The Hakuba Valley is located 250km (156 miles) from Tokyo and the trip takes about 4 hours from either of the Japanese capital’s two major airports. Narita and Haneda.
There are different ways to reach the Hakuba Valley but they all take about the same amount of time. The first is a direct Nagano snow shuttle bus which takes about six hours from Narita Airport and about five hours from Haneda. Another popular option is to take the world-famous bullet train from Tokyo station to Nagano station. The train is very fast, taking between 80 to 110 minutes, but the journey involves first getting from the airport to Tokyo station, it is about 80-110 minutes from Tokyo to Nagano, then a 70-minute bus ride from Nagano station to Hakuba. The result is about the same four hours in total!
A third option, also taking about four hours, is the slower JR Azusa train service from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, this time going all the way to Hakuba station. There are many Azusa train. There is only one direct train between Shinjuku and Hakuba each day in each direction, leaving Tokyo at 8 am and Hakuba at 3.16 pm, although there are plenty more connecting services too.
You can also book a taxi transfer for up to 7 people from your Tokyo airport to Hakuba. This is the most expensive option and once again usually takes 4-5 hours, depending on the airport and the traffic.
Once you’re in the Hakuba Valley, the best way to get around is with the inter-resort shuttle. The shuttle has multiple routes and there are dozens of stops all over the Hakuba Valley.
HV shuttle, which connect 10 ski resorts and base villages, is free of charge if you have a Hakuba Valley lift pass, or a day pass on the day or days its valid for skiing (otherwise ¥800 – about £4.20 – per ride if you don’t).
Individual ski resorts also run their own shuttle bus services that offer free travel to and from their ski slopes for those wanting to ski at them that day. There are a few other shuttle bus services operated by others too.
Detailed shuttle bus information is HERE