When in the year will you travel?
Where will you stay before Matsumoto?
Matsumoto -> Yamanouchi -> Kusatsu Onsen -> Magome & Tsumago -> NagoyaTaking this order of the places,
you go from Matsumoto all the way to Kusatsu Onsen and back.
Leaving Kusatsu Onsen in the morning,
you may not have time to visit both Tsumago and Magome on that day.
:
Matsumoto -- Nagano --
Yamanouchi -- Nagano --
Karuizawa --
Kusatsu Onsen -- Karuizawa -- Nagano -- Matsumoto --
Nagiso --
Tsumago --
Magome -- Nakatsugawa --
Nagoya.
From Nagoya
you can get to Matsumoto on a Limited Express train in about two hours.
To start from Tokyo, the above route is definitely roundabout;
you had better rearrange the destinations.
: Tokyo -- Karuizawa --
Kusatsu Onsen -- Karuizawa -- Nagano --
Yamanouchi -- Nagano --
Matsumoto --
Nagiso --
Tsumago --
Magome -- Nakatsugawa --
Nagoya.
In midsummer,
buses between Karuizawa and Kusatsu Onsen may be delayed
due to the congestion of the road traffic
(because of the high popularity of Karuizawa);
the alternative route via Naganoharakusatsuguchi sounds worth considering.
- Japan Guide: How to get to Kusatsu Onsen
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7403.html- Japan Guide: Bus timetables: Magome and Tsumago
https://www.japan-guide.com/bus/kiso.html: Many Limited Express trains skip Nagiso Station.
Nakatsugawa Station is generally more convenient.
