 Poster: A snowHead
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I am planning a trip to Nagano early March for 4-5 days and would like some recommendations for small resorts with good skiing. I am currently thinking of Nosaowsen and Hakuba but I know there are dozens of smaller resorts in this area. I am linking this to a business trip I am making to both Yokohama and Osaka. Please don't tell me I should go to Hokkaido as I do not have the time.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Fogliettaz, I enjoyed Nozawa Onsen and Madarao. Neither are small by Japanese standards but would be small in the Alps. Madarao is good for off-piste if you catch it on a good day as there's some nice areas in the trees where off-piste is officially allowed. Nozawa Onsen is a nice town with lots of great Onsens, but also lots of foreign tourists. Also, there's a really tiny resort called Kijimadaira which has a chairlift that only opens twice a week with access to quite a good (but small) area of steep terrain. Useful if it hasn't snowed for a couple of days and other resorts are tracked out!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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🐱⛷️ gone wrong?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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OK use the cat to clear the road....then you can see if you are parked legally! don't want to upset the highway patrol 
@musehead, Kijimadaira's top lift is open Wed, Sat, Sun and national holidays, conditions & ski patrol permitting. In Nozawa in summer I was told that 76% of all their ski guests come from Australia, and 5% from S.E.Asia. Every year fewer Japanese are skiing there. Another Niseko?
@Fogliettaz, From Nozawa you can drive over to the Myoko area in about 45 mins....the two main ski areas are Akakura Kanko/Akakura Onsen (joint lift ticket) and Suginohara. Further along the road towards Joetsu, Arai has reopened this season thanks to the Korean Lotte company.....huge amounts of snow.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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It doesn't stop snowing - 5m so far this season! 105cm in the last 48!, getting fed up of digging out.
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Niseko now shows basically no snow in last 5 days and v little expected...im surprised a bit the difference! Anyway hope to get there this year.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
Niseko now shows basically no snow in last 5 days and v little expected...im surprised a bit the difference! Anyway hope to get there this year.
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tell me about it, soon as I arrived it stopped snowing! typical.
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Mid-thight deep in Kiroro the past three days.
There's much more to SW Hokkaido than the Niseko Resort Area.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Flights and car hire booked, need to fit in 1-2 days at the Yokohama Boat Show and 2-3 days in the Osaka region for work and hope to have 4-5 days in Nagano prefecture second week of March. Is it true you need an International Driving Permit for car hire in Japan and one other question are the road signs in English as well as Japanese?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Drifter210 wrote: |
| Quote: |
Niseko now shows basically no snow in last 5 days and v little expected...im surprised a bit the difference! Anyway hope to get there this year.
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tell me about it, soon as I arrived it stopped snowing! typical. |
Please tell me you had a good day today
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| Fogliettaz wrote: |
| Flights and car hire booked, need to fit in 1-2 days at the Yokohama Boat Show and 2-3 days in the Osaka region for work and hope to have 4-5 days in Nagano prefecture second week of March. Is it true you need an International Driving Permit for car hire in Japan and one other question are the road signs in English as well as Japanese? |
yes and yes
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Fogliettaz, the GPS we had on our hire car was incredibly easy to use.
The Voice was in English and to enter the destination you just used its phone number.
So simple.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Hyst, I will find the steering wheel as I'm English
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Fantastic conditions today, hoping it continues all week!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@vuongh, Where? Japan’s a big place  Also, define ‘Fantastic’, as everyone has a different opinion.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| PowderAdict wrote: |
| @vuongh, Where? Japan’s a big place Also, define ‘Fantastic’, as everyone has a different opinion. |
Hanazono, Niseko Resort Area, Hokkaido
Face shots for fun
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Spot on Mike, hope you're having a blast out here!
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| vuongh wrote: |
| Spot on Mike, hope you're having a blast out here! |
Great winter.
Will post pics & vids in a day or so
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Apologies if this is the wrong forum for this topic, but I am assuming the Japan experts are here...
Leaving UK on BA on 26/1 for a week's skiing in Hakuba.
I had planned to take my Ortovox ABS including the MASS (Modular Airbag Safety System). However for this to operate, I need to have the gas canister filled in Japan (I think it is against rules to take compressed gas on a plane?).
Can this be done in Hakuba? Getting conflicting reports if this can be done or not...
Many thanks.
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You can put it in the hold - if you get prior approval from your carrier.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks - is that put it in the hold full? Do you know what BAs policy is?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Sorry, I was in a rush earlier.
They have a clause that covers all items of this type (diving, skiing etc), from their website;
"If you'd like to take any small, non-flammable gas cartridges with you that contain carbon dioxide or another suitable non-flammable, non-toxic, non-corrosive gas, please contact us to get approval.
You can then take the following items in your hand or checked baggage:
•max. two small cartridges per person, fitted into a self-inflating safety device, such as a life jacket or vest
•only one device per person
•max. four cartridges up to 50ml water capacity for other devices"
Email them at: safety.1.safety@ba.com
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You know it makes sense.
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@1556garyt, In theory, yes. Make sure you contact the airline first, and notify them on checkin. I’ve flown many times in Europe and to Canada, and you’ll get everything from “That’s fine”, to phone calls to supervisors and upwards. Internal flights in Japan are another matter, as a few have been lost to over keen security operatives.
Carry printouts of the IATA regs and the ABS technical specifications.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@PowderAdict, thanks - no internal flights in Japan (bullet train only) so hopefully this won't be a problem.
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Poster: A snowHead
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A whole boat load of rain, then freezing and settling. Now we have fantastic coverage, but dust on Death crust. Looks nice though.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Idris, where is that - Honshu? For how long was it raining and how much has it ruined the snow? Is more snow forecast to repair the damage?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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It better get it's act together by the 20th as I'm going to be one grumpy punter leaving here after some great days skiing this week (see Serre Che thread) with a load of snow forecast for next week to arrive and ski crud in land of the rising sun, mind you I did predict that this would happen 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Idris wrote: |
| A whole boat load of rain, then freezing and settling. Now we have fantastic coverage, but dust on Death crust. Looks nice though.... |
Looks like my local golf course.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I should have been on the plane today for nearly a month on Hokaido, prolapsed disc has forced me to put it on hold.
@Weathercam read the snow Japan daily reports from Niseko - apparently conditions are pretty much perfect. 15cm fresh cold pow last night, more tonight, more next week.
I know I’d give my left but to be airborne right now.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| hd wrote: |
| @Idris, where is that - Honshu? For how long was it raining and how much has it ruined the snow? Is more snow forecast to repair the damage? |
Central Honshu, 1.5 hr Shikansen north of Tokyo.
A day and half rain.
Ruined, no. Gave us stability and a base 1.5 - 2 m thick that covers everything. Before we had 2.2 -3m of unstable bottomless mess.
Yes more snow on the way, but forecast has been wrong 3 days straight so far. Currently Baltic cold (-15C or colder and damp)
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Good to hear folks!
Did get the OH checking forecasts.
Mind you what we've been skiing this morning - a whole mixture of snow - just your typical European slack country - off the lift, off the back, to ski a nice line and then skin back up!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Dumping right now, 10-20cm this evening
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@Idris, I like the "baltic" cold in Japan. 
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