Access Info - Transport to Azumino by Road or Highway Bus
By Road
The Azumino area can be easily accessed by road by taking the Nagano expressway and getting off at the Toyoshina Interchange (IC), 10 minutes north of the Matsumoto IC. From the Toyoshina IC, Hotaka Station is a 15-20 minute drive north along Route 147.
Click here to go to Central Nippon Expressway site for tolls of expressways and further information.
By Highway Bus
From Tokyo
The highway bus station is located at the west gate of JR Shinjuku Station. About twenty services bound for Matsumoto operate daily from this terminal from 07:00 to 21:00. Tickets for highway buses are considerably cheaper than those found for train journeys between Shinjuku and Matsumoto, although journey times tend to be longer – typically being a little less than 4 hours long, including a 10-minute rest-stop along the way.
A highway bus bound for Hakuba also operates, stopping off at the Azumino Swiss Village along the way. After getting off at the Swiss Village, please call a taxi.
Click here to go to Alpico Bus site for timetables and further information regarding bus travel.
From Osaka and Nagoya
From Umeda bus terminal (near JR Osaka station) two daily services are offered to Matsumoto bus terminal (see here).
From Nagoya bus center (adjacent to Nagoya JR Station) six services to Matsumoto are offered throughout the day (see here).