Shuttle Bus Connecting JR Iiyama Station to Ryuoh Ski Park Winter only, one-way service starts on December 16th for 800 yen.

B-Wave Inc. (Naniwa-ku, Osaka; Representative Director: Kenjiro Sasai), which has been planning and selling ski and snowboard tours since 2003, will begin winter-only operation of the "Iiyama Station-Ryuoh Shuttle Bus" connecting Iiyama Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line and Ryuoh Ski Park on Saturday, December 16, 2023, for 800 yen each way. The bus will be operated for a limited time in winter from December 16, 2023 (Saturday).

JR Iiyama Station in Nagano Prefecture is conveniently located less than 2 hours directly from the Kanto region, including Tokyo and Omiya, and from Kansai and Hokuriku regions, it is approximately 75 minutes from Kanazawa Station, which is a transfer point, but access to Ryuoh Ski Park has been suspended for some time. However, through cooperation with the local community, training sessions were held, and past issues were resolved, and the new service is now in operation.

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◆Iiyama-Ryuoh Shuttle Bus Reservation Site

https://skibus.jp/

Background of "Iiyama Station-Ryuoh Shuttle Bus

Ryuoh Ski Park, a popular ski resort in Nagano Prefecture that attracts approximately 200,000 visitors every year, has long been noted as difficult and time-consuming to access for tourists from the Tokyo metropolitan area and Hokuriku region, as it takes approximately 30 minutes from Nagano Station to Yudanaka Station via a private railway line and then another 30 minutes by shuttle bus.

Since the opening of Iiyama Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line in 2015, the surrounding ski resorts such as Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort, Ikarao Kogen Ski Resort, Togari Onsen Ski Resort, and Kita Shiga Komaruyama Ski Resort have been providing access from Iiyama Station. Ryuoh Ski Park also operated a shuttle bus to attract customers in the same way, but it was discontinued during the Corona disaster, leaving issues with reservation management, such as accepting reservations by phone or fax and payment by cash on the day.

B-WAVE Corporation, which has been selling Ryuoh Ski Park travel services via the Internet since its establishment, will start a renewed operation to solve this problem by utilizing its know-how.

About the Iiyama Station-Ryuoh Shuttle Bus

The "Iiyama Station-Ryuoh Shuttle Bus" connects Iiyama Station, where the Shinkansen stops, to Ryuoh Ski Park in only 35 to 40 minutes, allowing easy access to Ryuoh Ski Park for travelers without cars. In addition, seven shuttle buses are scheduled to operate daily according to the Shinkansen timetable. This service is expected to be used not only by tourists, but also by local residents and workers at the ski resort as a means of transportation.

One-way reservations can be made for a one-way trip to the Jigokudani Yaen-koen, famous for its snow monkeys, by bus from Yudanaka Station, and then board a shuttle bus bound for Ryuoh Ski Park. This will allow you to add new travel patterns to your trip.

This shuttle bus will not only increase the number of visitors to the Ryuoh Ski Park, but also contribute to the revitalization of the local economy, including local accommodations and restaurants, the diversification of travel, and as a means of transportation for people working at the ski resort.

Outline of the Iiyama Station-Ryuoh Shuttle Bus

Date of operation: Saturday, December 16, 2023 - Sunday, March 10, 2024

［Departure from Iiyama Station: Saturday, December 16, 2023; Saturday, December 23 - Sunday, January 7, 2024; Saturday, January 13, 20, 27, and Thursday, February 1 - Saturday, March 9, 2024

［From ski resorts] December 17 (Sun), December 24 (Sun) - January 8 (Mon), January 14 (Sun), January 21 (Sun), January 28 (Sun), February 2 (Fri) - March 10 (Sun), 2023

Segment of the tour

［Outward] JR Iiyama Station (Ikarao-guchi) → Ryuoh Bus Terminal → Hotel North Shiga

［Return] Hotel North Shiga-mae → Ryuoh Bus Terminal mae → JR Iiyama Station (Ikarao-guchi)

Fare: 800 yen one way

Scheduled bus companies: Nagano Kotsu K.K., T.R. Kanko, Nagano Kanko Bus Co.

Reservation Method ：Web Reservation / Website URL ( https://skibus.jp/ )

Payment Method ：Credit card payment, bank transfer (payment in advance at the time of reservation)

Detail page https://skibus.jp/

Reservation (round trip over 2 days) https://skibus.jp/ofuku-yoyaku/

Reservation (round trip day trip) https://skibus.jp/ofuku-yoyaku/#1day-trip

Reservation (one way) https://skibus.jp/katamichi-yoyaku/

Initiatives to Ensure Safety and Reliability

Conducting a training session for the Iiyama Station-Ryuoh shuttle bus

Start of training session

On November 22, 2023, the three bus companies scheduled to operate the shuttle bus and the person in charge of the Ryuoh Ski Park gathered for a training session for the shuttle bus operation. The Iiyama Station-Ryuoh Shuttle Bus will board and disembark at the Motto Exit, which is on the opposite side of the Chikumagawa Exit (main entrance) where most of the local buses stop. The workshop started after all participants shared the information about possible bus stops and precautions that were provided in advance by the Iiyama City staff.

Confirmation of the destination display in the baggage compartment

In order to reduce the burden on the crew, we aim to operate the buses smoothly, with displays requesting self-loading of luggage as much as possible and accepting it by name. In addition, information in English was added to accommodate the increasing number of inbound passengers. At the workshop, some participants expressed their hope that the terminal would also consider signage in multiple other languages.

Ryuoh Bus Terminal

After the training session at Iiyama Station, all participants were taken to the Ryuoh Bus Terminal, the first drop-off point. The participants then moved to the Hotel North Shiga, where they confirmed the bus stop locations, crew rest stops, and other aspects of the bus operation schedule. In the bus, veteran drivers shared information such as points prone to icy conditions and areas where there have been many accidents in the past, as well as information unique to snow country, such as confirming where to put on and take off chains.

About B-Wave Co.

Since its establishment in 2003, B-Wave has been a travel agency that plans and sells domestic tours and ski tours via the Internet. The company celebrated its milestone 20th anniversary on October 16, 2023 by specializing in Internet sales from the time when pamphlets were still the mainstream at the time of its establishment. We are looking forward to the next challenge of a company that has always aimed to be one step ahead, such as challenging Internet sales in the age of pamphlets and introducing tours by video in the early days of SNS, when images were flying around.

Company Profile

Company name: B-Wave Inc.

Representative: Kenjiro Sasai, President

Location: Namba MORI Building 7F, 1-5-17 Motomachi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka 556-0016, Japan

Establishment: October 16, 2003

Business : Planning and implementation of domestic tours

Capital ： 28 million yen

URL ： https://bewave.jp/

For inquiries from customers regarding this matter, please contact

B-WAVE Inc.

TEL ： 050-3537-9922

E-mail address ： osaka@bewave.jp

Inquiry form: https://skibus.jp/contact/