Travelers coming from Narita airport should note that bus may be cheaper, faster and more convenient than taking train.
By bus
The Keisei Bus Salvia (http://www.chibakotsu.co....) (http://www.kantobus.co.jp...) line runs directly between Narita airport and Ashikaga each way daily for ¥4300 one way. The trip takes about 3 hours, depending on Tokyo traffic. Six buses leave TÅbu Ashikaga-shi station between 4:52 a.m. and 1:53 p.m., and six buses leave Narita between 8:15 a.m. and 7:50 p.m.
The JR Bus KantÅ Watarase line (http://www.jrbuskanto.co....) runs directly from the Yaesu South exit of Tokyo Station to the JR Ashikaga station and back five times a day for only ¥1600 each way. This particular JR Bus is not free for JR Rail Pass (http://www.japanrailpass.net/) users. Reservations are not usually necessary, and tickets can be purchased from the bus driver. Service suspended
By car
Take the Sano-Fujioka exit from the TÅhoku Expressway and follow National Route 50 west toward Ashikaga. The four-lane divided highway is usually busy, and highway buses schedule a half-hour between the Sano Premium Outlets (http://www.premiumoutlets...) and the Ashikaga train stations. National Route 50 runs along the south edge of Ashikaga.
Take the Ashikaga exit from the Kita-Kanto Expressway and follow National Route 293 south toward Central Ashikaga.
It takes 15 minutes from the Ota-Kiryu exit in the Kita-Kanto Expressway to cetral Ashikaga.Take the Ota-Kiryu exit and follow National Route 122 & 50 east toward Ashikaga.
By train
The nearest Shinkansen bullet train stations are Oyama on the TÅhoku Shinkansen and Takasaki on the JÅetsu Shinkansen, both of which are connected to Ashikaga by the JR RyÅmÅ Line 両æ¯ç·, which has about 30 trains daily running in each direction between about 5 am and 11 pm. JR Ashikaga station is on the north bank of the Watarase River, in the older, more walkable section of town.
The private TÅbu Asakusa-Isesaki Line æ±æ¦ä¼å¢å´ç· (http://hisaai.at.infoseek...) runs about 60 trains in each direction through Ashikaga-shi station every day between about 5 am and midnight. Express trains leaving Asakusa in Tokyo reach Ashikaga-shi in about 75 minutes 60 minutes from Kita-Senju in Tokyo. The local or "Section Semi-Express" ,"Section-Express" takes twice as long. Kita-Senju is more convenient than Asakusa as a transfer point in the Tokyo area. TÅbu Ashikaga-shi station is on the south bank of the Watarase River, in the rapidly expanding south side of town, with strip malls, big-box retailers, and ample parking.