Getting To and Around the Hachimantai Area
Getting To Hachimantai
Train
Most people who visit this area are likely to travel from Tokyo and arrive at Morioka station by Shinkansen (bullet train). The journey takes about 2:15 hours from Tokyo and you can check
Navitime Japan Travel for timetables, routes and fares.
From the Morioka train station you can either pick up a
rental vehicle that you have pre-booked and drive to your destination, or take a scheduled bus service to either Appi Resort or the Hachimantai Mountain Hotel at the Panorama Ski Resort.
Flights
Iwate Hanamaki Airport is the gateway airport to the area, which is south of Morioka. The airport receives flights from Nagoya, Osaka, Sapporo-Chitose and Taipei.
For guests of Appi Resort, chartered transfers can be organised between Iwate Hanamaki Airport and Appi.
Getting Around Hachimantai
Getting around Hachimantai by public transport can be a bit of a challenge. There is a regular bus that runs from the Hachimantai Mountain Hotel to Shimokura but there is no bus service from Appi Kogen to the Mountain Hotel so the only way there is to either jump in a taxi or self-drive in a rented vehicle.
Driving in Hachimantai is super easy as there is very little traffic and the roads are frequently cleared of snow. All vehicles come with snow tyres and GPS so navigation is also very easy. You just punch in the telephone number of your destination and you will be taken directly to that point. Many destinations are also on google maps.
| Road Distances Around Hachimantai (km) |
| |
Morioka |
Appi |
Panorama |
Shimokura |
| Appi Ski Resort |
49 |
n/a |
18 |
20 |
Panorama & Hachimantai
Mountain Hotel |
41 |
18 |
n/a |
2.5 |
| Shimokura Ski Resort |
42 |
20 |
2.5 |
n/a |
| Hachimantai Cat Skiing staging area |
51 |
23 |
12 |
13 |
| Matsukawa Onsen |
52 |
24 |
7 |
6 |
Guided Tours
Another option to simplify logistics is to jump onto a guided tour. Some tours enable you to join as a solo traveller and others require that you have your own private group.
[AdListings collection="Japan" category="Hachimantai" subcategory="Guided Ski Tours"]
Another option is to jump on a
guided multi-resort tour which takes you to some of the Hachimantai ski resorts as well as other resorts in the region.