Chubu & Hokuriku
Nagano Electric Railway to the snow monkeys: buy a ticket before you board
長野電鉄の乗り方（湯田中・地獄谷方面）
Suica doesn't work yet — buy a paper ticket from the machine (cards and QR payments accepted at most stations), and add a ¥100 ticket for the limited express.
Nagano Electric Railway (Nagaden) runs from Nagano to Yudanaka, the gateway to the Jigokudani snow monkeys and the Shibu and Yudanaka hot springs. The fare depends on distance: Nagano–Yudanaka is ¥1,660 for adults (child ¥830), Nagano–Obuse ¥870 (fares revised 1 December 2025).
乗り方の流れ
Step by step
01Buy a ticket at the station machine
Buy a one-way ticket before you board — there are no return tickets, and a ticket is valid on the day only. Most machines accept cash, credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Diners, Discover), QR payments such as PayPay, Alipay and WeChat Pay, and transit IC cards as payment.
02Don't tap Suica on the gate
Suica, PASMO and other IC cards can't be used to ride directly. Suica is planned for all Nagaden stations from spring 2027.
03Limited express? Add a ¥100 ticket
The Yukemuri and Snow Monkey limited expresses need a limited express ticket: ¥100 for adults (¥50 child) for any distance. Reserved seats (Yukemuri front car, Snow Monkey car 1) cost ¥300 more and can be booked 31 days ahead online; the Snow Monkey private room is ¥1,200 per room.
04Unstaffed stations
At most unstaffed stations, buy your ticket from the machine first. At Nakano-Matsukawa, Shinano-Takehara, Yomase and Kamijo, which have no machine, just board and pay when you get off — at the station or on the train.
Passes
The Nagaden Free Pass (1 day ¥2,820, 2 days ¥3,520; child ¥1,410 / ¥1,760) includes the non-reserved limited express charge. It's sold only from station machines, for use on the day of purchase, from 1 April to 30 November 2026.
The Snow Monkey Pass (rail for the day, the bus from Yudanaka to the monkey park and park entry) was sold for April–September 2026; a winter edition hadn't been announced when we checked.
Good to know
- From JR at Nagano, leave by the Zenkoji exit and go down to the underground Nagaden station — allow about 15 minutes including buying your ticket.
- Ticket machines at cash-only stations don't take the new banknotes or the new ¥500 coin.
- Nagaden is not a JR line: JAPAN RAIL PASS holders pay the fare separately.
Sources
- Nagano Electric Railway: Tickets and fares (Japanese)
- Nagano Electric Railway: FAQ (Japanese)
- Nagano Electric Railway: Fare table (from 1 Dec 2025, PDF) (Japanese)
- Nagano Electric Railway: Suica from spring 2027 (12 Feb 2026, PDF) (Japanese)
- JAPAN RAIL PASS: Routes and non-JR sections (English)
Rules differ between railways and change from time to time — last checked 3 Nov 2026. Follow signs and staff on the day.