Todai Park

Todai Park (formerly the “Senryuso-mae” bus stop) is the Nagano-side gateway of the South Alps Forest Road Bus, in Ina City, Nagano Prefecture. Transfer to the forest road bus here and you can reach Kitazawa Pass, the trailhead for both Mt. Senjōgatake, the “Queen of the Southern Alps,” and the sharp peak of Mt. Kaikomagatake （▶ 3D tour）. This page is a “trailhead hub” that brings together how to get to Todai Park, the bus timetables, parking, and the facilities at Senryuso.

To reach Todai Park, take the seasonal South Alps Geoliner from JR Chino Station, or use the weekday connecting route from Ina Bus Terminal (Inashi Station) with a transfer at Takato. By car it is about 40 minutes from Ina IC on the Chuo Expressway, with roughly 600 parking spaces and the Senryuso inn — handy for an overnight stay — right next door.

*Timetable last checked: Jul 4, 2026

What is Todai Park?

Todai Park is the Nagano-side terminus of the South Alps Forest Road Bus (South Alps Queen Line) in Ina City. On the Yamanashi side, the road between Hirogawara and Kitazawa Pass has been closed since Typhoon Hagibis (2019), so vehicle and bus access to Kitazawa Pass is only possible from the Ina City side (Todai Park). To reach the high-elevation Kitazawa Pass, you leave your car or local bus here and change to the forest road bus (or a shared taxi running on the same schedule). With a bus terminal, ticket machines, about 600 parking spaces, and the Senryuso inn — which offers day-use bathing — right beside it, Todai Park works well as a base for the climb.

Mountains you can climb from here

Riding the forest road bus from Todai Park to Kitazawa Pass puts two of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains within reach. Kitazawa Pass has a mountain hut and a campsite, and using the pass as a base to link the two peaks — or to bag both over a hut-stay night — is popular.

*These are standard estimates and do not include rests. See each mountain’s page for detailed routes.

Getting to Todai Park

Public transport to Todai Park runs on two systems: the seasonal “South Alps Geoliner” (to and from Chino Station) and a weekday connecting route (to and from Ina Bus Terminal). The outbound and return timetables are as follows.

Bus Timetable South Alps Geoliner (Chino Station direction)

Fare: ¥1,800 for adults (IC cards not accepted)
Reservations: not required (advance online purchase also available)
Ride time: approx. 65 min outbound / approx. 85 min return
Operating period: Jul 17 – Oct 12, 2026, on Fri/Sat/Sun/holidays
*Daily service Jul 31 – Aug 16 and Sep 18 – 27

*Outbound. Arrives Chino 11:45 → connects to the 12:10 forest road bus from Todai Park.

*Return. This is the last connection toward Chino, linking from the 16:00 forest road bus out of Kitazawa Pass (arr. Todai Park 16:45).

Reference: JR Bus Kanto

Bus Timetable Ina Bus Terminal (Inashi Sta.) weekday route, transfer at Takato Sta.

Fare: ¥2,050 one way (South Alps Queen Line ¥1,150 + Hase Line ¥310 + Takato Line ¥590)
Operation: weekdays Jun 1 – Oct 30, 2026 (excl. Aug 13 & 14)

*Outbound. Same-platform connections at Takato Station and Todai Park let you step straight onto the 8:05 forest road bus from Todai Park.

*Return, connecting from the 15:00 forest road bus out of Kitazawa Pass. For a later departure, use the Geoliner route below.

*Return via the Geoliner. The 16:00 forest road bus out of Kitazawa Pass (arr. Todai Park 16:45) connects to the 17:00 Geoliner from Todai Park; change to a JR bus at Takato Station for Ina Bus Terminal.

Reference: JR Bus Kanto

Night Bus Mainichi Alpen-go (from the Tokyo area, reservation only)

The “Mainichi Alpen-go” overnight bus also runs seasonally, going direct from the Tokyo area to Todai Park. It is reservation-only, so check operating days, departure and arrival times, and fares on the operator’s official website.

Beyond Todai Park (to Kitazawa Pass)

From Todai Park to Kitazawa Pass you ride the South Alps Forest Road Bus (South Alps Queen Line). Shared buses and shared taxis run on the same schedule at the same fare.

Bus Timetable South Alps Forest Road Bus: Todai Park → Kitazawa Pass (outbound)

Fare: ¥1,150 one way for adults + ¥220 baggage fee (backpacks 18L and larger)
Operating period: Apr 25 – May 31, service runs Todaiguchi–Utajuku; Jun 1 – Nov 3, Todaiguchi–Kitazawa Pass

*Outbound (uphill). On days the 5:45 service runs, the 6:30 service does not operate. On shoulder-season weekdays (Jun 1 – Jul 9 & Oct 13 – Nov 2), the first uphill bus is 8:05 (arr. 8:55).

Bus Timetable South Alps Forest Road Bus: Kitazawa Pass → Todai Park (return)

*Return (downhill). On shoulder-season weekdays the first downhill bus is 10:00 (the 7:30 does not run).

Reference: Ina City South Alps Forest Road Bus

How to buy tickets (ticket machine, cashless accepted)

Buy your ticket before boarding at the ticket machine inside the Senryuso entrance (no onboard payment). Seats cannot be reserved — boarding is first come, first served. Tickets go on sale about 30 minutes before the first bus and until 17:00; sales may start earlier on busy days.

The machine at Todai Park accepts cashless payment: credit cards (VISA, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX and others), transport-IC and other e-money, and QR-code payments (PayPay and others). Kitazawa Pass, Utajuku and Todai-ohashi are cash only. Discounts for groups of 15 or more and for visitors with disabilities, as well as refunds, are handled at the bus office window (tel. 0265-98-2821).

Parking, facilities & overnight stays

Todai Park parking: about 600 spaces, open for entry and exit 24 hours. The fee is ¥1,000 for up to 5 days (plus ¥1,000 for each additional 5 days), paid afterwards — in cash to the attendant when you leave (the parking fee cannot be paid cashless). The lot is for passenger cars only; buses and motorcycles are shown where to park on arrival.

Reference: Ina City South Alps Forest Road Bus parking

Senryuso (adjacent to Todai Park): day-use bathing costs ¥800 for adults (reception 12:00–19:30, open until 20:00). Lodging and meals are available, and there are toilets. It makes a convenient base for a night before catching the first forest road bus.

Last buses back & day-hike feasibility

The last forest road bus out of Kitazawa Pass departs at 16:00 (arr. Todai Park 16:45). From there, the last connection toward Chino is the Geoliner leaving Todai Park at 17:00 (arr. Chino Station 18:24); toward Ina, the weekday connecting bus (dep. Kitazawa Pass 15:00 → arr. Ina BT 17:14) is available. Plan your descent time with the return bus in mind and leave some margin.

Mt. Senjōgatake can be done as a day hike in peak season (Jul 10 – Oct 12) using the first forest road bus (dep. Todai Park 5:45, arr. Kitazawa Pass 6:35), with a 5–6 hour round trip. Mt. Kaikomagatake has a longer round-trip time of 6–7 hours from Kitazawa Pass, so making the last bus is a rush — a hut stay at Kitazawa Pass is the safer choice. On shoulder-season weekdays you don’t reach Kitazawa Pass until 8:55, making a day trip tight for either mountain.

Photo by Koda6029