TravelTill

Travel to Matsumoto


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By plane

Matsumoto has a small local airport, with commercial flights only from Osaka, Sapporo, and Fukuoka. Travel time to downtown is roughly 20 minutes.

From the closest major airport, Chubu Centrair International Airport near Nagoya, Matsumoto can be reached by rail in roughly three hours by the Meitetsu line and JR limited express train (change in Nagoya). Buses connect Centrair with Matsumoto in around 3 1/2 to 4 hours for �3500.

From Narita Airport, Matsumoto can be reached in 4 1/2 to 5 hours by limited express rail service (change in Shinjuku).

By train

Matsumoto is located on the JR Shinonoi Line. It is four stops away from Shiojiri, the "mid-point" of the Chuo Main Line between Tokyo and Nagoya. There is a tourist information center inside the train station.

Limited express trains run to Matsumoto from Tokyo's Shinjuku station. The Super Azusa makes the run in about 2 1/2 hours; the Azusa makes the journey in about three hours (�6710 for both).

Taking several local JR trains will cost roughly �4000, getting you from Shinjuku to Matsumoto in around 5-6 hours... in which case, you're better off using a bus (see below).

There's also the option of taking the Nagano Shinkansen Asama from Tokyo to Nagano station, then taking the Wide View limited express to Matsumoto (2 1/2 hours, �8470).

The Wide View Shinano also runs from Nagoya station, where there are connections with the Shinkansen line (towards Kyoto and Osaka). The run from Nagoya to Matsumoto takes 2 hours on the limited express and costs �6070; local trains cost �3260 and take between 4 and 5 hours, depending on the available trains and connections.

All of the above mentioned rail trips are free when using the Japan Rail Pass.

By bus

Highway buses from JR Matsumoto station connect to Shinjuku in Tokyo (3 hours, �3400), Nagoya (3 1/4 hours, �3460), and various destinations in the Japan Alps,
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