We will be traveling from Tokyo (staying in Asakusa) and going to Matsumoto on a Wednesday at the end of October. We will not be getting a JR pass. One option is to take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Nagano and changing for a Limited Express to Matsumoto; this costs 10,000 yen per person. Depending upon the connection, this could take as little as 2 1/2 hours.

There is also a bus from the Shinjuku bus station to Matsumoto; this is 3,900 yen per person and takes 3 hours. It seems to me that the bus makes much more sense. Is there any reason why we shouldn't?

I'd love to take the trains but the cost seems higher than necessary and the timing doesn't seem all that much better.

Azusa or Super Azusa Limited Express from Shinjuku station.

If you are leaving from Tokyo station then there is a L'Ex on the Chuo Line, iirc, the Kaiji. But subway or other local train would be cheaper to get to Shinjuku.

.> Is there any reason why we shouldn't?

That direct train (Azusa) is going to be more comfortable than the bus. It is quicker and more reliable than a bus that would have to deal with traffic.The train will not get a flat tire and will not be late due an accident that blocks the highway. Also, connecting the trains in Shinjuku eki is easier than going from there across to the bus center.

connecting the trains - I mean connecting from subway or JR local (e.g. Chuo or Yamanote lines) at Shinjuku to the Azusa

Thank you!! Very helpful! Much easier, too!

We took the Azusa Limited Express from Shinjuku station in May, and it was easy and comfortable (we had our luggage with us). IIRC, there were about eight stops between Tokyo and Matsumoto. We bought the tickets a day or two ahead of time. We did get reserved seats. It may or may not have been necessary, but most of the seats in our car were reserved and occupied at some point along the journey.

Thanks, ms_go, that was my next question! We aren't staying near Shinjuku so are these tickets that can be purchased at another station or on line? If not, we'll probably make a trip there at some point so we can purchase the tickets ahead of time, which feels reassuring even if it isn't necessary.

You can buy a travel ticket at any JR station (pretty sure). You can get reserved seat tickets at any station with a midori no madoguchi, JR travel service center. HND or NRT.

Thank you - again, very helpful!

np - idk what your digital or machine options are.

>> One option is to take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Nagano and changing for a Limited Express to Matsumoto; this costs 10,000 yen per person. Depending upon the connection, this could take as little as 2 1/2 hours.

The reason you would want to take that option would be to spend a couple of hours in Nagano to visit the magnificent Zenkoji Temple - Nagano Travel (japan-guide.com),

I took that option, but in the opposite direction. Definitely worth it.

I think I mentioned this in your original planning thread.

The other, practical, reason to take that route is because that was recommended by (whatever) based on the origin of your trip. Like if you are leaving from Ueno then you can just get on the Hokuriku shinkansen there and blast off to Nagano. That would certainly be more comfortable and easier than taking a subway or local train to make the connection in Shinjuku which is/was the railway station with 3 million passengers daily (most in the world at one point and still may be so). Nagano station is more modest.

You can ship a bag a day or two before departure so that is there when you arrive. Ship the other bag on departure day and it will arrive the next day (make sure I am not lying here).

You can then travel to Matsumoto hands-free. Or travel with one small backpack with necessities to keep you happy until your luggage arrives. Socks, undies, shirt, meds, digital devices.

Better yet, take one of those foldable backpacks. I like to keep one in the pocket of my hoodie. If/when it gets warm I will unfold the backpack and stuff the hoodie into it.

Thanks, mrwunrfl. I’ll definitely consider the option to stop in Nagano. I know our travel energy is diminishing a bit, so I have a feeling that a stopover might end up being tiring. It looks like a wonderful place to go and we will see how we feel as we adjust to the time change.

But you’re right about the easier routing would be leaving from Ueno. That does make it a bit more tempting!

Thanks, this thread is giving me an opportunity to to practice with the search site that Reading45 gave us.
West Japan Railway Company - Timetables, Route Maps, and Station Maps (westjr.co.jp)

Ueno-Kanda-Shinjuku-Matsumoto - Time required:3:04 Price:6,620 YEN
That is Yamanote to JR rapid on Chuo Line

Ueno-Omiya-Nagano-Matsumoto - Time required:2:29 Price:10,090
Maybe this was what you found. 2.5 hrs for 10K. It requires a change of shinkansen at Omiya

Ueno-Nagano-Matsumoto - Time required:2:51 Price:9,230 YEN
slightly slower but also less expensive and only one change of trains

9,230 - 6,620 = 2610 = $18 difference between shinkansen and Azusa route

Would be similar if origin is Tokyo eki. (tho, just Chuo Line from there to Shinjuku)

Sorry that my continuing advice keeps costing you more money from $28 bus to $45 Azusa to $63 shinkansen. But imho the bus is not a worthy bargain except for someone with tight budget. But I would suggest to a budget traveler that either train option is a worthy luxury.

You would not need a seat reservation for Nagano to Matsumoto. You could make up your mind on the shinkansen to visit Zenkoji or not. I think you could refund the reserved seat fee at Nagano or change it to a later train.

I took the Kaiji Limited Express (unreserved) last year and was confused because I could not find a car that was labeled Unreserved. None of the cars were reserved seat cars.

There was a little lamp above each seat indicating the status of the seat. It was something like: unlit = unreserved, yellow = reserved from some station up the line, red = reserved from the next station, green = reserved now. (there might have been just three statuses with different colors, but that was the idea). Never saw that before.

Thanks to mrwunrfl, for your acknowledgement.
I used that WESTJR timetable search site this past July, to search for trains in the JR East (for from Ueno to Kanazawa), JR Central, and JR West regions. I found it very useful for what I needed.

We are doing a similar itinerary this fall, and I would recommend just doing the easiest thing - take the Shinkansen to Nagano and make the easy transfer to the express to Matsumoto. Ueno to Shinjuku is a schlepp - changing trains in Nagano is simple - plus you can decide on the fly whether to visit the temple. Good luck and have fun!

Thanks! I will definitely keep that in mind.

Shinjuku is one of my favorite stations in the world - and the busiest, biggest and most confusing. Plus you do not want to be there during rush hour - especially with luggage!

Riding the Shinkansen bullet train in Japan for the first time was an experience I thoroughly enjoyed and had always wanted to check off my bucket list. However, for our return trip, we opted to take the bus rather than the bullet train again since we weren't in much of a hurry. As we weren't on as tight of a schedule, the bus served our needs perfectly well, given we didn't need to travel as quickly as we did on the initial high-speed rail journey to our destination. While the Shinkansen had certainly been a memorable way to travel, the more leisurely bus ride suited our relaxed pace on the way back.

I had noticed the option for taking the bus and mentioned it at the top of this thread. I was dissuaded from taking the bus. We won’t be in a rush and if it’s relaxing, I’ll keep it on the table as an option. We won’t be returning to Tokyo.

What is the origin of your trip that day? I assume your lodging would be walking (or taxi) distance to a subway or railway station. Which one?

Answered my unasked question about the Azusa L'Ex and reserved seats. It doesn't have all-reserved cars, They are mixed in.
reserved status for the seat is signified by a green overhead lamp
red overhead lamp signifies that the seat is unreserved
yellow overhead lamp signifies that the seat is reserved for the later part of the journey

Given that and ms_go's experience, I would get reserved seats.

We’re staying in Asakusa and a few minutes walking from a train station. If we get the Shinkansen, it looks like we could go to Ueno to begin the trip. Otherwise, we’d need to go to Shinjuku, which might be a bit of a trek, but we live in NYC and aren’t afraid of the transfers. If we take the Azusa (which I lean toward doing), we’ll definitely reserve ahead. But I’m now considering the Shinkansen to Nagano and the possibility of stopping there.

If we send our luggage ahead, either option should be easily doable.

>> We’re staying in Asakusa and a few minutes walking from a train station.
Asakusa Station on the Ginza Line? (or Asakusabashi Station or)

The shinkansen has entertainment value. The trip would be on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. You would want to take the Kagayaki train because it makes only one stop, at Omiya, between Ueno and Nagano.

The other option is the Asama train which might have only one stop, at Takasaki, before Nagano.

The route map on the following page shows that not all of the Kagayaki trains stop at Ueno. It also shows that some Asama trains stop at one or both stations between Ueno and and Takasaki.

Hokuriku Shinkansen (Nagano Shinkansen) (japan-guide.com)