Calling Japanese powder monkeys

A snowHead

Hi, we are planning a ski trip to Japan early Jan 2012 (I'm told you have to book v early, not to mention having enough time to save up enough pennies!) and have been thinking about Hakuba / Nagano areas as we also want to take in Tokyo / Kyoto etc - Niseko is probably too far away. Anyone been there, got any recommendations, hints or tips? One advanced intermediate, one beginner (will have done a couple of weeks by then). Thanks all.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Nath, I thought you were talking about these Japanese snow monkeys.

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Dunno who told you that you have to book 1 year+ in advance. We booked for Niseko at NY a month ago, and that's busy due to Aussie invasion. Around Hakuba you'll have plenty of options. We were there 3 years ago in a warm spell in mid-Feb. Lots of slushly skiing, but still fun, Not exactly busy midweek! There's many accommodation options scattered along the base or very near to Happo One, which is where the best/biggest terrain is. Great food, fantastic people. Was very little English there when we were there, but I suspect it's improving as Aussies are moving south from Niseko, I hear ....

Niseko really is a fabulous powder place, so might be worth contemplating the 1 hour flight to Sapporo.

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Sorry to hijack the thread, but we have booked flights to Tokyo in mid feb to see some friends and take them skiing near Tokyo for a few days before heading north to Hokkaido. We haven't booked any accommodation yet or developed any firm plans so any advice would also be welcome. I'd like to think we are both advanced skiers, but need more powder time to really develop those skills.

gortonator, worried about warm spells now.......

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I did a Japan trip in 2000. The skiing was one element of it as I had friends living in both Kyoto and Tokyo at the time and wanted to a) see them and b) use their local knowledge to show me around some less tourist-tastic places.

Solution to my problem at the time: unlimited rail pass. This allowed me to take the sleeper up to Hokkaido but also to take in other things Japan has to offer (culcha [sic], food, weird shopping experiences etc. etc.)

I imagine that Japan Rail still offer some kind of rail pass type thing. Worth looking into, if only for the rather excellent sleeper carriage!

After all it is free

zammo, how much was the rail pass? Was it easy to navigate around the with no Japanese (I assume you don't speak or read it?)?

rob@rar, I had a work trip to Tokyo and travelled to meetings and to/from airport using the railways. I wouldn't say it was easy to navigate, but with a bit of time, speaking to a few folk at ticket/customer desks (in English) and thought it was possible!!

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I went skiing when on a business trip to Sapporo in the early '90s.

I had difficulty finding rental boots big enough on spec - that might have changed with an influx of Aussies to cater for.

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Myself and the wife were there for a month two years ago, the Japan Rail pass was about €400 for 3 weeks unlimited travel on all the Shinkansen (bullet trains)....it's the only way to travel.

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Some years ago someone I skied with once (who lived and taught English in Japan) said he once arrived at a resort after a snowfall - but they wouldn't let anyone onto the lifts till they had flattened all the new powder with the piste-bashers. (They told him the Japanese can't ski powder).
But probably things have changed since then

Niseko is a good place for pow for 2 reasons. One, they get a lot from mid-Dec to end Feb, and two, they have a good off-piste policy. It's also not too steep, so mostly avi safe except for a couple of well protected areas that ski patrol keep you out of. Around Hakuba is a fair bit steeper (mountains, bot volcanos) so you need a guide to be safe (or own off-piste skills). There's a Sapporo Ice Festival sometime early/mid Feb, and it's pretty busy around then. Otherwise I've not heard of any major problems getting somewhere decent to stay.

You know it makes sense.

JR pass is good value, but I believe you have to buy it before you arrive in Japan?

Japanese resorts are very busy at New Year which is worth keeping in mind and also tend to be busy at the weekends, especially those closer to Tokyo. Conversely they can be completely empty during the week!

If you are looking at resorts from Tokyo by train well worth putting Hakuba (Happo One) on your list as gortonator suggests. I'd also add Shiga, Nozawa and possibly Zao to the list. Mid February should be fine weather wise. Do try and go to an onsen at least once during your visit.

Japan is quite a rules based society, there used to be a sign at Narita saying "welcome to Japan - please obey the rules!" And in quite a few resorts there are rules against skiing off piste, which the Japanese tend to obey and enforce. There are also though an increasing number of areas which are opening up off piste areas.

Key tip is to learn the difference between kawaii and kowai. The first means cute, the latter scary...

Very Happy

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

nozawaonsen, Yes you do, we bought ours through Trailfinders and they gave us a voucher to redeem as soom as we landed in Narita, you can use every service (Nozomi, Hikari etc) and even the trams and ferrys (which came in handy around Hiroshima and heading out to Mya-Jima to see the Tori-Mon)

The best thing about those passes is, you can reserve seats with them at the ticket offices....it allows you to get a big seat and have a wander around the stations.

We were told whilst in Hokkaido that a lot of the Japanese prefer to ski at night because of their Shinto beliefs and that's the reason why the mountains can be quite quiet during the day.

A snowHead

A snowHead

Hmmm indeed.

Can only speak for Hokkaido.

1. The language is different and difficult but not insurmountable. As easy or difficult as continental Europe for a non-native speaker. Find a person who speaks English and everything becomes a whole lot easier. But this is the case all around the world.

2. You could well be the only non-Japanese person skiing there that day. But you will not be the first non-Japanese person to have skied that area. Guaranteed. You're going to Japan not Mars.

3. Rental equipment of the highest standard and in western sizes is readily avilable in the Niseko Resort Area, Rusutsu, Kiroro, Furano, Sahoro, Tomamu.

4. Ski-in, ski-out accommodation is at a premium in early January, as it is in most resorts around the world. Book early or seek alternatives.

5. The larger resorts on Hokkaido provide the piste skier with optimum piste conditions during the time you intend visiting. And it offers adventurous intermediate skiers the opportunity to venture off piste because of very accommodating terrain and consistent, light powder.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

You called?

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rob@rar, it's not too difficult to navigate around Japan, but my biggest tip for there (and China) is always always have the name of the place you'e going written down in Chinese. Even if it's the "Marriott" and you think that international brand names might be recognised...

And I love love love Kyoto! Tokyo pretty cool too. Not skiied there yet - it's cheaper to fly back to Europe Confused

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nozawaonsen, Mike Pow, So how busy is 1st week of January?

I have a better than 50% chance of travelling to that part of the world during Christmas/New Year time. I can extend my trip to include a bit of skiing the week after New Year. Which region/resort would be good candidate to avoid the Aussie crowd?

I've been to Japan a couple of short trips. So not fazed by the language.

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Nath, nice choice on the honeymoon! I had exactly the same plan when I got married a couple of years ago. Work and other stuff got in the way, so we didn't go straight after the wedding. Two years later though, my wife and I moved here!

If you do make it up to Hokkaido in 2012, and need any info, give me a shout. The JR Pass is definitely the way to go. You wave it at ticket inspectors and you're waved through like VIPs! Flying internally can be really expensive unless you're able to book flights when they become available 2 months before travel. Rail travel is very simple and easy to get the hang of.

After all it is free

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Very true, but was focussing on ABC's allergy to Australians Wink

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Calling Japanese powder monkeys

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