Local Bus And Train Adventure To Nagano Prefecture - Part 2

The “local fixed-route buses versus local trains” race from Tomioka Silk Mill in Gunma Prefecture to Matsumoto Castle in Nagano continues. The bus team is leading by the end of the first day. Both teams have cleared the first checkpoint of Happu Onsen in Karuizawa. On the second day, they must go to the next checkpoint of Tazawa Onsen before heading to the goal of Matsumoto Castle.

The train team starts their day at 5.40am as they want to catch the first train. The team members walk to Shinano-Oiwake Station and travel on the Shinano Railway Line to Ueda Station. They plan to take Ueda Electric Railway’s Bessho Line to Bessho-Onsen Station. It is 8km away from Tazawa Onsen so they want to walk and then take a taxi to the checkpoint. They then aim to take the train back to Ueda Station, transfer trains at Shinonoi and finally head to the goal. Unfortunately, at Ueda Station, they find out the Bessho Line is closed between Ueda and the neighbouring station of Shiroshita, so a replacement bus is operating instead. The train team members are not allowed to take buses so have no choice but to walk to Shiroshita Station.

In the meantime, the bus team members start their day at 7.15am. They take the Chikuma Bus from Komodo Station to the Aoki terminal. The driver tells them there is a shuttle bus operated by Aoki Village which goes to Tazawa Onsen. It leaves at 8am but the team misses the bus. They manage to find another bus leaving at 8.10am which passes by Tazawa. One of the team members, however, mistakenly brought his hotel room key with him. So after clearing the second checkpoint, the team members must go back to Ueda to return the key at the hotel before the 11am checkout time. 

The train team, on the other hand, walks to Shiroshita and they reach the station at 7.50am. They then board the train for Bessho-Onsen Station at 8.25am and arrive at 9am. From here, they must walk to Tazawa Onsen, which opens at 10am. However, it is 3.5km away and the team has to cross Ichizaka Toge, which is quite steep, on foot. Along the way, they make a stopover at a roadside station and order some oyaki, a speciality of Nagano. 

By this time, the bus team has already arrived at Tazawa Onsen. To clear the checkpoint, they must soak in an open-air bath and a foot bath at this historical hot spring. The Masuya Ryokan is nearby and was loved by author Toson Shimazaki, who was impressed with the view from its rooms in different seasons. After checking out the baths, the team walks for 20 minutes to the bus terminal.  

The train team reaches Tazawa Onsen more than an hour after the bus team. After going to the hot spring bath, they make enquiries on the best route to Matsumoto Castle. They are told that instead of Bessho-Onsen Station, they should go to Hijiri-Kogen Station which is nearer. They will then have to walk and cross Shonara Toge, more than 900m above sea level with 2.5km of steep slopes. They decide they will take a taxi as far as possible with their remaining taxi money and walk the rest of the way. 

The bus team, in the meantime, catches the 11am bus from the terminal and heads to Ueda Station, about half an hour away. At Ueda, they return the room key to the hotel. After that, they transfer to a 2.25pm bus bound for Kakeyu Onsen, from where they plan to cross the mountain pass of Misayama Toge by taxi.  

The train team, on the other hand, takes a taxi towards Hijiri-Kogen Station. They use up all their remaining taxi money of around 2,000 yen and get off at the entrance of the Shunara Toge mountain pass. They then walk to Hijiri-Kogen Station, which is about 12km away. They reach the station after more than three hours. 

The bus team arrives at Kakeyu Onsen and at 3pm, the members take a taxi to cross the mountain pass. The team has about 5,000 yen left to spend on the taxi fare. They use up the remaining taxi money and alight at the first bus stop after Misayama Toge, within the city of Matsumoto. They then catch a Matsumoto-bound bus and head towards the goal, Matsumoto Castle. They alight at Kami-Umadashi and then walk to the castle. 

The train team is also rushing to reach Matsumoto Castle. When they finally arrive at the goal, they open the treasure box placed within the castle and see that the victory flag is not inside. This tells them the bus team has won the race. The bus team members, who were watching the train team from afar, finally approach them. The bus team had actually reached the castle half an hour before the train team.

Tips:

1)    Oyaki is a speciality of Nagano
2)    Weather conditions can affect train or bus services so always think of alternatives in advance