 Poster: A snowHead
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Hullo,
I daresay this post may be more suitable for the snowjapan forums but my account there still hasn't been activated 
In any case, I'm thinking to go to Japan in late Dec for around two weeks over the Xmas period but having never been during this time, nor for a ski-specific trip, I have lot of thoughts and unanswered questions rolling around in my mind  I'm not expecting any solid answers, but hoping for more a sounding board for people who have been skiing in Japan to give their thoughts.
Who's going?
Firstly about me, I'm a fairly intermediate skier (mostly a single week in the Alps for the past few years, although did do 2 days skiing at Hakuba a couple years ago in March which was awesome!), but have never skied real proper powder - only pistes. At the moment, it's just me so I'll be planning on the basis of solo travelling although I'm hopeful of finding folks who might be interested. I'm also open to joining a group perhaps. I have been to Japan twice before (in the spring & summer months though) so I'm not too worried about getting around and general stuff.
Transport
I'll be flying into Narita. Because I'd be flying standby, any onward flights would probably have to be booked at very short notice but I'm not necessarily adverse to looking at Hokkaido. Looking at dates of 20th Dec to end of year +/- a couple days.
I gather that ski resorts in Japan tends to be smaller so a car is highly recommended. However, I'm also aware car rental is pretty pricey and moreso if I'm solo  So not too sure here...
I'm also a little concerned about transport back to Tokyo, be it from Honshu or Hokkaido during the busy New Year period as I've heard trains etc can be very full.
Where to go
Because I'm thinking to book a lot closer to the dates of departures, I can probably be quite flexible about where to go (but I'm mindful of domestic flight cost/duration/availability). However, I'm a little concerned that it may be a little tricky to find a reasonably-priced place to stay at short notice considering how pricey Japan accommodation can be. Not to mention New Year period, although I think I might return to Tokyo by then which would be quieter in terms of accommodation perhaps.
Experience
As I mentioned, I've not skied powder before. However, I've never really been keen on tuition or guidance as I can never understand the teacher (as I'm profoundly deaf) so to me, organised tours such as what you see on powderhounds represent very poor value for money Not to mention they usually inflate costs for those who don't know their way around Japan. But at the same time, I'm aware that for the best experience, its best to be with a local, not to mention for the company in case anything happens especially as I've not really skied off-piste aside from the occasional detour here and there... I have my own boots but not skis which I'll hire there.
So there you have it. I would be very keen to hear any thoughts or advice you folks might have!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I recall that there's a lot on this forum about skiing in Japan - you'll just have to get the right search terms. There are also some SHs who've skied extensively in Japan and hopefully one will be along soon....
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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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The new year period is indeed a busy one! As you'd be standby, flights up to Hokkaido could be problematic if you're unable to book in advance. If you do head up, Niseko would probably be booked out at that time of year, although you might find availability in Rusutsu, Kiroro or Furano. Tomamu or Sahoro could also be worth looking at if you're not all about going for the powder.
As you've travelled in Japan before, possibly look at the Yuzawa area of Niigata which is accessible by shinkansen from Tokyo. Trains would of course be busy, but they are very frequent and booking a few days in advance would be fine. There are a load of resorts in that area so you should be able to find accomodation somewhere, although I think everywhere is going to be quite expensive at that time of year. I haven't skied in the area before, just visited in the summer, so can't offer too much info on that front.
Or... if you did hire a car (the weak yen is making things very cheap for visitors to Japan these days!) then you could be a lot more flexible and just go to where the snow is and where you can find somewhere good to stay.
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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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Many thanks for your thoughts - exactly the kind of info to help me ponder!
To clarify - the international flights are standby, but domestic would be confirmed seats. The only thing is that I wouldn't be too keen to buy the domestic plane tickets too far in advance. It's a bit worrying to hear that the chances are places in Hokkaido might be booked out... Maybe I'll play it a little safe and look exclusively at the Japan Alps which would remove the domestic flights from the equation and the pressure of having to find a roof over my head in Hokkaido.
Looked at Tomamu and Sahoro & they sound a touch resort-y (not to mention probably pricey). My preference would probably be a bit more in the direction of something like Nozawa Onsen (although I'm aware Nozawa's a bit lacking in apres ski!).
Yeah, I know Yuzawa is dead easy by Shinkansen.
I admit I'd never looked at car rental before having mainly only used public transport (& JR Passes) in the past and dismissing the car option outright as "hilariously expensive" However, a brief look and I see options to hire a car for £40-ish a day which isn't too bad actually. Might be worth picking up a car locally for perhaps 3 or 4 days as it would probably be pushing it a little to hire for the whole period I'm there. I'd be happy to takkyubin my stuff & go by Shinkansen/express to wherever.
Thinking about the above and what you've just said about car hire, I'm starting to ponder the option of a return Shinkansen to Echigo Yuzawa and hiring a car after a couple of days to go to either Nozawa or Hakuba for a number of days. Hmmmm, a tempting thought........
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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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So I've been researching my options and I really cannot decide...
Firstly, I started off looking at somewhere close to Yuzawa & found Tenjindaira. Sounds really nice but a bit out in inaka (rural) and the resort itself sounds a bit small if you don't do off-piste... Also, there's no easy way to get from Tenjindaira to Nozawa or other resorts further west if I fancied moving on.
Next area was Nozawa. I have to say I'm very tempted by Nozawa. Although onsens are a niiiiice thought, I realise Nozawa is a bit quiet in terms of après-ski not to mention chances of decent skiing in December is slightly lower than...
Hokkaido. Yesterday, I looked at Jetstar and was surprised to find return flights are only 20,000JPY! So was browsing Niseko information and I have to admit I'm sorely tempted. I haven't looked at other resorts in Hokkaido thou'. A negative of a place like Hokkaido is that I get the impression it might be full of rowdy Aussies... (Read a couple of hostel reviews where people were rather put off by big crowds of Aussies!).
Although I'm happy to leave a more solid decision much closer to the time, I'm feeling a bit antsy by the fact that room availability seem to drop off very precipitously from the 26th Dec onwards... Currently, my plans are to fly into Narita on Friday 19th in the AM, and (this is where it gets vague!) then to catch onward travel the same day. (there's a Jetstar flight leaving NRT just after noon, not to mention multiple trains to the Japanese Alps). Go skiing for 8-10 days (or maybe less) and return to Tokyo on the 27th-29th. Return to UK just after New Year.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yep, definitely a lot of Aussies in Niseko. No escaping that unfortunately! Especially in Hirafu it can get rowdy. In other places in Hokkaido, you won't see as many foreign visitors and its much quieter. The other ski areas I mentioned in my previous post should have accomodation available and could be worth a shot.
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A negative of a place like Hokkaido is that I get the impression it might be full of rowdy Aussies... (Read a couple of hostel reviews where people were rather put off by big crowds of Aussies!).
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Niseko yes, other places not so much. There were a couple in Furano when I was there, but more Euros and Skandis.
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@Mrdini, Have you thought about buying a JR Rail Pass? It would cover Narita to Tokyo, Joetsu Shinkansen to Jomo Kogen or Doai Stations. After a few days skiing in Tenjindaira, backtrack to Takasaki, change to Nagano Shinkansen and then up to Nozawa for another few days. A 7-day pass costs about 30,000yen so you'd have to add the fare back to Tokyo etc. Cheaper perhaps than hiring a car??? We were in Nozawa at the end of Sept and paid 6,000yen per day for a compact car; Orix rent-a-car near Nagano Station. I noticed some nomiya/izakaya in Nozawa which open for the ski season.......most onsen towns have watering holes.
Other options would be staying in Yudanaka or Shibu onsens (about an hour from Nagano City) and going up by car/bus on a daily basis to Shiga Kogen, Myoko, Nozawa etc
Yes from Dec 26th things will be busy as it's the last working day of the year for most people. Also the weekend you arrive you may find a lot of university students in the ski areas as Dec 23rd is a public holiday.
You can avoid the rowdies by staying in the Annupuri part of Niseko where there are a couple of onsen hotels.
Friends skied last weekend in Minowa, Fukushima.....just one lift running but at least the season has started. Enjoy 
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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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@MagSeven, yeah, been looking into the other Hokkaido resorts a bit more lately - sounding more tempting by the minute if Jetstar prices stay down...
@Mac46, it would be difficult to make the JR Pass pay off for itself. The route you describe comes to about 25,000JPY (inc. return to Tokyo) for reserved seats. So it'd be even cheaper booking individual tickets if travelling with unreserved seats. Not to mention a week JR pass would pretty much cap my ski trip at 1 week max.
It's certainly a thought about staying in Yudanaka & travelling in area, although may be a bit of a drag on public transport with skis & boots.
Thanks all though for the ideas, I think I can see a plan forming - just need to find places to stay & join the dots! 
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Just wanted to pop back in here and say thanks for the advice, all!
In the end, I've decided to go for a few days first in Moiwa, then jump over to Hirafu for a week. I'll admit I'm getting pretty itchy feet after seeing the pictures that the Hokkaido residents (@MagSeven and @MikePow) are posting over in the Hokkaido thread - can hardly wait!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Nice one! Even though it's been a slightly late start, things are back on track with the recent heavy snowfall. I hope you have a great trip!
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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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...and you get little yen bonus with the exchange rate too, result!
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