Can I leave the station?...

Hi guys, I'm sorry if this question has already been answered (i've checked but couldn't find it anywhere on the forum).
I'm wondering if I can exit a train station if it is in the middle of a journey I've paid for? In other words, if I've bought a ticket in Ikebukuro to travel to Nagano, can I get out of Matsumoto station to see the castle, since that's where I will need to change trains?

You can get out of Matsumoto if you have ticket via Matsumoto.
FYI:
Ikebukuro-Nagano(shortest way):JYE3980
Ikebukuro-Matsumoto-Nagano:JYE4940
Valid for 3days

For future reference the rule is that you can exit/reenter along the way if the overall distance travelled is more than 100 km. But as TM mentions it has to be on the route.

If you are going to Nagano City then Matsumoto is not on your route and you will have to specify that you want to travel via Matsumoto (which costs more) when purchasing your ticket. If you are travelling to other parts of Nagano Prefecture and Matsumoto is on your route then you can exit/enter the station with no problem.

Also here's some info on Matsumoto:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6050.html

Thanks for all your help guys. Can i just confirm:
We will be travelling from Ikebukuro to Hakuba on trains that require a change at Matsumoto.....then travelling from Hakuba to Kansai airport. Is it safe to say I can leave any of the stations in between these destinations, as long as they were part of the trip plan provided by Hyperdia?
Thanks again!

Hi guys, just bumping this up because people seem to have forgotten it. I'm leaving for Japan in a few weeks, and it'd be REALLY good to get some confirmation on the above question.
Thanks!
Dave

Generally speaking,
Regular tickets traveling over a distance of 100km allow unlimited stop overs.

HOWEVER, I would suggest you only get unreserved seats then, instead of reserved seating, since reserved seating is to a specific train and seat number, if you get off and you miss your train, then you can still use the unreserved seat in the next train, but some person who wanted a seat reservation might of missed out.


As mentioned it would have to be on your designated route.

The fastest way from Ikebukuro to Nagano is via Omiya and the Shinkansen, taking less then 2 hours.

Going via Matsumoto takes over 4 hours.

Is it safe to say I can leave any of the stations in between these destinations, as long as they were part of the trip plan provided by Hyperdia?

No, it is not safe to say because Hyperdia provides multiple routes, and I have no idea which of them you have in mind.

So, I assume you travel the following route:

Hakuba - Matsumoto - Nagoya - (shinkansen) - Shin-Osaka - (Haruka limited express) - Kansai Airport

You are allowed to get off at stations along the way if all of the following is true:
1) you purchase one "basic fare" ticket from the entire route mentioned above
2) you do not backtrack
3) the entire journey does not take longer than the period of validity of your ticket (which is four consecutive calendar days)
4) you purchase separate express supplements for each separate section of your trip traveled by shinkansen or limited express train