

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