Narita to Nagano - reserved tickets needed?

Hello, I land in Narita around 4pm on March 15 & want to go directly to Nagano to spend the night. I would greatly appreciate information on the train I should take for this trip and also whether or not I should buy tickets in advance. I will not be purchasing a JR pass. If I do buy in advance, what website should I use to purchase them? I�fll be tired from a very long day of travel so I don�ft want to risk having to stand on the train.
Thanks for your help!

Hi!

All seats on the NEX are reserved, assuming you plan to take one to Tokyo Station and transfer for the shinkansen there. You could conceivably also use a Keisi Skyliner train to either Nippori and transfer there to JR and go to JR Ueno and get a shinkansen there or walk from Keisi Ueno to JR Ueno.

For shinkansen to Nagano... there are several different types. Asama (the slowest) and Kagayaki do not require seat reservations. Hakutaka (the fastest and only about 80 minutes from JR Tokyo Station does require a reserved seat.)

I don't know your travel plans, but I suspect you would benefit from the JR East Nagano-Niigata Pass since it is ~8000 yen one way from Tokyo to Nagano and the pass is 17,310 yen, so it will pretty much cover your round trip between Nagano and Tokyo and then you would have 3 more days to use the 1310 yen to break even. The pass is flexible and good for any 5 days within a 14 day period.

Good luck!

You�fd probably want to take the Skyliner to Keisei-Ueno, walk around the corner into the JR station and get on the bullet train to Nagano.

There are ticket stations at the airport and at Ueno.

Thank you both for responding. This information is very helpful. I�fll be traveling from Nagano to Shibu Onsen and then Takayama so I don�ft think the JR East Nagano-Niigata Pass will pay off. I return to Tokyo toward the end of my trip from Kyoto. If no JR pass, is it best (even possible?) to buy the ticket to Nagano now?

Hi!

I'd definitely skip the pass then. You might do well with the bus pass though from Matsumoto to Takayama to Kanazawa and take the train from there, depending on your plans. Getting from Nagano to Matsumoto is easy and not terribly expensive. It is definitely cheaper to go Nagano to Matsumoto to Takayama then Nagano to Toyama to Takayama. But again it really varies with your plans post Nagano. I can say that while scenic, the train between Toyama and Takayama is not very frequent and Toyama Station itself is boring. I had a 45 minute layover there and it was not interesting at all and 45 minutes doesn't give you enough time to do anything in Toyama.

If you're going to be traveling between Narita and Tokyo within 14 days I would take the NEX because there is a discounted roundtrip. Otherwise I would do Keisi, just look into the transfer in Ueno on a map first to make sure you know what you are doing.

I believe train tickets don't go on sale until 1 month before departure. I don't think your travel date is a holiday. I think you would probably be fine getting a ticket day of.

If you're staying at ryokan in Shibu onsen that includes meals though I would let them know you are going to be late. There is no way you are going to get there before 18:00 if you arrive in Narita Airport at 16:00 because ignoring Customs and baggage claim (last time I went through Narita, Customs was the fastest I've ever seen them but it still took 30 minutes) you're not going to get to Keisi Ueno until 17:10 and then you still need at least 2 hours to get to Shibu onsen from JR Ueno.

Good luck!

I land in Narita around 4pm on March 15 & want to go directly to Nagano to spend the night.
should I buy tickets in advance.
Count on an hour to clear Narita airport. It might be faster or slower, but your flight could also be early/delayed. the onward train travel will take around three hours, so arrival after 8 p.m.

If I do buy in advance, what website should I use to purchase them?
JR East has an online service - eki.net there are other ticket buying services but they cost more (service fees).

All seats on the NEX are reserved
Actually, no. Despite all the announcements, you can travel without a reserved seat. However, I do not recommend that.