Getting around in Chubu

Moving around Chubu usually comes down to a handful of questions: which line or bus links the towns on your list, whether a pass pays for itself, and what to do with your bags on the way. The guides on this page take those questions route by route.

For the Shinkansen from the capital, Tokyo to Kanazawa by Shinkansen explains the Kagayaki and how to book it, while Kyoto or Osaka to Kanazawa walks through the change of trains at Tsuruga. If you plan to link Tokyo, Kanazawa and Kansai on a combined ticket, the Hokuriku Arch Pass review weighs the pass against separate fares.

Inland, Nagoya to Takayama compares the Hida limited express with the bus. For the gassho villages, Shirakawa-go with luggage covers bus legs and lockers between Kanazawa and Takayama, and Noto Peninsula without a car sorts out where public transport reaches and where you need wheels. The page lists more route guides below.