Komagane
Discover Komagane
Komagane draws people mostly because of its superb location close to the Chuo Alps. Also the mountain resort of Komagane Kogen just few kilometers west from the central is an attraction. The tourist information is across the JR station, a bit right from the supermarket. In Komagane Kogen, there's tourist information in the Komagane Farm's building.
Taste of Komagane...
There a couple of simple business hotels near the station, where you can get a bed for around ¥6000. In Komagane Kogen, there are plenty of choices, prices are typically around ¥8,000-10,000 per person.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsKomagane station is a stop on the JR Iida line. If coming from Tokyo, you need to change the train at least once and the last leg with the local train is slow. Fastest connection to Shinjuku takes 4 hr 15 min and costs ¥6410. Using only local trains will cut your costs to around ¥3000, but the travel time increases to more than 6 hours. Highway bus is another option. There are highway buses from the surrounding major cities: Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagano, and Matsumoto. Note that there are two different stops in Komagane, one is the Komagane bus terminal near the station (5 min walk), the other is the Komagane IC stop on the Chuo expressway. The trip from Shinjuku takes 3½ hours as scheduled and the bus connections are frequent, about once per hour to and from each of the two stops. In Shinjuku, The buses depart from Keio Highway Bus terminal, just opposite the main building of Yodobashi Camera. One-way ticket costs ¥3700....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
The most interesting bus line for the traveller is the bus leaving from Komagane JR station, going through Komagane Kogen and terminating at Shirabidaira ropeway station. The bus will depart every half hour between 07:00 and 17:00, depending on the season, and is labeled clearly with a "Komagatake Ropeway Station" sign. Trip from the station to Shirabidaira will cost ¥1030 and to Komagane Kogen ¥370. During peak seasons, particularly in Fall, the buses and the ropeway can get very crowded. Extra buses will be dispatched if scheduled buses are unable to pick up all waiting passengers. These extra buses usually arrive within 5 minutes from when the scheduled bus leaves but they are also dispatched from the ropeway station as soon as the amount of waiting passengers reach a certain threshold. Extra buses from the ropeway station only run until the Suganodai bus terminal (菅の台バスターミナル). Komagane is a good starting place for hikes in the Chuo Alps mountain range.
Where to Stay
There a couple of simple business hotels near the station, where you can get a bed for around ¥6000. In Komagane Kogen, there are plenty of choices, prices are typically around ¥8,000-10,000 per person.
Money & Budget
There a couple of simple business hotels near the station, where you can get a bed for around ¥6000. In Komagane Kogen, there are plenty of choices, prices are typically around ¥8,000-10,000 per person.