[Very Beginner Questions]

Lol, good weather I mean snowing. Dark skies don't matter thats for sure.

 

On another note a work collegue apparently went to japan at the start of the year and recommended Furano. He said it wasnt crowded like Niseko or anything and would be right down my alley.

 

Thoughts?

 

Though i still like the sound of Nozawa Onsen...but only because it has "latern-lit cobblestone streets in the description"....lol.

[Very Beginner Questions]

Hmm...I posted a reply before but for some reason I can't see it.

 

Because I'm too lazy to write it all again I had one question (well lots of questions, just one topic):

 

Everywhere says its the best place. I'm sure there all very different but in terms of the skiing, are they all fine? Like nice powder, good runs for beginners and intermediates, and good weather most of the time?

 

Are there places I should definitely avoid? And are there certain areas that have many resorts that would be the best to look at?

 

As it stands I have a few places I THINK would be good, I just need something to set it all apart.

[Very Beginner Questions]

Cool!

 

Now I'm getting a feel for this all. I'm getting an idea on where I'd like to stay BUT Thursday is right (I'm been a pain in the bum lol)...we want a good, almost traditional holiday but then again we like to party (how stupid does that sound?)

 

If we had to pick id defintely say we'd sacrifice the partying for the snow.

 

Still, some sort of nightlife would be good.

 

I forgot about the review section so I might go check that out as it would probably help!

 

Sorry if I'm going around in circles here.

[Very Beginner Questions]

So you think we will struggle if we stayed somewhere less popular with the language barrier and all? Will it be that bad that the trip will be a write off?

 

As I mentioned above I like the sound of Nozawa Onsen. It might be important to mention that although it would be good for us to sort of ‘dip our toes in first’ instead of diving in straight away, we are the kind of people that like to start at the deep end…it makes it more fun the more lost you feel! I travelled to Vietnam by myself last year and had a blast.

 

I have been reading a fair bit this morning and again as I stated above everywhere seems to be ‘perfect’. So I’ll ask some specific questions:

 

By the looks of things the skiing is pretty good no matter where you go, for both beginners and intermediates. Is this true?

 

Even though Niseko is the most popular it seems that foreign numbers is not such a problem. Even so, what are less ‘foreign populated’ resorts, while still offering a decent array of things to do?

 

I guess it’s obvious but we are the kind of travellers that don’t like to stay on the beaten track. We like to get out and about and sort of blend in and not do the touristy stuff….though at the same time we do like to see some of them.

 

Sorry if I’m been very generalised. I am slowly getting an idea on how this all works though.

 

Thanks for the links as well. I have read some of them before but ill go through the others now.

 

Also as some of you have noted we may want to book ASAP! So this weekend is going to be nothing but research for me.

 

Cheers.

[Very Beginner Questions]

Oh cool...yeah I live in brisbane and I feel the Gold Coast is a bit over the top, I really want to get away from the 'western' feel if I can. I've printed out the skijapan 08/09 ski brochure and also obtained a list of all the resorts in Japan.

 

Is Nozawa Onsen any good? I know you may not be able to answer that question but hopefully someone can. I just like the idea that the palce has retained some of its traditional feel (cobblestone streets - though that might only be one street in the entire town lol)

 

I can read as much as I want but it seems that everywhere is "the best snow" or the "best runs" or "the best accomodation" etc. I really need hands on experience!!!

 

Ah well, I'm not booking till Decemeber so I have around a month to figure it all out.

 

thanks for your replies so far.

 

[Very Beginner Questions]

Hey all, First post lol.

 

I've never been to the snow before let alone done any skiing and/or snowboarding. My little brother has and like so many of his friends has been bitten by the bug and now randomly rambles about dropping out of Uni to go work in the Ski fields here in Australia for a season….odd.

 

Anyway – I’m in need of a holiday and a very much planned Vegas vacation fell through the floor so I suggested we hit the ski fields in Japan. So myself (23) my brother (20) and one of my mates (also 23) will be travelling to Japan in late February to ski, party and relax with a touch of sight seeing shoved in there for good measure.

 

We’re aiming for 10 days to 2 weeks max. After general browsing through this forum and some ‘googling’ I discovered that Niseko seems to be the best place for Skiing and the night life, but because of this the place is packed to the rafters with foreigners. We deliberately said ‘no’ to this trip in New Zealand based on the fact we wanted something vastly different from Australia. So heading to Japan, to only be surrounded by 1000 Australians, is really not cool.

 

Consider us all beginners (though my brother will tell you otherwise) so that’s important when taking the place into consideration. We’re also fond of drinking and thus the night life, though this takes a back seat to the skiing on offer, and the general “Not in Australia anymore†feel we’re after.

 

In another forum a guy mentioned this:

 

“Most popular ski destinations are in Hokkaido and northern Honshu. Consider Zao-san in Yamagate Prefecture. From end of Dec. to mid March the next year people make special trip up there to see the “ice-tree monstersâ€. They are even lit up in the evenings from end of Jan. to early Mar. You can even ski among them. The cable car to get up the mt. is in Zao Onsen, a hot spring town with lovely indoor and outdoor spas. So you can enjoy skiing, sight-seeing and onsen experience in one place, a 3-in-1 combo.â€

 

Just thought I’d throw that in there as well.

 

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated and I look forward to hearing back from you guys. If I've left any important information out feel free to ask!

 

I’m going to sift through all the posts on this forum now.

 

Cheers.

 

-Matt