In Nagano, we didn't find much that appealed to us, so we decided to only visit Snow Monkey Park and stay in one of the hotels or ryokans in Kusatsu with private onsens instead. Trying to figure out whether this is doable on our November trip to Japan and appreciate any suggestions/tips.
We will be checking-out of our hotel in Akasaka, Tokyo on November 14th. I understand from the schedule shown in Google Maps that it would be possible to arrive at Snow Monkey Park around 10:30, if we leave Tokyo around 06:00. I am guessing that it would take 2.5 hours at most to visit the park, even in mildly challenging weather. So, I thought we might move to Kusatsu in the afternoon, i.e. around 13:30. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a viable travel option.
I understand that there aren't any direct train services between two places, and with the options shown on Google Maps, we easily lose a day if we choose trains. Only option seems to be the "Nagaden Bus", which uses the shortest "Shiga Kusatsu Kogen Route" (a.k.a. Japanese National Route 292) and can arrive in Kusatsu in around 1.5 hours. However, there seems to be only one service at around 10:30, no other schedules available during the day.
There is another caveat with "Nagaden Bus"; I read from several sources that the Shiga Kusatsu Kogen Route only opens from May to mid/late November, so it might not be available for our dates. I am afraid that reversing our course (arriving and staying in Kusatsu first, visiting the park the next morning) won't solve our problem for the same reason. Being unable to use the shortest route hinders renting a car, even if I find the courage to drive in a country where traffic moves on the left.
So, what do you think? Is there an alternative I am missing? Kanazawa would be the next stop on our journey. We might consider skipping the park if this is not possible.
by alikuru