In this article, I’ll be sharing my experience at Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort in Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture.
Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort is often seen on Instagram and other social media. The views there were even more amazing than I’d imagined!!!
- Those who want to refresh themselves by looking at the spectacular views of the Alps
- Those looking for tourist attractions in Nagano Prefecture
- Those who want to spend some time relaxing while looking at the spectacular views
I was constantly moved by the sight of such beautiful scenery in Japan! I hope this article will be helpful to as many people as possible.
From Matsumoto Station to Hakuba Station
This journey begins at Matsumoto Station in Nagano.
First, take the train from Matsumoto Station to Hakuba Station!
It takes about two hours from Matsumoto Station to Hakuba Station on the JR Oito Line.
The scenery from the train window is idyllic and beautiful. The countryside spreads out before you!
The countryside scenery is also relaxing and nice.
Access from Hakuba Station to Sanroku Station
We arrived at Hakuba Station!!! It is a small, peaceful station.
There are coin lockers at the station where you can leave your luggage.
I was planning to return to Tokyo on a bus from Hakuba Station, so I left my luggage in a coin locker.
Next, we head to Hakuba Iwatake Gondola Lift Noah Sanroku Station from JR Hakuba Station!
However, this was quite difficult…
To be honest, even looking at the official website of Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort it’s hard to understand where to go. After actually visiting the site and checking it out, I found that if you’re going to Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort, just take the Iwatake Gondola!
However, be aware that if you head to the Happo Gondola or Tsugaike Gondola you cannot get to Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort.
You can take a taxi from Hakuba Station to the Iwatake Gondola, but you can also take a free shuttle bus during operating periods.
If you want to save money, we recommend taking the free shuttle bus!
However, there are limited services, so it’s important to check the free shuttle bus schedule in advance.
By the way, the free shuttle bus stop is at the rotary. It’s a small station so you should be able to find it easily.
Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort base station to summit station
After about 20 minutes on the free shuttle bus, you will arrive at Sanroku Station, where the gondola station is located!
There is a parking lot right in front of Sanroku Station, so you can also go by car. From here, we will depart for the summit!
The only way to get to Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort is by taking the gondola.
Purchase a gondola ticket and head to the top!
The ticket includes admission to the “Gondola Lift Noah” and the “5th Line South Lift.”
The fare was 2,400 yen for adults and 1,300 yen for children (as of July 2023).
This is the gondola we rode this time.
This gondola shook quite a bit…to be honest, it was a little scary.
The gondola took us on an 8-minute aerial stroll to the top of Mt. Iwatake, which is 1,289m above sea level!
I felt like I was on an attraction and enjoyed the ride, chatting and laughing, and before I knew it we had reached the top!
The summit is called Noah’s Mountain Station.
The name of the gondola station gives a bit of history, but you can see such a beautiful view from the top!
I’m not sure if the pictures can convey the excitement, but it was so spectacular and moving!
The great nature spread out in front of me heals me! I feel like I’m alive!
Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort
This is a tour of the spots at Hakuba-Iwatake Mountain Resort!
Hakuba-Iwatake Mountain Resort offers a variety of activities such as MTB (mountain biking), Mountaincart (mountain cart), ATV cruise, etc., but this time we would like to introduce only the places we actually visited.
You can check the details of the activities on the official website!
Yahoo! Swing
Wow! It’s a view that makes you want to shout “Yahoo!”
“Yahoo! Swing” is a spectacular swing that makes you feel like “Heidi, Girl of the Alps.”
I’d seen pictures and videos on Instagram, but the real thing was a whole different experience!
The person who thought of building a swing in this place must be a genius.
Tickets are sold at the Guide Center located right after getting off the gondola.
The author visited on a weekday, so it was not crowded, but please note that it is said to be crowded on weekends and holidays.
Please note that it is cash only, so be sure to bring cash with you.
If you buy a ticket, you can enjoy the spectacular view swing with Heidi’s song for 2 minutes.
You could leave your smartphone with the staff to take a video! However, please note that we were told that only one phone could be checked in.
Since the swings are ridden with a harness, even those who are afraid of heights may be able to enjoy the swings with ease.
Hakuba Mountain Harbor
I’m getting thirsty and decide to have a cold drink at Hakuba Mountain Harbor and admire the view!
It’s great to be able to eat at this location, too wonderful!
There are both indoor and terrace seating, but terrace seating with a good view is the most popular!
Depending on your timing, it may be difficult to get a seat…
CITY BAKERY also has a store in Tokyo, so we decided to have only a drink here.
The deck jutting out from the mountain side is a very popular photo spot!
You can often see it on Instagram.
I tried to take this photo at a moment when there were no people on the deck, but since there were inevitably people in the shot, the angle is from an angle.
However, I really recommend seeing it in person rather than in pictures! I hope as many people as possible can feel this excitement!
If you have a chance, please come and visit ♪
Sky Ark Deck Cafe
There is a restaurant and souvenir store in the SkyArk building at the summit, and the SkyArk Deck Café is located on the deck, where visitors can purchase curry and other meals.
This time we had black curry with lamb, beer, and Hakuba Red Ginger drink.
There is no better time to have a drink and a meal with a beautiful view of the mountains!
Hakuba Hitotokinomori Area
Personally, I am impressed enough by the summit alone, but in fact, this is not the only attraction of Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort.
There is also a great area called “Hakuba Hitotokinomori,” which was great!
From the summit area, the Hakuba Hitotokinomori area can be accessed via the “5 Line South Lift”.
Other accesses are also available while experiencing MTB (Mountain Bike) and Mountaincart (Mountain Cart) courses, but I did not experience them this time, so please check the official website for more details.
5th Line South Lift
Now, we will take the lift to the Hakuba Hitotokinomori area!
The cost of the lift is included in the first ticket purchased (2,400 yen for adults), so no additional fee is required.
I really liked this lift! Look at this view! I’m really impressed already!
I don’t think the pictures do it justice, but the experience of going down in the lift while feeling the wind was amazing and made me feel like I was alive!
I was able to refresh my body and mind along with the pleasant air!
The view on the way up was also nice. Nature is great, after all!
CHAVATY HAKUBA
CHAVATY HAKUBA is also located in the Hakuba Hitotoki no Mori area.
CHAVATY is a tea latte and freshly baked scone store.
There are also stores in Omotesando and Arashiyama, Kyoto, and the menu we had while viewing the beautiful scenery was exceptional!
The interior of Chabati Hakuba is another stylish and beautiful space.
I had the limited time offer White Peach Oolong Soft Ice Cream. I recommend this delicious ice cream, which combines the sweetness of white peaches with an elegant aroma!
After taking a break at Chabati, we enjoyed the great outdoors, resting in tents and lounging in hammocks!
We really wanted to relax more, but since we were planning to return to Tokyo by the end of the day, we promised ourselves to visit again and return to the summit.
After returning to the summit, we took the downhill gondola to Hakuba Iwatake Gondola Lift Noa Sanroku Station to end our trip.
Summary: Let’s go to Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort!
This was an introduction to Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort!
Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort is known as the place in Hakuba Village where Hakuba Sanzanzan (Mt. Hakuba, Mt. Shakushidake, and Mt. Hakuba Yari) can be seen most beautifully.
The mountains of the Northern Alps were more spectacular than I had imagined, and I was greatly impressed! I was quite impressed that there are such beautiful places in Japan.
I had done a lot of research on Instagram and websites before I went, but real wilderness is a different kind of excitement! This is the best part of traveling, isn’t it?
I would like to visit Japan in a different season next time, as there are beautiful sceneries in spring, summer, fall, and winter in Japan.
I hope this article has been helpful to as many people as possible♪