Alpine Botanical Garden

Finding Inspiration in Every Turn

Located at 1,515m elevation, over 300 species and two million alpine plants bloom between June and October. Discover rare plants such as the enchanting Himalayan Blue Poppy, the "Queen of alpine plants" Dicentra peregrina, the iconic edelweiss and so on.

What's in the garden

■ BY RAIL

There are two main rail options for getting to Hakuba from Tokyo:

1. Direct Train from Tokyo Shinjuku to JR Hakuba Station
The JR Azusa Limited Express train leaves Shinjuku Station every morning at about 8:00 and stops at several stations before arriving at Hakuba Station before noon. You can purchase your ticket at any JR Rail Office.

After getting off at JR Hakuba Station, take a taxi to Hakuba Goryu Escal Plaza.

2. Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagano Station, then bus from Nagano to Hakuba
The Shinkansen is the most efficient way to travel between Hakuba and Tokyo. The total trip to Hakuba takes approximately 3.5 hours from Tokyo.

(i) Take the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Nagano Station, which takes about 90 minutes. You can buy tickets on non-reserved trains, or you can reserve tickets at JR Rail Offices.

(ii) Take the Alpico Bus from Nagano Station to Hakuba about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Tickets do not have to be reserved in advance.

Nagano-Hakuba Bus Timetable (ALPICO) - please note that green season timetables and frequencies differ from winter operations. Please check this website during the green season.

■ BY BUS

ALPICO Express Bus has several direct buses from Nagano City and Tokyo to Hakuba. For timetable and reservations, visit the ALPICO Hakuba Page.

After getting off the bus at Hakuba Goryu bus stop, walk or take a taxi to Hakuba Goryu Escal Plaza.

■ BY CAR

Having a car will give you the freedom to visit other spots around Hakuba Valley or along the way. Please navigate your way to Hakuba Goryu Escal Plaza, where there is plenty of free parking.

From the Nagano Expressway, exit at the Azumino IC and head north towards Hakuba. You will pick up signs for Hakuba after exiting the Expressway.
From the Joshinetsu Expressway, exit at the Nagano IC and head west towards Hakuba. You will pick up signs for Hakuba after exiting the Expressway.
From the Hokuriku Expressway, exit at Itoigawa IC and head south towards Hakuba. You will pick up signs for Hakuba shortly after exiting the Expressway.

Hakuba is approximately 1 hour from each Expressway exit. Once in Hakuba, Hakuba Goryu is off of Route 148.

Rebun lady's slipper orchid

Orchid Family / Blooms in June

A rare plant endemic to Rebun Island in Hokkaido. It blooms a large, pale cream-colored flowers.

Himalayan blue poppy

Poppy Family / Blooms in July

A legendary flower native to elevations over 4,000 meters in the Himalayas. Its striking blue colour is its distinctive feature.

Dicentra peregrina

Papaveraceae Family / Blooms from June to August
Often called the "Queen of Alpine Plants", it is a representative specie of Japan's Alpine plant collection. It only grows in rocky mountain slopes of Alpine zones. Approximately 120,000 plants bloom in the garden every year.