Hakuba, the rider's guide

Ten resorts in one valley under the Japanese Alps. How to get there, where to ride, eat and soak, and where to buy gear in Tokyo. Checked 8 Nov 2026.

ESC camp meeting point

• Your camp's meeting point and time are in My Trips, set for your date. Book flights and the Shinkansen around them: allow about 5 hours from the airports to Nagano.
• Your camp bus time to Nagano Station is in My Trips

Getting there

• ESC transfer: About 5 h, In your trip. Some ESC camps list a transfer from Narita, Haneda or Tokyo straight to Hakuba
• Train to Ueno or Tokyo, then Shinkansen: About 2.5 to 3 h to Nagano, Shinkansen ≈ ¥8,000–8,500 + airport train. Keisei Skyliner to Ueno, or Narita Express to Tokyo Station
• Monorail or Keikyu, then Shinkansen: About 2 to 2.5 h to Nagano, Shinkansen ≈ ¥8,000–8,500 + airport train. Keikyu line or Tokyo Monorail into the city, then JR to Tokyo Station
• Hokuriku Shinkansen: About 80 min to Nagano, ≈ ¥8,000–8,500. From Tokyo or Ueno station to Nagano
• Alpico express bus, Nagano → Hakuba: 70 to 80 min, ≈ ¥2,900–3,500. Leaves from Nagano Station East Exit, bus stop 26
• Direct train from Shinjuku (Azusa): 3 h 40 min, ≈ ¥8,270. Azusa No. 5: Shinjuku 8:00 → Hakuba 11:40, daily
• Highway bus from Busta Shinjuku: About 5 h, ¥5,200–7,000. Alpico from Busta Shinjuku (7:35 → Happo 12:48 in the current timetable)
• Night bus: About 7.5 h, arrive around 6 AM, ¥8,400–9,800. Leaves Tokyo late evening, arrives at Goryu, Hakuba and Happo around 6 AM
• Nagano Snow Shuttle: 5 to 6.5 h, ¥12,375–20,350 last season. Direct coaches from Narita and Haneda to Hakuba, and back
• Private transfer: 4 to 5 h, From ¥94,000 per vehicle. Door to door, any hour
• Drive: About 1 h from Nagano, Rental + fuel. Winter tyres are a must; confirm with the rental company
• After camp: Nagano → Tokyo → airport: Shinkansen 80 min, then 30 to 60 min, Shinkansen ≈ ¥8,000–8,500 + airport train. Camp bus to Nagano Station: your time is in My Trips

The ten resorts

• Hakuba Happo-one (白馬八方尾根): The biggest mountain in the valley and the 1998 Olympic downhill hill. Long runs from the alpine top to the village.
• Hakuba47 (白馬47): The valley's freestyle mountain. Linked at the top to Goryu, so one ticket covers both.
• Able Hakuba Goryu (エイブル白馬五竜): Three areas on one mountain, the valley's biggest night riding, and a base building with everything in it.
• Hakuba Iwatake (白馬岩岳): A gentler mountain with the best view of the Hakuba peaks, and a bakery at the top.
• Tsugaike Mountain Resort (栂池高原): Very wide, gentle lower slopes (about 1.2 km across) and a long season.
• Hakuba Cortina (白馬コルチナ): The snowiest resort in the valley. Known for tree runs and deep days; one ticket with Norikura next door.
• Hakuba Norikura Onsen (白馬乗鞍温泉): Wide beginner slopes next to a 38° steep run and a mogul run. Quiet hot-spring village.
• White Resort Hakuba Sanosaka (白馬さのさか): Gentle to moderate slopes above Lake Aoki, at the south end of the valley.
• Kashimayari Family Park (鹿島槍): A family mountain with a dedicated family park.
• Jigatake Snow Resort (爺ガ岳): The smallest and gentlest: 70% easy terrain and no hard runs.

Lift tickets

• Hakuba Valley pass, all ten resorts: ¥11,100 a day, ¥53,400 for five days.

Eat, drink and soak

• Izakaya Hie, Echoland: Izakaya · skewers & sake. Many locals' pick for the best izakaya in the valley. Share plates, chicken skewers, sake.
• BOS, Hakuba: Okonomiyaki. Fresh okonomiyaki made by one man. A favourite in food creators' posts.
• The Lab, Echoland: Hotel bar. One of the valley's best hotel bars, walking distance from a dozen others.
• Sounds Like Café, Echoland: Coffee. Easy coffee stop if you're staying in Echoland.
• Sharaku, Happo: Sushi. Sushi inside Hakuba Springs Hotel. Regularly named among the best Japanese meals in the valley.
• Izakaya Kakuichi, Happo: Izakaya. Tiny traditional pub in the middle of Happo village, 8 to 10 seats.
• Mimi's, Happo: Modern European. Contemporary tasting-style dinner with local produce, in Grand Phenix Hakuba. The special-night pick.
• Hakuba Mountain Beach, Happo: Bar & café. Bar and café in Happo with a big-window, beach-hut feel.
• Restaurant Pilar, Happo-one: Italian, on the mountain. Sit-down Italian lunch with views from up on Happo-one. Workers' favourite for a mountain lunch.
• Kitaone Kogen Terrace, Happo-one: Soba & café, on the mountain. Small mountain café for hot soba, a glove-drying break and a view.
• Café de 4260, Happo: Udon & hot chocolate. Family-run café near the Happo gondola. Beef udon and a much-loved hot chocolate straight off the slope.
• Tori Co., Wadano: Modern yakitori izakaya. Yakitori in the Wadano woods, a few hundred metres from the Sakka slopes.
• Hummingbird, Wadano: Izakaya. A Japanese couple's homely izakaya cooking with seasonal ingredients.
• Rhythm & Beans, Wadano: Coffee. Good coffee, matcha and local cookies inside Rhythm's rental shop.
• Hybrid, Hakuba: Japanese fusion. Hyper-local ingredients, fermentation and global flavours from a former Three Blue Ducks chef.
• Ramen Tottsuan, Hakuba Station: Ramen & gyoza. A serious contender for best ramen in Hakuba, about 800 m from the station.
• Sukeya, Hakuba Station: Ramen. Ramen at JR Hakuba Station: the arrival or departure bowl.
• Kicchonchon, Hakuba Station: Traditional izakaya. Popular local izakaya about 10 minutes' walk from Hakuba Station.
• Snow Peak Land Station, Hakuba Station: Restaurant, shop, Starbucks. Kengo Kuma building with Restaurant Seppo, outdoor shopping, a Starbucks and tourist info. Good rest-day base.
• Coffee Senju, Hakuba: Coffee. Quiet coffee house that local creators keep recommending.
• The City Bakery, Iwatake: Bakery at the summit. Bakery at Hakuba Mountain Harbor on top of Iwatake, facing the whole Hakuba range.
• Sky Arc, Iwatake: Mountain cafeteria. Noodles, pasta, curry and soups on the mountain.
• Hakuba Brew Pub, Iwatake: Craft beer & pub food. Hakuba Brewing Company's own pub, with big windows over the Iwatake slopes.
• Kitchen Tsuganomori, Tsugaike: Mountain cafeteria. At the top gondola station. Riders recommend the katsu curry and the miso ramen.
• Tengappara, Tsugaike: Ramen & fried dumplings. Ramen in Phatpackers Tsugaike. Its fried dumplings get special mentions.
• Escal Plaza, Goryu: Base building, 7 places to eat. Goryu's base: food court choices, rental, a souvenir shop and the Ryujin-no-Yu hot spring.
• Alps 360, Goryu: Mountain cafeteria. Up the mountain at Goryu/Hakuba47: curries, rice bowls, burgers.
• Iimori base cafeteria, Goryu: Cafeteria. Self-service cafeteria at the Iimori base of Goryu.
• Restaurant Alice, Hakuba47: Mountain restaurant. Hakuba47's mountain restaurant, also where you register for the tree zone.
• Tracks Bar, Goryu: Bar & pool. Laid-back Goryu bar for a beer and a game of pool.
• Hotel Green Plaza Hakuba, Cortina: Three restaurants at the base. The ski-in hotel at Cortina's base: buffet, Japanese and Western restaurants, and a hot spring.
• Endless Bar & Restaurant, Norikura: Burgers & bar. Open from lunch through après into the evening.
• Pizza do Ponchon, Norikura: Pizza, by the slope. Slopeside pizza at Norikura.
• Heidi ramen, Norikura: Ramen. Cheap ramen just off the slopes in Satomi.
• Happo-no-Yu, Happo: Public hot spring. The biggest public bath in Happo, opposite the bus terminal, indoor and outdoor with mountain views.
• Mimizuku-no-Yu, Hakuba Station: Public hot spring. Locals' favourite: a wide open-air bath looking at the Hakuba peaks, between the station and Happo.
• Sato-no-Yu, Happo: Public hot spring. Traditional hexagonal indoor bath in the heart of Happo village.
• Kurashita-no-Yu, Happo: Public hot spring. Quieter old-school bath, about 17 minutes' walk from central Happo over the bridge.
• Obinata-no-Yu, Happo: Private outdoor bath. Wild outdoor bath closest to the source, booked privately by the hour.
• Ryujin-no-Yu, Goryu: Hot spring & sauna. Hot spring and sauna inside Escal Plaza at the base of Goryu.
• Hotel Green Plaza hot spring, Cortina: Hotel hot spring. The soak after a Cortina or Norikura day, at the base of Cortina.
• Rhythm Hakuba, Wadano: Rental & tune-ups. Rental plus Rhythm Tunes, a workshop for waxing and edges. Swap gear if it doesn't feel right.
• Hakuba Central Snowsports, Happo: Rental & demo boards. Four stores and the biggest range of demo boards in the village.
• Spicy Rental, Happo: Rental. One of the oldest rental shops, with outlets in Happo, Iwatake and Wadano.
• roundAbout, Hakuba Station: Snowboard shop. Cosy snowboard shop a minute from Hakuba Station, run by ex-Kanda shop staff.
• Zenko-ji, Nagano: Temple. Nagano's great temple, a short ride from the station. Fits a late flight on your last day.
• Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, Nagano: Half-day trip from Nagano. Wild monkeys in hot springs. A half-day add-on before or after Hakuba.

Tokyo: Kanda gear street

About 60 snow and mountain shops on a 400 m stretch of Yasukuni-dori, between Jimbocho and Ogawamachi. Six minutes on the subway from Tokyo Station.

• Victoria Ochanomizu Main Store (3-4 Kanda-Ogawamachi): Biggest snow store in Tokyo.
• Murasaki Sports Ogawamachi (2-4-8 Kanda-Ogawamachi): Snowboard specialist.
• The Suns (2-5-17 Kanda-Ogawamachi): Snowboard, skate & surf.
• London Sports (2-3 Kanda-Ogawamachi · near Ogawamachi exit B7): Discount outlet.
• F.JANCK (Yasukuni-dori): Snowboard & ski, 5 floors.
• Ishii Sports Kanda Main Store (3-10 Kanda-Ogawamachi): Ski & mountain.
• Oiwa Sports (2-2 Kanda-Ogawamachi): Boot fitting.
• Kandahar (1-4-16 Kanda-Jimbocho): Mountain & ski.