How much does it cost to travel from Tokyo to Kofu

In 2019 the city of Kofu in Yamanashi Prefecture marked 500 years since its founding. Stronghold of renowned feudal lord Takeda Shingen, Kofu today arguably displays the kind of administrative savvy for which Shingen was celebrated. Kofu is easy to navigate, public transportation clear and simple to use and travel from Tokyo to Kofu is a breeze.  

The city of Kofu itself has a number of well maintained attractions that include Koshu Yume Kouji, a collection of charming building built to recreate the atmosphere of the old castle town and home to cafes, restaurants, galleries and stores. The other side of the station sits the ruins of Kofu Castle itself where original stone walls and beautifully recreated gates await exploration on their lofty perch.  

Outside of town Kofu is the transport hub for the natural splendor of Shosenkyo Gorge where waters rage and beautiful stones are carved out of the earth. For a calmer scene, head east to the wine country of Katsunuma and Koshu, the birthplace of Japanese wine, where vineyards and wineries paint a beautiful landscape on the foothills of Yamanashi’s mountains.

Here we look at how much it costs to travel from Tokyo to Kofu and the transport options that are available. 

Trains to Kofu

Kofu sits about 100 km directly west of downtown Tokyo. At this distance the easiest way to get from Tokyo to Kofu is by train. The train options from Tokyo to Kofu are myriad, catering to a wide range of budgets and levels of patience. 

The transport hub for trains from Tokyo to Kofu is Shinjuku Station. We’ll detail the cost of journeys to Kofu based on departures from here as any other departure point within the Japan capital will likely pass through this way. 

There are no Shinkansen bullet train services between Tokyo and Kofu. 

The fastest way from Tokyo to Kofu

JR East operates Limited Express Azusa trains which mainly run between Shinjuku Station and Matsumoto (Nagano Prefecture) stopping a Kofu along the way. All Azusa trains stop at Kofu. The journey time is around 85 - 90 minutes. 

To board an Azusa train from Tokyo to Kofu, limited express tickets must be purchased. This can be done in advance or on the train (for an extra fare). The cost of the journey from Shinjuku to Kofu is as follows (fares listed in Japanese yen):

Lamps above seats indicate availability. Reserved seats are indicated by a green lamp. Red indicates that a seat is free (unreserved seat ticket holders can sit here). When a red lamp turns yellow this is to indicate the approach of a station starting from which the seat has been reserved. Unreserved seat ticket holders should prepare to move at this point. 

(Lamps on Azusa and Kaiji trains from Tokyo to Kofu indicate seat availability)

There is a trolley cart service available on Azusa trains.

There are plenty of departures of Azusa services throughout the day.

First departure from Shinjuku to Kofu: Departs 6:28 - arrives 8:10

Last departure from Shinjuku to Kofu: Departs 21:00 - arrives 23:37

The next fastest train from Tokyo to Kofu

Limited Express Kaiji trains are another comfortable and quick services traveling between Shinjuku and Kofu. Ticketing is the same as with Azusa trains. Journey times from Shinjuku Station to Kofu Station are around 95 minutes. 

Cost from Shinjuku to Kofu are the same as Azusa trains. Selecting to travel to Kofu on a Kaiji train then, might just be a matter of departure times that suit your schedule. 

For the most part, Azusa and Kaiji trains have interiors that resemble Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains -- they are spacious, announcements are made in very nice British English, digital displays at the head of each carriage scroll information in English. 

(Interior of Kaiji train bound for Tokyo from Kofu)

Kaiji departures are fewer than the Azusa but plentiful enough throughout the day to find a time that suits. 

First departure from Shinjuku to Kofu: Departs 7:03 - arrives 8:28

Last departure from Shinjuku to Kofu: Departs 23:00 - arrives 00:37

Tachikawa and Hachioji (both west of Shinjuku) are also points for departure for Azusa and Kaiji services to Kofu. 

Timetables here

Holiday Rapid View Yamanashi 

The Holiday Rapid View Yamanashi (ホリデー快速ビューやまなし), as the name might suggest, is a limited service run on weekends and holidays between March and November. There is only one round-trip service per day.

Timetable and fare information for the Holiday Rapid View Yamanashi is infuriatingly difficult to find so we can only really go from our experience of using it, which came by chance rather than specific planning.

We used the Holiday Rapid View Yamanashi to get as far as Katsunumabudokyo Station for the Katsunuma wineries.  

The “View Yamanashi” does stop in Kofu. According to an unofficial source (in Japanese) the fare (including reserved seats) to Kofu is 2,790 yen. Take this with a pinch of salt though. 

The “View Yamanashi” isn’t a limited express train. It operates really as a regular train for which passengers can reserve a seat should they wish. 

Personal experience suggests this would be recommended given that this is a weekend / holiday-only operation and when we traveled the train was busy.

(View from Holiday Rapid View Yamanashi departing Tokyo)

Don’t let the train’s moniker fool you -- it’s pretty drab and uninspiring (and looks old) despite offering two decks of seating. (We took the upper deck -- the views are fine but not spectacular). 

The cheapest trains from Tokyo to Kofu

At this kind of distance regular trains from Shinjuku to Kofu are perfectly doable if you’re traveling on a tight budget. 

From Shinjuku Station JR Chuo Line Special Rapid / Rapid Services stop at Takao (45 - 60 mins). Change at Takao to regular JR Chuo Line services to Kofu (~ 100 mins).  

This about as cheap as trains get between Tokyo and Kofu. Despite the “special” and “rapid” in the train names no advanced purchases of tickets are required, nor seat reservations available.

Rail passes that cover the journey from Tokyo to Kofu include the Japan Rail Pass and the Tokyo Wide Pass (cost: 10,000 yen - adult, 5,000 yen - child). 

The adventurous might consider Tokyo to Kofu as part of their travels on the seasonal Seishun 18 Ticket (青春１８切符) which essentially allows for unlimited travel on local trains across Japan for 2,370 yen. That being said, spending just a few hours in Kofu before more on to somewhere further down the line would be a better way for Seishun 18 Ticket-travelers to get their money’s worth.

Read more about the cheap ticket here. 

Highway buses from Tokyo to Kofu 

Keio Dentetsu Bus operates highway bus services between Shinjuku (Busta) and Kofu Station. The journey time is around 2 hrs 10 mins. There are around two departures each hour between 7:00 and 22:00. These services can be booked through Keio Dentetsu Bus but also cover the operators Fujikyuko Bus and Yamanashi Kotsu. 

How does it cost to travel from Tokyo to Kofu on these services? From 2,200 yen

Links to bus operators with services from Shinjuku to Kofu.

Keio Dentetsu (Japanese)

Fujikyuko Bus (English)

Yamanashi Kotsu (Japanese)

Highway buses from Tokyo to Kofu drop off at Kofu Station.

Driving from Tokyo to Kofu 

Much of the drive from Tokyo to Kofu looks to be spent on the Chuo Expressway. From the Shinjuku area of Tokyo drivers can get on the Metropolitan Expressway Route No. 4 Shinjuku Line. This becomes the Chuo Expressway somewhere around Tokyo’s Suginami-ku. The Chuo Expressway head pretty much straight west where at the Kofu-Minami IC, around 5km south of downtown Kofu, drivers can exit the highway and hit Route 358 which u-turns to the north plugging traffic right into the heart of downtown Kofu. 

How much does it cost to drive from Tokyo to Kofu?

According to Nippon Expressway Company (NEXCO), expressway tolls for the drive from around Shinjuku to Kofu are around 4,000 yen (~3,300 yen for drivers with ETC). Driving times are around 2 hours. 

Renting a car for the drive from Tokyo to Kofu might cost from 10,000 - 15,000 yen for a day for a simple k-car with a pick up in Shinjuku and drop off in Kofu. Picking up and dropping off rent-a-cars a differing locations in Japan is an expensive business.  

By comparison, the same kind of car with a pick up / drop off in Shinjuku over two days would cost up to around 13,000 yen.  

If you’re curious, desperate or have money to burn, the cost of a taxi from Shinjuku Station to Kofu station is around 35,000 yen, according to some online fare finders. 

Kofu Station and local transport

Kofu Station shouldn't overwhelm.  There are essentially only two exits, north and south.  That said, all the basics are here including a multi-story department store (Celeo Kofu) which has a limited selection of restaurants (mostly Japanese food).  There's a Tully's Coffee outside the south exit for those that need to kill time before departing trains. 

Travelers arriving from Tokyo cart blanche in terms of tourist information should head to the tourist information center outside Kofu Station's south exit.  Here you can pick up maps, timetables for local buses to attractions like Shosenkyo Gorge and Takeda-jinja Shrine, and get an good idea about other attractions that are available. 

(Tourist information outside Kofu train station)

Buses for Shosenkyo Gorge depart from the stops outside Kofu Station's south exit.  Buses to Takeda-jinja Shrine depart from stops outside the north exit.  IC cards like Pasmo and Suica can be used on these Kofu buses.

For some ideas about what to do with a weekend in Kofu:

A weekend in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, a city celebrating 500 years

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