We skiied at Rusutsu (Hokaido) at the beginning of March 2012 on a work trip and loved it so much we are taking the tweens back to Niseko at Xmas. Rusutsu is like a Club Med so great as a group of 130 corporates but as a family of skiers from New Zealand (very familiar with marginal conditions!), somewhere like Niseko would be a better option.
We looked at going through a specialist travel agent but like yourself, figured we could get better value for money if we booked everything directly. Niseko has plenty of accomodation to choose from ranging in price. The all-lift passes are considerably cheaper than in NZ and the culture is fantastic! We're flying into Tokyo for a week there (Disneyland...!) and having done the flights/train change last time, find it a breeze. As previously mentioned, the train system is easy to navigate, most places have english signage and there are always plenty of people willing to help out if you need it. Don't be afraid to do a multistop and go through somewhere like Osaka or Tokyo as nothing beats a stop in a foreign city! The funniest thing was seeing snowboarders with all of their gear getting off the train at Tokyo Central Station having spent the day at the ski field an hour away!
Also, keep an eye out for discounted rates at the end of Feb/beginning of March as that's near the end of the season. We were there at the beginning of March and the snow was better than anything I've ever skied (I have skied outside of NZ ), the crowds were almost non-existent, and we picked up really cheap airfares through Air New Zealand.
First time to Japan
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Posted
We skiied at Rusutsu (Hokaido) at the beginning of March 2012 on a work trip and loved it so much we are taking the tweens back to Niseko at Xmas. Rusutsu is like a Club Med so great as a group of 130 corporates but as a family of skiers from New Zealand (very familiar with marginal conditions!), somewhere like Niseko would be a better option.
We looked at going through a specialist travel agent but like yourself, figured we could get better value for money if we booked everything directly. Niseko has plenty of accomodation to choose from ranging in price. The all-lift passes are considerably cheaper than in NZ and the culture is fantastic! We're flying into Tokyo for a week there (Disneyland...!) and having done the flights/train change last time, find it a breeze. As previously mentioned, the train system is easy to navigate, most places have english signage and there are always plenty of people willing to help out if you need it. Don't be afraid to do a multistop and go through somewhere like Osaka or Tokyo as nothing beats a stop in a foreign city! The funniest thing was seeing snowboarders with all of their gear getting off the train at Tokyo Central Station having spent the day at the ski field an hour away!
Also, keep an eye out for discounted rates at the end of Feb/beginning of March as that's near the end of the season. We were there at the beginning of March and the snow was better than anything I've ever skied (I have skied outside of NZ
), the crowds were almost non-existent, and we picked up really cheap airfares through Air New Zealand.
Good luck!