Local Guide
Directions to Karuizawa by train, car, or bus from Tokyo or Nagoya

Karuizawa is famous as a summer resort, but many people visit this area throughout the year for its fresh greenery, autumn foliage, outlet shopping, and ski resorts. Direction from central Tokyo and Nagoya is also easy, so we have compiled a list of the best ways to get to Karuizawa by train, bus, or car.

The cheapest way is by bus

If price is important to you other than using a car, buses are inexpensive.
Highway buses are available for prices starting at 2,100 yen one way, or about 4,500 yen with a round-trip discount. From Tokyo, buses depart from Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, or Shibuya.
The trip takes about 3 hours. Many buses stop at Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza for convenience.

If you are taking a bus from Yokohama area, sometimes it is better to go out to Tokyo

Buses to Karuizawa are also available from Yokohama, but depending on the area you live in, it may be cheaper to take the train to Tokyo and take a bus to Karuizawa, or there are many buses that run, so you have more options.
The bus between Yokohama and Karuizawa costs 3,500 yen one way or 7,000 yen round trip and takes about 4 hours, so please consider this option.

Shinkansen is fast and time is readable

The shortest trip from Tokyo Station (stopping at 3 stations along the way) takes 66 minutes to reach Karuizawa Station, saving a great deal of time.
One-way unreserved seat fare is 5,390 yen (common throughout the year), and one-way reserved seat fare is 5,910 yen, with a 200 yen discount during off-peak periods and a 200 yen increase during peak periods. The Shinkansen can be used at a discount of up to 35% when using a set fare with a rental car or the "Tokudare" price for members of JR East's "Ekinet".

Car is cheaper if departing late at night or on holidays

If you take the Chuo Expressway route from Chofu to Tokyo by car, the price is 4,060 yen with a holiday discount (Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays), or 3,420 yen with a 30% discount with a late-night discount (midnight to 4:00am).
If there is no traffic congestion, the trip can be completed in 2.5 to 3 hours, which is a significant advantage when considering travel in Karuizawa.

There is no direct bus service from Nagoya to Karuizawa, so Direction is by car or limited express.

Combination of "Limited Express Shinano" and Shinkansen is recommended

Combining the "Limited Express Shinano" from Nagoya Station to Nagano Station (about 3 hours) and the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Nagano Station to Karuizawa Station (about 30 minutes) will take about 4 hours depending on the transfer time at Nagano Station, and costs 8,650 yen (nonreserved seat).
Combining a local train with the "Limited Express Shinano" from Nagoya Station to Shinanoi Station and the "Shinano Railway" from Shinanoi Station to Karuizawa Station will cost 8,530 yen, which is a little cheaper, but will take about 4.5 hours, depending on the time required for connections.

If you go only by Shinkansen

Direction from Nagoya Station to Tokyo Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen and transfer to the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Karuizawa Station is a quicker choice with a 3-hour ride. The only drawback is the high cost at 15,110 yen (nonreserved seat).

If you take the expressway from Nagoya to Karuizawa, you can get there for 4,910 yen if you use the holiday discount (Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays) or the midnight discount (midnight to 4:00 am).
Direction is about 4 hours if there is no traffic jam.

Be careful of traffic jams, snowy roads and icy roads in winter.

Every year, during the summer vacation period, mainly during Golden Week and Obon week, the expressway is famous for being congested from both Tokyo and Nagoya.
Traveling early in the morning (dawn) or late at night is relatively easy to avoid, but it is important to check traffic jam information frequently to make the right decision.

Karuizawa is also a cold region, so studless tires are required from mid-December to March. A high percentage of highways have chain restrictions when snow accumulates, so carrying chains is recommended.
Please be careful on the roads within the town and on the highways, as snow and icy roads are likely to be present around the time you approach the Usui Pass. Please note that in Nagano Prefecture, driving on snowy or icy roads without taking anti-slip measures is a violation of the Road Traffic Law.

After a day of sightseeing, relax at a Hoshino Resorts inn. Karuizawa is the birthplace of Hoshino Resorts, which has three unique inns, all full of fun and surprises for your trip.

A day off from the modern world, staying in a village in the valley

The landscape created by the topography of the valley has a different look depending on the season and time of day.
The landscape created by the topography of the valley has a different look depending on the season and time of day.

HOSHINOYA Karuizawa, 70 minutes from Tokyo, is an ideal mountain retreat surrounded by clean air. Guest rooms are set around a waterfront garden, with terraces offering views of the changing seasons. The hotel offers hot springs that have been known since ancient times for their beautiful skin and loved by literary giants, cuisine for rest and relaxation that features ingredients from the mountains and rivers, spa programs that lead to relaxation of body and soul, and various activities that allow you to experience the four seasons with all your body and soul. Guests can fully enjoy their time resting from the modern world in the rich natural environment facing the "Karuizawa Wild Bird Forest."

HOSHINOYA Karuizawa
  • Address 2148 Nagakura, Karuizawa-cho, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano MAP
  • Direction 15 min. by free shuttle bus from Karuizawa Station/Nakakaruizawa Station
  • Parking Available

A cosy hotel in Karuizawa loved by vacationers

Rooms are all independent cottages nestled among the trees.
Rooms are all independent cottages nestled among the trees.

Karuizawa Hotel Bleston Court is a hotel where you can relax in body and soul, where you will be welcomed with the spirit of hospitality cultivated in Karuizawa's guest culture and food that enjoys rich nature and the seasons. In the main dining room, Bleston Court Yukawatan, you can enjoy French cuisine that expresses the uniquely Japanese world, using ingredients nurtured by the richness of nature and valuing the spirit of appreciating the seasons and nature. Breakfast at Restaurant No One's Recipe is a "French Breakfast" of course, featuring a Brittany-style crepe made with buckwheat flour. Enjoy it with a glass of cider in the authentic Brittany style.

Karuizawa Hotel Bleston Court

More than an izakaya, less than a trip, a loose hotel

A courtyard with a wooden deck where the night breezes of the plateau are pleasant and shooting stars can be seen.
A courtyard with a wooden deck where the night breezes of the plateau are pleasant and shooting stars can be seen.

This is a loose hotel with loose rules and time constraints. Guests can freely arrange how to spend their time, playing board games or card games in the open space "TAMARIBA," which is available 24 hours a day, or simply enjoying being in the same space while reading a book of their choice.
Within walking distance are "Harunire Terrace" with its lifestyle stores, cafes, and restaurants, "Hoshino Onsen Tombo-no-yu," a hot spring with free-flowing spring water, and "Picchio," where you can enjoy "Musasabi Watching," a 90% sighting rate.

BEB Karuizawa BEB Hoshino Resorts
  • Address Hoshino, Karuizawa-cho, Nagano MAP
  • Direction 10 minutes drive from Nakakaruizawa Station
  • Parking Available

MAP

＜Directions from Tokyo/Nagoya to Karuizawa
<Unique lodging in the birthplace of Hoshino Resorts>.
Hoshino Resorts facilities nearby
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The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.