 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello,
I would like to add a few days of skiing to a trip to Japan I am planning for 2024.
We are both beginner/intermediate on piste skiers so not looking for anything too crazy (we know Japan is the dreamland of powder and off piste).
I was wondering if somebody could help us with the following:
- what resort can we stay for around 4 days to enjoy both the snow but also Japanese food, ambience, etc?
- is renting a car to go around recommended at all? Japan is known for its public transport but don’t mind renting so we can drive around and save time
- my idea was to do this in Hokkaido last week of Feb or first of March. Any preferences?
- I chose Hokkaido as never been so north in Japan and maybe less crowded than that central areas live. But is that right? Should I be going to Nagano instead?
Thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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JR Pass is going up in price by about 70% - might be worth knowing for the rest of the trip
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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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Thank you Mike. Why would you say you recommend to stay on the main island? I don’t have to go to Hokkaido but saw this as a change to visit the region somehow during the winter. I was wondering if being a little further I may find less tourists and more locals and a different vibe.
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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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| Yona wrote: |
| Thank you Mike. Why would you say you recommend to stay on the main island? I don’t have to go to Hokkaido but saw this as a change to visit the region somehow during the winter. I was wondering if being a little further I may find less tourists and more locals and a different vibe. |
By the time you get to the airport, wait, fly, wait, get the transfer bus, arrive in resort then you'll have taken up a whole day
So for 4 days skiing on Hokkaido you'll need 6 days
From Tokyo you can be in resort by lunchtime so would need less time and faffing about
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks Mike. I wouldn’t worry about the airport at first. My plan is to flight into Japan and as I land jump into a plane to Sapporo (all that is posible and same price as a Tokyo only flight).
This is what made me intrigued about the possibility of starting my holiday in Hokkaido, have a few days there, and then make my way to Tokyo and then Osaka before flying back home from there.
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| Quote: |
I don’t have to go to Hokkaido but saw this as a change to visit the region somehow during the winter. I was wondering if being a little further I may find less tourists and more locals and a different vibe.
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From what I've heard the likes of Niseko in Hokkaido are amongst the most touristy. Most foreign ski tourists are flying into Sapporo.
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boarder2020 thanks. It would be unfortunate to go all the way there just to discover that!
I was thinking about Furano. For 3 days of skiing and our level we don’t need much. Just a large green to get back in shape and then enough blues for a few days.
So was thinking to rent a car and have the freedom to just go anywhere (plus the fun of driving in a foreign country which I personally always 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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| Yona wrote: |
Thanks Mike. I wouldn’t worry about the airport at first. My plan is to flight into Japan and as I land jump into a plane to Sapporo (all that is posible and same price as a Tokyo only flight).
This is what made me intrigued about the possibility of starting my holiday in Hokkaido, have a few days there, and then make my way to Tokyo and then Osaka before flying back home from there. |
If that’s the case then the Niseko Resort Area will suit you perfectly
Won’t be that busy at the time you’re thinking about
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| Yona wrote: |
Thanks Mike. I wouldn’t worry about the airport at first. My plan is to flight into Japan and as I land jump into a plane to Sapporo (all that is posible and same price as a Tokyo only flight).
This is what made me intrigued about the possibility of starting my holiday in Hokkaido, have a few days there, and then make my way to Tokyo and then Osaka before flying back home from there. |
17 hour flight + connection, 9hr time difference on top. Is that wise?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I am going to fly 17hrs to Tokyo anyway. What’s an hour more to Sapporo.
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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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| Yona wrote: |
| I am going to fly 17hrs to Tokyo anyway. What’s an hour more to Sapporo. |
I am doing to the reverse, simply because I know how I will struggle with jet-lag due to travel & time difference.
Going to use a bag forwarding service when I land in Tokyo & send my snow gear ahead to the hotel.
A week in Tokyo & Kyoto.
Flight from Osaka to Sapporo
Week in the Northern Hemisphere Australian ski resort
Few nights back in Sapporo for the ice sculptures, before flying home via Tokyo.
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If you enjoy driving in a foreign country, by all means. Otherwise, there’s a direct bus from the airport to Furano.
As long as you stay away from Hiseko, you shouldn’t run into too many foreign tourists. The other side of the coin is English is less spoken. So be prepared. (That said, I had no issue in Furano, just occasionally had to rely on “volunteer translators”)
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You know it makes sense.
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Furano had more non-local ski polpulation than Niseko when I was there in2020.
Smaller resorts like Asari or Yubari felt more local, much more quiet than Niseko or Furano.
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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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Thanks! On the local/non-local subject. I meant it in the way that I hope to find a place that feels more like a Japanese town vs. an international Club Med that could be just anywhere in the world. (To be able to experience food, shops, etc. in the evenings)
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Poster: A snowHead
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Then stay in Otaru and easy access to Asari and local Mt Tenguyama. For early intermediates it would be fine imo - first half day at Tenguyama, the. 2 days at Asari and if bored - bus to Kiroro.
Food/shopping experience in Otaru is very japanese. Would gladly share my dinner/lunch locations if you settle on Otaru
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks Mooney. I like your idea and would love to be able to mix skiing with being immersed in Japan culture.
So basically:
- land in Sapporo at around 1-2pm. By the time I get everything and the car it is 3-4pm
- I am counting 5 days in total: 1 to arrive, 3 of skiing, 4th checkout and back to Sapporo for next stop in Japan (possibly plane/train to Tokyo)
Option 1:
- drive to Furano for 3 days of ski
- in this case the idea is to have the hotel close to slopes but the car allows to go to town away from thr “resort”
Option 2:
- drive to Otaru and then use the car to commute to Tenguyama and Asari
- so I need to find a hotel with parking (shouldn’t be hard) and also commute daily to the different areas
I must say I am only used to European resorts (Granada, 3 Valleys, Portes du Soleil) so have no idea how it would be to arrive by car somewhere, rent boots, skis, etc. early in the morning and then hit the piste.
That is tilting the balance a little bit towards Furano unless it is damn easy to do the Otaru plan.
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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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| Yona wrote: |
Thanks Mooney. I like your idea and would love to be able to mix skiing with being immersed in Japan culture.
So basically:
- land in Sapporo at around 1-2pm. By the time I get everything and the car it is 3-4pm
- I am counting 5 days in total: 1 to arrive, 3 of skiing, 4th checkout and back to Sapporo for next stop in Japan (possibly plane/train to Tokyo)
Option 1:
- drive to Furano for 3 days of ski
- in this case the idea is to have the hotel close to slopes but the car allows to go to town away from thr “resort”
Option 2:
- drive to Otaru and then use the car to commute to Tenguyama and Asari
- so I need to find a hotel with parking (shouldn’t be hard) and also commute daily to the different areas
I must say I am only used to European resorts (Granada, 3 Valleys, Portes du Soleil) so have no idea how it would be to arrive by car somewhere, rent boots, skis, etc. early in the morning and then hit the piste.
That is tilting the balance a little bit towards Furano unless it is damn easy to do the Otaru plan. |
If you need to rent everything, then Asari and Otaru Tenguyama will be a pain in the back bottom
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Even if you’re commuting to Asari and Otaru Tenguyama on subsequent days, there’s no reason why you need to rent each day. Just rent everything at Otaru on day 1 and take it with you to different mountains each day.
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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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Planning a 2 week plus trip next year, primarily for multi venue skiing but also to do some sight seeing so finding comments very valuable. As we can choose our dates can anyone suggest best time to of year go?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| brovert wrote: |
| Planning a 2 week plus trip next year, primarily for multi venue skiing but also to do some sight seeing so finding comments very valuable. As we can choose our dates can anyone suggest best time to of year go? |
Not during Aus holidays and not during Chinese new year. Less people, better prices (I assume)
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| brovert wrote: |
| Planning a 2 week plus trip next year, primarily for multi venue skiing but also to do some sight seeing so finding comments very valuable. As we can choose our dates can anyone suggest best time to of year go? |
There is a small gap end of January. Need to work out Australasia Christmas break (upto Jan 28th) & Chinese New Year (Feb 10th)… Otherwise you are prob looking at after China NY & before Sakura season. So January 27th/28th could be a lull week
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Is Jan preferable to end of Feb really? (Last week of feb or first of March for instance)
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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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Definitely end of January if you want to have a better chance of big powder days
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@Gored, @mooney058 Thanks for advice. Looks like it’ll be last week of January (hopefully Auz queues will start to subside) and first week of Feb (before Chinese New Year)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@brovert, no worries. My limited experience is mostly based on @Mike Pow wisdom. If in doubt - follow what he suggests!
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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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If you’re renting a car and want early lifts, give yourself plenty of time to locate and dig your vehicle out in the morning. Took me well over an hour a couple of days back in February. Left a transceiver in it one day just to make identification of what pile of snow to start digging in a bit easier.
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@Yona, it's a long trip and you will be tired ... I don't think I would want to drive at the end of it and drive each day on top of it ... not sure how you manage jet lag but I would barely be able to drag myself out of bed or stay awake in the evening. You will need an international driving license I think too, so get one if you are driving.
Would parking be an issue or inconvenient? Or costly ?
Maybe just head to Hirafu by bus or private car hire and ski there for a few days ?
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You know it makes sense.
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| brovert wrote: |
| @Gored, @mooney058 Thanks for advice. Looks like it’ll be last week of January (hopefully Auz queues will start to subside) and first week of Feb (before Chinese New Year) |
I'll be the grumpy looking old fart.
If your dates are set - book cancelable accommodation now. You can look for more accommodation as things open up, based on price, location, etc.
Already booked our hotel.
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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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| rayscoops wrote: |
@Yona, it's a long trip and you will be tired ... I don't think I would want to drive at the end of it and drive each day on top of it ... not sure how you manage jet lag but I would barely be able to drag myself out of bed or stay awake in the evening. You will need an international driving license I think too, so get one if you are driving.
Would parking be an issue or inconvenient? Or costly ?
Maybe just head to Hirafu by bus or private car hire and ski there for a few days ? |
If you do the bus to Hirafu (easy) there’s daily busses to Rustsu which include a lift pass for around the same price as an all mountain day ticket for Niseko. Easy to do and gets you a bit of variety.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@rogg, the OP noted to be a beginer/intermediate. For 3 days of skiing and enjoying the slopes both Niseko and Rusutsu are more than enough but would miss on the JPN experience.
Instead, for 3-4 days I would base myself in either Sapporo or Otaru and travel from these to closest ski spots. Both Otaru and Sapporo will give JPN experience in buckets.
For Otaru accom I have previously used hotel Smile/Green (they keep changin names) that has parking in front of the hotel for 6-7 eur a day - the guy who looks after the parking cleans/removes snow from cars and parking, so very nice indeed. It is basic hotel but very convenently located - close to the canal, train station, excelent restos.
When MikePow first suggested Otaru as a base for a couple of days I was sceptical. Easy access to everything (including Nikka whiskey distilery, onsens, Mt Tenguyama, Asari, onsens) made this my fav spot after two visits in 2018 and 2020. Interesting history, superb food, best seafood in JPN 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Furano is super nice for skiing, the town itself is nothing special. My accom was in an onsen hotel just outside Furano, excelent but requires a car for accessing slopes. Top restos again. Though I did not detect a centre to walk trough. Would certainly visit again for ski, not necessarily for town visit.
Not far from Sapporo there is a small Yubari. It would be superb for 3 days for relative novices. It has a modern/big hotel at the foot of lifts. So maybe JPN experience might be diluted a bit, but excelent as a ski trip.
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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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@mooney058, I went to Furano too. I stayedd in a hotel right up near the resort, easy walk to the lifts and enough restaurants for a few days. It did mean a ten minute walk into town and once I got caught in a -25 blizzard on the way home one late night. Nearly whited out and had to stop completely for about a minute on the road bridge because I totally lost my bearings, I do remember hoping the car drivers had done the same.........
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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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Thank you so much guys!
I am quite intrigued about the Otaru option given it can be an experience on its own even without the skiing. We will need to deal with the logistics but it is not a 100% skiing trip but more an experience to be had as we are there (vs somebody that may go to experience the Japow specifically).
My dates are not set yet but since we want to do some sightseeing on the second week I am sort of going for 3-7 March so then hopefully as we travel south we have good weather (other option being 25-29 Feb the week before).
I am happy and thankful to see other joining in with their own experiences (or coming here to get some info themselves too).
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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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| Quote: |
I am happy and thankful to see other joining in with their own experiences (or coming here to get some info themselves too).
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Just don’t get distracted by the “experience” from those who hadn’t been there (and didn’t bother to read your particular requirements). 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ok so this is my current plan and any feedback welcome.
Reasonably competent skiers coming upto big 60 with 100+ weeks under our belts since moving to Europe and do between 4-5 weeks a year. Budget obviously a consideration but not an over riding factor.
Auz Holidays finish Feb 2nd. Chinese Holidays start 9thFeb.
Fly into Tokyo Jan 25th spend a couple of days sight seeing and recovering.
Fly to Hokkaido 28th and spend 12 nights, mostly skiing at different resorts intertwinned with some a couple of days off sight seeing before flying back to UK on 9th (when Chinese Holidays start).
Where would you recommend we base ourselves.
Fly/Train one way to Hokkaido?
Which resorts do you recommend?
Any resorts on the Southern Island we should consider (avoiding the weekend).
What type of accommodation would you recommend for an extended stay.
Cheers
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| brovert wrote: |
Any resorts on the Southern Island we should consider |
Limited experience from me, but I've just spent a few weeks near Nagano, in Myoko Kogen. Definitely worth having a car.
Personal favourites were Ikenotaira, not steep, but a heap of fun in the trees on a good powder day. Wild pigs attacking people made it even better. Suginohara has some fun terrain and good touring. Loved Charmant Hiuchi. Togakushi was fun but ski patrol were all over not letting people play in the trees - I got chased by a guy on a skidoo with flashing lights a couple of times, but it's a cool ski area, and the temple nearby is worth a walk to. Seki Onsen was great fun too, but a lot of people going after the admittedly epic freshies.
Less impressed with Akakura Onsen/Kanko - a bit meh and busy. Lotte Arai is good in terms of sorted off piste access, but it's a club med style resort, and reminded me of home with loads of powder warriors going hard to get after it. Great fun, but there's nicer more low key places to go.
There's loads of other spots near Nagano. Easy to get to on the Shinkansen from Tokyo - about 1 hour 15.
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| Yona wrote: |
Thank you so much guys!
I am quite intrigued about the Otaru option given it can be an experience on its own even without the skiing. We will need to deal with the logistics but it is not a 100% skiing trip but more an experience to be had as we are there (vs somebody that may go to experience the Japow specifically).
My dates are not set yet but since we want to do some sightseeing on the second week I am sort of going for 3-7 March so then hopefully as we travel south we have good weather (other option being 25-29 Feb the week before).
I am happy and thankful to see other joining in with their own experiences (or coming here to get some info themselves too). |
3-7 March time frame will give you more chance of seeing Cherry Blossom in and around Tokyo
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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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| brovert wrote: |
Ok so this is my current plan and any feedback welcome.
Reasonably competent skiers coming upto big 60 with 100+ weeks under our belts since moving to Europe and do between 4-5 weeks a year. Budget obviously a consideration but not an over riding factor.
Auz Holidays finish Feb 2nd. Chinese Holidays start 9thFeb.
Fly into Tokyo Jan 25th spend a couple of days sight seeing and recovering.
Fly to Hokkaido 28th and spend 12 nights, mostly skiing at different resorts intertwinned with some a couple of days off sight seeing before flying back to UK on 9th (when Chinese Holidays start).
Where would you recommend we base ourselves.
Fly/Train one way to Hokkaido?
Which resorts do you recommend?
Any resorts on the Southern Island we should consider (avoiding the weekend).
What type of accommodation would you recommend for an extended stay.
Cheers |
Will you be renting a car?
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@Mike Pow Good point yes I think so.
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