blueyonder

Any up-dates for rental of 3g(or 4g) sim cards for a 3 week visit? Would like to have data as well as text and calls so I can navigate etc.Is Softbank any good away from the cities?..Cheers..Dave

Indeed I do GD. My brain is totally Japlished with all the names I have Googled lately..Cheers..Dave

Hi all. Between Zao and Shiga Kogen,I am heading to Akita for a look around.Will check out Yamadera Temple,Nyuto Onsen,Kakunodate and Haguro-San.Any other must-see things or recommendations where to stay for a few nights? ( I want to ski at least one day at Tozawako) I have heard that the prices are a bit steep at Nyuto...Cheers..Dave

Looks like my kind of territory..is there a shuttle from Akakura Onsen by any chance? Or from where?..Cheers..Dave

Arrive in Zao on 5th Feb Roscoe..Dave

Great replies and many thanks for them. Nozawa and Myoko seem to be getting the raps. Loved the pics of Treble snowjunky.Was a ski-bum in Queenstown in early 80's,was a lifty on Coronet etc and both my kiddies were born there.Wonderful days. Having skied in Europe,Colorado and Japan, I am now a bit of a snow-snob.NZ and OZ skiing is mainly club fields for their character..don't like getting fleeced by the white shoe brigade..Cheers to all..Dave

Need your help guys to decide where to ski.My wife and I are in our 50's and are not so much into massive vertical or off-piste deep powder nowadays.We do like long cruisy runs in varied and scenic terrain though,especially if there is a foot or so of fresh on top! We prefer resorts with a more Japanese feel,a few bars and restaurants and access to other close resorts. We are starting in Zao onsen for a few days and then will base ourselves in perhaps two other resorts.We have a total of 3 weeks and will just move resorts when the fancy takes us. Which two out of Echigo Yuzawa,Nozawa Onse

Any bad experiences Charlotte? Collateral damage is always regrettable,but owning the risk is part of the pleasure..cheers.Dave

Zeesh..been looking into car rental and it is rubbish..too expensive..Throw in penalties for dropping off at a different place,fuel,tolls ,extras like snow tyres and ski racks and it would be cheaper to buy a brand new Bently in Tokyo and dump it in the Narita carpark on the way home...Might consider hiring a car for short-term local trips in a couple of places..otherwise it is the train for us chappies.Are you allowed to shoot fireworks out of Shinkansen windows?..cheers..Dave

Thanks for the suggestion Black Mountain.Wonder what the laws in Japan are regarding fireworks..nothing better than setting off your own!. Looks like 2 rail passes will cost us close to A$1400 for 3 weeks.Considering we will go to Zao,Yuzawa,Nozawa,the Nagano area and maybe Takayama area, I wonder if it would be practical to rent a 4x4 car? I know there will be serious amounts of snow but is it a drama with road closures,high rate of accidents etc? Remember seeing a Land Cruiser in Niseko doing 360 degree spins down a hill toward our bus..hit a bank before us luckily.Would be nice to have the

OOps..thanks for the heads-up David..cheers.. Dave

Ah yes muikabochi..you are right about my geographical inadequacies! I had Tokamachi near Yamagata.My head is full of unfamiliar names of towns,prefectures,etc.That is half the fun though and I refuse to use a travel agent. I don't want to be over-organised or over-researched but need to have the bones in place. We can then stitch on activities found on this forum, from other travellers and the locals. I am even reluctant to book accomodation apart from our first stop(Zao). Would I be wrong in thinking there will always be a bed available at a reasonable price at short notice? Do the main tow

Thanks for the suggestions.Could hire a car for the odd day.. in Yamagata it would be good for the snow festival etc. My post should have read "either Hakuba,Shiga Kogen or Myoko Kogen.Just checked the JR East site snowjunky..it appears the only options are 10 straight days or 4 days flexible.Wish the passes had more options.Also the East pass doesn't seem to cover inland from Toyama.Spotted some nice towns in Shirokawago and also Takayama. Thought we could send the ski gear back to Tokyo after our last Nagano resort and have a few days exploring that area and then to Tokyo via Nagoya.If we sp

Hi all.Will have three weeks in Feb. 2013 to ski at Zao,Yuzawa,Nozawa and either Myoko,Shiga Kogen or Myoko Kogen. Would love to get to them all but don't want to be on the move all the time,especially as we want to throw in some "off the skis" activities and experiences.Any suggestions in that department? We will have a JR rail pass so any ideas on out of the way destinations,scenic rail trips, historic towns etc would be much appreciated..cheers..Dave