After hiking the Shin-etsu Trail, how do I get back to public transportation?

Or how do I get back to my car parked at the starting point?

Many of you may be wondering these questions as you plan your hikes.

Especially after the summit of Mt. Naeba, it is important to gather information on the route to take, as there are several options, and some of them involve multiple modes of transportation.

This page is intended mainly for hikers who plan to thru-hike the Shin-etsu Trail using public transportation and will provide information on how to plan their route after the walk.

If you hike Eastbound (from Mt. Madarao to Mt. Naeba)

There are three main routes down from Mt. Naeba.

① Return to Koakasawa by round trip via section 10

② Pass through the Haraigawa route, exit to the Haraigawa trailhead

③ Pass through the Akayu route to Hohibashi (trailhead)

① Return to Koakasawa by round trip via section 10

First, take the “Akiyama-go Share Cab”(*1) of Morimiya Kotsu from Koakasawa and get off at Midama. Next, transfer to the “Midama line” of Minami Echigo Kanko Bus to Tsunan Yakuba-mae (Town Hall). From the bus stop in front of the Tsunan Town Hall, take the “Express Mori-miyanohara-eki line”(*2) of Minami Echigo Kanko Bus, which will take you back to either JR Echigo-Yuzawa Station (approximately 1 hour) or JR Mori-Miyanohara Station (approximately 20 minutes).

*1 Akiyama-go Share Cab of Morimiya Kotsu requires advance reservations.
Reservations should be made by: Morimiya Kotsu TEL 025-766-2949
For more details, please refer to “秋山郷線 (Akiyamago line)” on this page (Japanese language only).

*2 For the timetable of Minami Echigo Kanko Bus, please check “湯沢～清津峡～津南～森宮野原駅線 (Yuzawa-Kiyotsukyo-Tsunan-Morimiyanohara Sta. line)” on this page (Japanese language only).

② Pass through the Haraigawa route, exit to the Haraigawa trailhead

After descending the Haraigawa route for approximately 4 hours, you will reach the Haraigawa trailhead. From there, a 40-minute cab ride will bring you to Echigo-Yuzawa Station.
Yuzawa Uonuma Taxi: TEL 025-784-2025
Asahi Taxi: TEL 025-784-3410

Note: The section from the Haraigawa trailhead to Echigo-Yuzawa Station is a road section. Access on foot is possible, but not recommended due to the long distance and many dangers such as passing through narrow tunnels.

③ Pass through the Akayu route to Kohibashi (trailhead)

After descending the Akayu route for approximately 7.5 hours, you will reach Kohibashi (trailhead). From there, a 1.5-hour walk downhill will bring you to the Motohashi bus stop. From Motohashi, take the “Seibu Crystal line”(*) of Minami-Etsu Kanko Bus, which will take you to JR Echigo-Yuzawa Station in about 40 minutes.

* For the timetable of Minami Echigo Kanko Bus, please check “湯沢～三俣～貝掛温泉～浅貝～西武クリスタル線 (Yuzawa-Mitsumata-Kaikake Onsen-Asagai-Seibu Crystal line)” on this page (Japanese language only).

If you hike Westbound (from Mt. Naeba to Mt. Madarao)

There are a total of five routes down from Mt. Madarao.

① Take the Kaedenoki trail to Rest House Tyrol (trailhead)

② Take the Ooike route to the Ooike trailhead

③ Take the Arasebara route to the Arasebara trailhead

④ Take the Sugakawa route to the Sugakawa trailhead

⑤ Take the Furumi route to the Furumi trailhead

Of these, three routes ①, ③, and ④ provide access to public transportation.

① Take the Kaedenoki trail to Rest House Tyrol (trailhead)

From the summit of Mt. Madarao, descend the Kaedenoki trail for less than one hour to reach the Rest House Tyrol. From there, walk up the hill for less than 10 minutes and board the “Madarao line”(*) of the Iiyama City’s Community Bus at the bus stop in front of the main entrance of the Madarao Kogen Hotel, and you will arrive at JR Iiyama Station in about 30 minutes.

※ For the timetable of the Iiyama City’s Community Bus, please check “Madarao line” on this page (you can choose your preferred language on site – if you prefer English language, please select “英語 (English)” from the drop-down list).

③ Take the Arasebara route to the Arasebara trailhead

From the summit of Mt. Madarao, descend the trail heading southwest for about 50 minutes to reach the branch of Arasebara/Sugakawa. From there, descend the Arasehara route for approximately one hour to reach the Arasehara trailhead. From the nearby bus stop “荒瀬原登山道入り口 (Arasehara trail entrance)“, take the “Arasehara line”(*) of Nagaden Bus, which will take you to Kurohime Station on the Shinano Railway in about 30 minutes.

※ For the timetable of Arasebara line of Nagaden Bus, please check here.

④ Take the Sugakawa route to the Sugakawa trailhead

From the summit of Mt. Madarao, descend the trail heading southwest for about 50 minutes to reach the branch of Arasebara/Sugakawa. From there, descend the Sugakawa route for approximately one hour to reach the Sugakawa trailhead. From the nearby bus stop “菅川 (Sugakawa)“, take the “Furumi-Sugakawa line”(*) of Nagaden Bus, which will take you to Myoko-Kogen Station on the Echigo-Tokimeki Railway/Shinano Railway in about 20 minutes.

※ For the timetable of Furumi-Sugakawa line of Nagaden Bus, please check here.

The point where your car can be parked

It is convenient to use the parking lot in front of JR Mori-Miyanohara Station.

Whether Eastbound or Westbound, you can park your own car here before starting the thru-hike and return by public transportation after the end of the hike.

※ When using the parking lot, please be sure to notify Kizuna, Sakae Village Reconstruction Memorial Hall (the Shin-etsu Trail Visitor Center).

Sakae Village Akiyamago Tourist Association: TEL 0269-87-2200
(Open year-round, closed on Mondays, closed on Tuesdays if Monday is a national holiday)

Detailed information about the access to the Shin-etsu Trail

For more information on access to the entire Shin-etsu Trail, please click here.