(your location)		<---->	Ibebukuro Line #5		<---->	Bijoji I.C.		<---->	Niiza Toll Gate		<---->	Minakami I.C.
			- Metropolitan Expwy (Shuto) - (19 km from Iidabashi)			Gaikan Expwy (7 km)			Kan-Etsu Expwy (140 km)

Toll Fees : Shuto 700 Yen, Gaikan 500 Yen, Kan-Etsu 3,700 Yen.
Total Distance : 160 km.

<---->	Toya Farm, Kamimoku Village (Jeep's Parking)		<---->	Chalet
Local Roads (5 km)			Private Road (2 km) Your car (if 4W), or jeep or walk (10 min.)

Obtaining Traffic Information before Leaving

• NHK is broadcasting traffic information in Japanese ('Kotsu Joho') on 594 KHz every five minutes to the hour. The information is supplied by the 'Kudan Kotsu Joho Center' (Kudan Traffic Information Center). There is a 30 min. gap between the broadcast and the actual traffic conditions.
• 'Nihon Doro Kodan' (Japan Highway Public Corporation, JHPC) is supplying traffic information which is up-dated every five minutes. Contact the 'JH Tokorozawa Highway Telephone' at 042-946-1620 on your way to Minakami I.C., and the 'JH Maebashi Highway Telephone' at 027-252-1620 on your way back to inquire about traffic information (disk in Japanese).
• Another convenient source of information is the voice and fax-on-demand service in Japanese maintained by the National Police Agency at (03) 3459-1600. Easy-to-read graphs help to visualize the traffic conditions in the Kanto region.

• Our recommendation is to leave on Friday evening and come back Sunday evening. Try absolutely to avoid departure on Saturday morning when Japanese schools are on vacation and Saturday morning which are the start of a extended week-end ('Renkyuu'). Driving takes normally two hours door to door.
• The 'Kanpachi Dori' or 'Meijiro Dori' avenues are some other possibilities to reach the Kan-Etsu Expwy at Nerima I.C., but traffic can be very congested in Tokyo downtown on Friday evening. It takes us normally 20 min. by taking the Shuto Expwy and the Gaikan Expwy, but more than double, even one hour, by the 'Mejiro Dori' avenue.
• A hint to escape to traffic jams on the Gaikan Expwy : if you encounter a traffic jam on the left side of the Gaikan Expwy, as the road lines to access the Kan-Etsu Expwy narrows from two lines to one, proceed on the left line of the Gaikan up to its end. At the first traffic light, turn twice right and take the Nerima I.C. entrance for the Kan-Etsu Expwy. This is legal, safe, and much better than to force your passage on the Kan-Etsu Expwy junction line to the last minute.
• When you return, if the Kan-Etsu Expwy is blocked between Minakami I.C. and Maebashi I.C. (45 km), as it often happens in late afternoon during the ski season, it may be worth to take the National Road 17 to Maebashi, and get on the Kan-Etsu Expwy at Maebashi I.C.
• The Kan-Etsu toll gates accept major credit cards. For the Shuto and Gaikan Expwy it may be worth to purchase a booklet of 10 or 20 tickets.

• Snow tires, or chains, are recommanded, as Northern Gunma can expect heavy snow falls. Chains can sometiems be required on the Kan-Etsu between Maebashi I.C. and Minakami I..C. (at the level of Komayose P.A., Kilometer 98)
• In Kamimoku, avoid to proceed straight on from the Bridge and Ishizaka G.S., but make a detour on the left then first on the right, to access the new road for the jeep's parking.
• When driving up and down hill to the chalets, drive carefully in the traces of others jeeps.

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