skidaisuki

Yes...which forecast are you looking at for that?

Rob, I'm not saying you're wrong, but the numerous times I've been to Kagura in Jan - Feb - March by JR's one day shink / lift pass deal it's always been about 11,000 yen. And I almost always used View Plaza at Tokyo station to buy the tickets, as well. Perhaps you had some special deal, but as you can tell from the early season special prices Tubby mentions above, the full season price does go above 9,800 after Christmas. Let's hope there'll be early bird skiing in December at Kagura and Naeba for all of us... SdS

Tubby - thanks for pointing that out. I reckon even the full-season price for a Tokyo-Echigo Yuzawa shink day return with lift pass is a bargain at 11,000+. Let's hope we get enough snow to justify a trip before 14th December... SdS

A few keeping warm points: - take warm and waterproof boots for walking around town - onsen / ofuro every morning and night to thoroughly warm the body - keep the snacks and calories going in while on the slopes - wear thermals as a base layer while skiing, with multiple layers on top - I always find good, thick, treated gloves are the best investment to stay warm, because my hands are the first to get cold It will be cold in Niseko, so be prepared and enjoy! SdS

Alx - Jimbocho is indeed the place to go. I have spent many hours wandering there at the expense of my company, girlfriend, clients and bank balance. The biggest ski (and sport) shops are Victoria and ICI Sports, however there are numerous other smaller shops, especially down the side streets. If you can spare the time, it pays to shop around... SdS

I'm with Rob - GN and Jynxx, you've both made your feelings clear. Please let's talk about the weather as we move into one of the most interesting and exciting times of the year...late autumn. Tokyo dull, cool and wet today. The real topic, however, is temps in the North, and when we first get a winter pressure pattern establishing itself. Obviously not yet, but it shouldn't be too long. SdS

...and the funny thing is, I still have the same phone. No hard feelings! SdS

Easy, kids! Let's talk about early snow and keep the my-resort-is-better-than-yours stuff for other threads... Japan is obviously my turf and I can't wait to be in Niseko for 19 - 23 January. That said, if I was in Europe now, I'd be going high in the Alps too. By the way GN - I now have tickets for the rugby next week. I know you are going to be with friends and so won't suggest meeting up in Tokyo, but maybe see you in Niseko in January? Cheers SdS

Jynxx, great to hear about your early turns in Austria. One thing, though - what resort was it that you went to? It's cooler again here in Tokyo this morning - feeling very autumnal now. SdS

rainmaker - Sanosaka and Sun Alpina are down the valley, at lower elevations than Goryu / 47 / Happo-one. They are ALWAYS less crowded, although when the snow's good in mid-season they can be fun, and they have the advantage of their lift ops being less affected by high winds. My advice would be to get the all-mountain pass covering all three, because individually they are small and going just to one would be pretty boring. Iwatake is further up the valley. I've only been there once, but it was worth the effort and aim to go again this year. We stayed at a pension and practiced telemar

TJ - I love that ramen shop. The miso ramen's great and it must have the best view of any ramen-ya in Japan, I reckon. SdS

I think that the weather reporting system is a good idea, as long as people are sensible about following the rules. We know that some resorts are a bit economical with the truth about the conditions and snow depth....except for those that curiously under-report the snow depths... SdS

mamabear - proof those natural airbags come in handy sometimes... I realise I'm a total wimp - or just lucky - compared to some of the horror stories posted here. Damn it, though, ribs really hurt. It's the knees I worry about, though

muika...love those pictures. Class

deeppowslash, Firstly, thanks for your thanks - plenty of people post questions and then never bother to appreciate the advice they get. It's no problem at all to buy advance return tickets in Japan. As a general rule, pricing is simple here and a return costs twice the price of a single. It's easy and quick to buy tickets, so my advice would be not to buy your return in advance. Simply get it on the day of travel as you are unlikely to suffer any disadvantage by doing so. The Nagano shinkansen is notable for 2 things - it has ski / board racks at the end of the carriages, an

The Shinjuku to Hakuba direct train isn't a shinkansen - it's a limited express called the "Super Azusa". I have been to Hakuba tens of times from Tokyo (so naturally I feel like an expert on this subject...) and I've only used it once. Why? Well, as I recall there are about 3 such trains per day, they are at inconvenient times, they are much slower than a shinkansen to Nagano (+ bus) and the price is a lot more than a highway bus from Shinjuku which hardly takes much more time anyway. I really wouldn't bother unless you are paranoid about making a change en route - which you

As they say, it depends on what passes (air & rail) that you will have in hand. The cheapest way would be to fly from Chitose (Sapporo Airport) to Haneda and then get a highway bus from Shinjuku Station Nishiguchi to Hakuba (about 4 hours), unless of course you have a JR Rail Pass, in which case obviously use the shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Nagano, then a one hour bus to Hakuba. Alternative & exotic routes if you have more time? What about taking the ferry from Tomakomai or Muroran to Niigata or Naoetsu, then local trains to Hakuba? People forget Japan has some gre

The last 2 seasons I did 13 days per season, this year I'd like to at least match that, if not do more, without getting divorced !!

That's Happo-no-ike ("Happo Pond"), isn't it? Hiked there in summer once and seem to remember there are some pretty hardy terrapins living in it... What amazes me is how much more moutain there is above the top lift of Happo (which is about 2000 metres up itself). SdS

"Reasons" - cool. I guess the bamboo stalks would give it away, even if you didn't know.

Thursday...indeed I do - though "YMCA" played over the speakers when on the lift can potentially lead to falls as well. Know what I mean? SdS

Stenmark Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards

So many posts here, and disappointingly few pointing out that listening to music using in-ear headphones while boarding or skiing is no less daft than doing so while riding a bike on a busy road. In my view, you all have a death wish if you do it, and I strongly advise that you restrict your listening to lift rides and breaks only. I for one don't want to be wiped out while skiing by someone who is distracted by some crappy nu-metal riff - or whatever. As the Yanks say - cease and desist ! SdS

Happy planning to everyone from overseas coming to Japan this winter... In the meantime, the autumn weather transition goes on. It is cooler still in Kanto and much of Northern Japan is getting lower temps, especially at night. The thread about first snowfalls on Youtei-san (Niseko) and Yokoteyama (Shiga Kogen) is quite encouraging. Any other observations from the mountain-dwellers that might be of interest?? SdS

I see the temps in central Hokkaido are now dropping quite a bit - low single figures overnight in Asahikawa & Furano, according to my main weather reference site. Let's hope that this trend continues towards an early start for the season. SdS