I purchased the JR East Pass (Nagano, Niigata) to take a trip with my family, and I’ll still have another day to use the pass as a day-trip from Tokyo.
I’m interested in a nice day hike in the range of 3-4 hours that would be easily accessible from a shinkansen station on the Hokuriku or Joetsu Shinkansen lines. Any recommendations?
4 comments
Not sure if within the JR pass but Niigata JR has a sake themed train that gets you to sake production spots and serves sake on board.
If you get to Joetsu, go to Nojiri lake. Walk around it 15km then go for a swim. I was just up there. Lovely.
I’ve hiked from Karuizawa over to Yokogawa station. It’s a little long but not very difficult and the paths are well marked. You can get great views from the ridge at the Nagano/Gunma border, plus walk on the abandoned Shin-etsu line for part of it.
If you want to go way out there, Yahiko in Niigata is quite nice too but it’s far.
Matsumoto is a great place to visit. It’s a walkable city that is touristy enough to be foreigner friendly but not so tourist that it loses its authenticity. The castle is also AWESOME. It’s super fun to climb around inside.