How Do You Get to Karuizawa from Tokyo?

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for first-time visitors who start in central Tokyo, or land at Narita or Haneda, and need to reach Karuizawa in Nagano. It compares the two public transport routes: the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Karuizawa Station, and the highway bus from Shinjuku and Ikebukuro.

Everything here comes from pages run by the operators themselves: JR East's timetable site, Seibu Bus, Shinano Railway, the two Tokyo airports and the Karuizawa Tourist Association. We read them on 4 October 2026. Timetables change, so treat every time and fare below as a snapshot and check the operator page before you travel.

The two routes at a glance

• Hokuriku Shinkansen: from Tokyo Station, with stops at Ueno and Omiya, to Karuizawa Station. In the October 2026 timetable, the fastest example we checked took 64 minutes from Tokyo.
• Highway bus: the Chikuma Line from the Busta Shinjuku terminal, via Ikebukuro, to Karuizawa Station and on to Naka-karuizawa. Seibu Bus gives about 196 minutes for the trip to Karuizawa.

Both routes end at Karuizawa Station. That is also where the Shinano Railway line and most local buses start.

By Hokuriku Shinkansen

JR East's timetable for Tokyo Station lists the Hokuriku Shinkansen as running "for Karuizawa / Nagano / Kanazawa / Tsuruga". Three train names use the line: Kagayaki, Asama and Hakutaka.

Here are three weekday morning trains from the timetable valid in October 2026:

• Hakutaka 551: leaves Tokyo at 06:28 and reaches Karuizawa at 07:32. It also stops at Ueno, Omiya and Takasaki before Karuizawa.
• Asama 601: leaves Tokyo at 06:52 and reaches Karuizawa at 08:04. It stops at Ueno, Omiya, Kumagaya, Takasaki and Annakaharuna on the way.
• Kagayaki 501: leaves Tokyo at 06:16, but its stop list goes from Omiya straight to Nagano. It does not stop at Karuizawa.

So do not assume every Hokuriku Shinkansen stops at Karuizawa. Open the stop list for your train on the JR East timetable site. Some trains in the timetable carry a mark meaning they do not run every day.

Seating also differs. The timetable shows the Kagayaki with all seats reserved. The Asama and Hakutaka examples have ordinary cars with some reserved seats.

From Narita or Haneda into Tokyo

Narita Airport's rail page shows the Narita Express calling at Tokyo Station, where the Hokuriku Shinkansen starts. The Keisei Skyliner from Narita runs to Keisei Ueno Station.

Haneda Airport's page says the airport is directly connected to the Keikyu Line and the Tokyo Monorail. It gives about 30 minutes to Tokyo Station and about 40 minutes to Ueno Station. It asks you to check each rail company for schedules and fares.

We found no direct airport bus to Karuizawa on the pages we read. Plan to go into Tokyo first.

By highway bus from Shinjuku or Ikebukuro

Seibu Bus's Chikuma Line page lists departures from Busta Shinjuku. The bus then calls at stops in Ikebukuro, including Ikebukuro Station East Exit, and at Shimo-Ochiai and Nerima. In Karuizawa it stops at Karuizawa Station, the town hall and hospital stop, and Naka-karuizawa, among others.

• Time: the page gives the Karuizawa route as 171 km, about 196 minutes outbound and about 202 minutes back.
• Fares: adult fares to the Karuizawa, Saku and Komoro zone ranged from 2,400 to 2,900 yen, depending on the date's fare level. Paying online through Hassha Oorai Net was slightly cheaper.
• Operators: three companies run the line together: Seibu Bus, Seibu Kanko Bus and Chikuma Bus. The page warns that the operator differs by trip, so check which bus you board.
• Booking: the page links to Hassha Oorai Net for reservations.

On the day we read it, the page also carried a notice about expected delays from roadworks. Allow extra time if you have a connection to make.

The Karuizawa Tourist Association's access page lists other highway buses too. These include a Seibu Bus line from Shibuya, a Chikuma Bus line from Tachikawa, a Tokyu Bus line from Yokohama and an overnight Kintetsu Bus from Kyoto and Osaka. We did not check their timetables.

Arriving at Karuizawa Station

Shinano Railway's page for Karuizawa Station lists these connections:

• JR East's Hokuriku Shinkansen.
• JR Bus Kanto, for the bus to Yokokawa.
• The town loop bus.
• Kusakaru Kotsu route buses and sightseeing buses.
• Chikuma Bus highway buses.

The Shinano Railway line runs on from Karuizawa to Komoro and Ueda. Shinano Railway asks you to call JR East, not Shinano Railway, with questions about Shinkansen times or service status.

The tourist association runs an information centre inside Karuizawa Station, open 9:00 to 17:30. Hours are extended during Golden Week and the summer holidays.

A local bus runs from the station to Kyu-Karuizawa. For taxis, the association notes that Karuizawa has a limited number and you may have to wait in peak season.

Which route suits you

• If you start at Tokyo, Ueno or Omiya, the Shinkansen is the quicker choice. The two examples above took 64 and 72 minutes from Tokyo.
• If you start near Shinjuku or Ikebukuro, the Chikuma Line bus is a direct ride with no change. Expect a trip of more than three hours.
• We could not read Shinkansen fares on an official page, so we cannot compare prices between the two routes.

Before you set off, check the service status. The tourist association's access page links to operation information for the Hokuriku Shinkansen and Shinano Railway.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Shinkansen fares, seat reservation rules and rail pass rules. JR East's main website blocked our requests, so we used only its timetable site.
• Driving routes and travel times by car. The tourist association's car and plane sections did not show readable text.
• Timetables for the Shibuya, Tachikawa, Yokohama and Kyoto/Osaka buses.
• Weekend, holiday and winter timetables. We looked only at weekday morning trains for October 2026.
• How to get from Keisei Ueno Station to the Shinkansen platforms at JR Ueno Station.

Related guides

• What is Kyu-Karuizawa, and how did Karuizawa become a summer resort?
• How do you stay safe from bears and Mount Asama in Karuizawa?

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. Tokyo Station Timetable (JR East) — (Hokuriku Shinkansen "for Karuizawa / Nagano / Kanazawa / Tsuruga")
2. Tokyo Station Timetable, Hokuriku Shinkansen, weekdays (JR East) — (train names Kagayaki, Asama, Hakutaka; mark for trains that do not run every day)
3. Shinkansen Hakutaka 551 stop list (JR East) — (Tokyo 06:28, Karuizawa 07:32; stops; some reserved seats)
4. Shinkansen Asama 601 stop list (JR East) — (Tokyo 06:52, Karuizawa 08:04; stops; some reserved seats)
5. Shinkansen Kagayaki 501 stop list (JR East) — (Omiya to Nagano without a Karuizawa stop; all seats reserved)
6. Rail (Narita International Airport) — (Narita Express to Tokyo Station; Skyliner to Keisei Ueno)
7. Train & Monorail (Haneda Airport Passenger Terminal) — (Keikyu and Tokyo Monorail; about 30 minutes to Tokyo, about 40 to Ueno; check each company)
8. 高速バス 千曲線 (Seibu Bus) — (stops, 171 km and about 196/202 minutes, fares, three operators, booking, roadworks notice)
9. Access (Karuizawa Tourist Association) — (other highway buses, local bus to Kyu-Karuizawa, taxis, station information centre, operation information links)
10. 軽井沢駅 (Shinano Railway) — (connections at Karuizawa Station; Shinkansen questions to JR East)
11. Shinano Railway Co., Ltd. (English) — (line links Karuizawa with Komoro and Ueda)