Trips From Tokyo - Hakuba - Nagano

Hakuba
Hakuba is a sleepy Japanese town in the mountains of Nagano (1998 Winter Olympic Games Host). Hakuba is mainly recognised as a Ski village but as we were not great ski's we took advantage of the summer alpine experience.
During summer some of the restaurants are closed however don't let this deter you. The ski lifts are still running and will take you to the top of the breath taking mountains of Hakuba.

We also enjoyed white water rafting and canyoning in the Himekawa (Princess River).
For guided outdoor activities then Evergreen Outdoor Center is a good option for English speaking adventure tours - http://www.evergreen-hakuba.com/home.html

For the keen skier than look no further with 10 resorts accessing over 200 runs, Hakuba is right at the heart of skiing and snowboarding in Japan.

One interesting points about Hakuba that makes it a little different to many other places in Japan is the presence of European style buildings. There are many Swiss/Austrian style chateaus, Church's and B&B's. This can make your trip feel very homely for those who catch a bit of home sickness every now and again.

Things To Do/Activities
Hakuba is a true outdoors adventure playground with activities including:
Canyoning, rafting, canoeing, mountain bike riding, climbing, kayaking, natural photography and of course skiing and snowboarding

Places to Stay/Accommodation
Gallery & Lodge NOICHIGO - for a personal close up experience in Hakuba

This is the comment we left when leaving... what else can I say!

"My wife and I stayed at this English friendly B&B for 2 nights. This is a wonderful family owned business where the hospitality is second to none. The owners will drive you anywhere in Hakuba, pick you up from the train station & drop you off at the train station. They are genuinely kind people who want you to have the best experience. Thank you Makiko, Yuto-chan and parents!
If you are looking for a personal experience in Japan, then this is for you.
PS. make sure you experience at least one home cooked meal!"
Home Page: http://www.janis.or.jp/users/noichigo/top_page_english.html

Tokyu Hotel - http://www.tokyuhotelsjapan.com/en/TR/TR_HAKUB/index.html
For those who want the 5 star experience than the Tokyu Hotel is a very nice hotel close to the slopes.

Gettng There
Hakuba is a little far for a Tokyo day trip but great for a weekend away.
To get to Hakuba we travel by bullet train to Nagano and then bus from Nagano to Hakuba.

Leg 1
From Tokyo Departing from Tokyo Station take the Nagano Bullet Train (Asama Shinkansen). Travelling time 1.5hrs.
The bullet trains run regularly throughout the day.

Leg 2
From Nagano Station buses from Nagano to Hakuba run every hour, with the last bus departing Hakuba at 8:20pm. (Friday night 9.20pm). Alpico bus cost per person 1400yen one way. Buses depart from the East (Higashi) exit of Nagano Station from bus stop 6 and take around 1 hour to get to Hakuba getting off at the Happo bus stop.

if you stay at our recommended B&B, just give Makiko a call and her father will pick you up at the bus stop.. as you would expect ;)