Madogawa › Mount Asama: on the left or the right, facing the direction of travel (Hokuriku Shinkansen)
Mount Asama: on the left or the right, facing the direction of travel (Hokuriku Shinkansen)
Last updated: 17 Oct 2026
Mount Asama on the Hokuriku Shinkansen: toward Tsuruga, mostly on your RIGHT (facing forward), on your LEFT (facing forward) in places [Seen]; toward Tokyo, mostly on your LEFT (facing forward), on your RIGHT (facing forward) in places [Line of sight only] (calculated).
On the Hokuriku Shinkansen, it lies about 9 km northwest of the track near Karuizawa Station. Its elevation is 2,568 m (the mountain elevation published by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, GSI), and the calculation checks the line of sight to this single summit point.
Side and timing by direction
Seen = 2+ reports from the train + line of sight by calculation / Line of sight only = line of sight by calculation, fewer than 2 reports / Needs checking = reported but no calculated line of sight, cannot be judged by calculation alone, or neither reported nor in calculated line of sight (lakes and seas labelled Seen are shown as "Seen (hidden by noise barriers in places)")
| Direction | Label | Side | Section (near station) | Timing (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| toward Tsuruga | Seen | on your LEFT (facing forward) | Takasaki | About 35 min after leaving Tokyo, for about 4 min |
| on your RIGHT (facing forward) | Annaka-Haruna | About 40 min after leaving Tokyo, only a moment, hidden in places | ||
| on your RIGHT (facing forward) | Karuizawa – Ueda | About 50 min after leaving Tokyo, for about 8 min, hidden in places | ||
| on your RIGHT (facing forward) | Nagano | About 75 min after leaving Tokyo, only a moment, hidden in places | ||
| toward Tokyo | Line of sight only | on your LEFT (facing forward) | Nagano | About 110 min after leaving Tsuruga, only a moment, hidden in places |
| on your LEFT (facing forward) | Ueda – Karuizawa | About 125 min after leaving Tsuruga, for about 8 min, hidden in places | ||
| on your LEFT (facing forward) | Annaka-Haruna | About 140 min after leaving Tsuruga, only a moment, hidden in places | ||
| on your RIGHT (facing forward) | Takasaki | About 145 min after leaving Tsuruga, for about 4 min |
Times assume you board at the end of the line and are estimates from the published fastest travel times: where a published fastest time to an intermediate station exists, we use it, and between those points the time is spread in proportion to distance. They change if you board at an intermediate station or take a train that stops at every station. The table lists up to four of the longest sections with a line of sight, in the order you pass them (if there is a section on the opposite side, the longest of those is always included). "About N min" converts only the distance with a line of sight into time; sections where the view is interrupted are marked "hidden in places". Left and right are as you sit facing forward.
Noise barriers, buildings, trees and cuttings are not in the calculation. Low features such as lakes, rivers and the sea may be hidden by barriers.
Departure times that reach the section in daylight (by month)
Using the 2026 calendar, these are the ranges of departure times for which the sun is at least 6° high when the train enters the section, on all three of the 1st, the 15th and the last day of each month. This is not a weather forecast. Even on a clear day, haze or cloud can hide the view.
| Month | Departure (JST) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 6:45–15:05 |
| Feb | 6:35–15:40 |
| Mar | 6:00–16:10 |
| Apr | 5:15–16:40 |
| May | 5:00–17:05 |
| Jun | 5:00–17:25 |
| Jul | 5:00–17:20 |
| Aug | 5:00–16:45 |
| Sep | 5:25–16:00 |
| Oct | 5:55–15:20 |
| Nov | 6:25–14:55 |
| Dec | 6:45–14:55 |
| Month | Departure (JST) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 5:40–13:55 |
| Feb | 5:25–14:30 |
| Mar | 5:00–15:00 |
| Apr | 5:00–15:30 |
| May | 5:00–15:55 |
| Jun | 5:00–16:15 |
| Jul | 5:00–16:10 |
| Aug | 5:00–15:35 |
| Sep | 5:00–14:55 |
| Oct | 5:00–14:10 |
| Nov | 5:15–13:50 |
| Dec | 5:35–13:45 |
About this place
Mount Asama, 2,568 m high, stands on the border between Tsumagoi Village and the towns of Karuizawa and Miyota in Nagano Prefecture, and is an active volcano. Tsumagoi Village says volcanic activity has been vigorous here for several hundred thousand years.
Source: 嬬恋村 (checked 16 Oct 2026). Changes after that date (renovation, rebuilding, demolition) are not reflected.
Karuizawa Town describes Mount Asama as a triple stratovolcano typical of Japan. Until the late 1960s and early 1970s (the Showa 40s) it erupted almost every year, and the town says this created landforms such as Onioshidashi.
Source: 軽井沢町 (checked 16 Oct 2026). Changes after that date (renovation, rebuilding, demolition) are not reflected.