nippontiger

No problems with cover at Kagura, even on the lower slopes and Gezan course, there didnt seem to be any thin areas. @TB, if you go next week, it looks like Monday or Tuesday would be the best chance of any powder - after that it looks like warming up considerably.

So on a weekend, it costs 9400 for the Shinkansen and lift ticket, you need to get the bus from yuzawa to the resort which is 600 yen return, then you need to get to Omiya, which is 2280 return. Bizarrely, if you have to get the non-reserved seats on the outward journey on a Sunday or return journey on a Saturday, its 1000 yen more expensive. I think its a bit cheaper during the week, and also a bit cheaper early season and late (i.e. now) season.

I meant comparing the day trip to Kagura on train with one in car to Alts. But yeah, the train up to Alts must be a real pain. I think for a day trip from near Tokyo, the JR Higaeri trips to the Yuzawa area must be the best option. There's always the bus to places like Hunter mountain, but I doubt the skiing will compare to Kagura and getting up at stupid-o-clock to sit on a bus for hours would kill me!

Its a little awkward from Tsukuba as there is no direct train. It's best to go around to Omiya and take the Shinkansen from there. It takes 3 hours from Tsukuba station to Kagura ski resort (if the bus is on time!), so its not so bad. There are some resorts in Tochigi and Fukushima which are closer to Tsukuba, but they're not as good - actually I went to Alts Bandai in car earlier in the season - nice resort, but as my friend didn't have ETC, it cost almost as much as the Higaeri shinkansen deal - ended up taking longer to get there too! I think the Higaeri trips just got a bit cheaper no

Saturday 20th: All of my friends dropped out of a planned trip to Kagura, with such lame excuses as "Ive only got 20000 yen to last me two weeks" and "I broke my finger playing football today" so I had to decide whether to go it alone, or maybe go clubbing in Tokyo instead. Decided to wait on the weather. Sunday 21st: Decision time. Still hadnt decided by lunch time, so had a coffee and then checked the weather radar - big blue blob over Yuzawa! Clubbing could wait, maybe last chance for some powder this winter! Off I went to buy my ticket! Monday 22nd: The blue blobs hung around

You are wrong! I was there today and I can confirm that there was at least 30 cms of fresh powder at the top! When I first got there near the bottom, it looked like they'd been exaggerating - more like 10-15 cms, but at the top between the trees from the romance lift, it was at least boot high powder all day!

Forecast is looking promising for a bit of snow sunday-thursday if you're still around. Maybe not midwinter chest deep powder, but it would be nice to get some fresh stuff! If it does snow on the night time, I'd recommend not staying in the bar till 3 am - if you're not up pretty early, all the in-resort powder will be tracked out!!

Never actually been to Tsugaike. I hear they get better snow up there. I was thinking of going if I go to Hakuba again this year - owner of the hotel said he'd drive us up there. I like the Skyline area of Happo on a powder day, or the sidecountry accessable from the very top lift at Kagura. Would I find much of that kind of thing, lift-accessable, at Tsugaike? What are the ski-patrol like there?

Thats just the problem with Hakuba for most visitors isnt it? - most of the powder is hidden away in places that are not easy to find. It seems you have to have someone show you where to find the goods. Thats not the case at some other resorts in Japan such as Niseko and Kagura. I was at Happo on Saturday and Goryu/47 Sunday and the most I found was some knee high powder near the top of Goryu. I've been to Happo and Goryu loads of times and Im always looking out for some easy slackcountry, like what you might find from the top lift of Kagura, but to us mortals, there really isnt much obvi

My friends and I have a trip booked to Hakuba. Forecast isnt looking too promising to be honest - maybe a bit of snow friday and into saturday morning if we're lucky. Last year I remember going to Hakuba in March - little, if any snow in the forecast, and in the village, its snowed about 5 cm. However, up at the top of 47, about 40 cms of snow had fallen overnight! Lovely conditions! Hope something similar happens this weekend......

Yeah, Softbank wont work at Happo. Works all over Kagura though, surprisingly. Softbank have been absolutely terrible for me - completely robbed me on my last phone (Samsung Omnia - the worst phone I ever owned), reception is patchy and occasionally will just drop out to nothing for no reason and then come back to full a couple of minutes later, even though I havent moved. Unfortunately Im stuck with them for another 18 months cos I wanted an Iphone!

I went to Kagura today - weather forecast had the winds dying down and the snow stopping - alas it wasnt to be - snow continued falling all day and the continuing high winds meant only the pair lift was open on the kagura area. Still, some lovely waist deep powder to be had, but the runs accessable from that lift were inevitably very short. There was also some nice powder between the trees at mitsumata, but again, only short. Whoever gets up there tomorrow will be in for a treat - should be blue skies, nobody there and probably a metre and a half of untouched powder over most of the kagura a

Does anybody know if this ski shinkansen ticket from the machine is still on this year? Also, does the discount ticket only run from Tokyo, or can you go from Omiya, with further discounts? Basically, I wanna go for a day trip this saturday - we usually do the Higaeri trip from View - taking the bullet from Omiya - comes to 9200 for the train/lift. However, we cant get to a View before Saturday to get the tickets, so Im looking for another way to do it without upping the price too much. Any help much appreciated.

Usually when I go, Im with people who are lower intermediate level, so I find Im waiting around for them a lot. This is especially true when with snowboarders - it drives me nuts waiting for them to strap on at the beginning of every run! I appreciate that decent snowboarders probably take no time at all straping in, but lower level guys seem to spend most of their time sat on their backsides!

Oh dear! It really has all gone a bit pear-shaped hasnt it? I was really hoping to see it get completely buried this season too! Still, theres plenty of time yet....!

Not a joke! Its cheese with a layer of dried cod on it! Its quite nice actually, but not a patch on some nice English Stilton!

Emperor Akihito is probably reading your post right now... Actually I was thinking more along the lines of the original discussion about venturing out of bounds - people who run these forums obviously listen to our comments and might be in a position to speak with managers of ski resorts in their area about then needs of this community. That kind of thing. As for what laws I had in mind, well, its getting off topic, really, but I think the death penalty is something which belongs firmly in the dark ages for one. The justice systems reliance on confessions and the freedoms given to

He may well mean that he just has some basic respect for the general laws of the land, but a statement like "As far as I an concerned it,s their country ,their rules and if you dont like it dont come and if you live there @issoff back home" which was a response to people discussing venturing out of bounds seems to suggest a whole lot more besides to me. As I said, not everything is perfect here - I personally think some of Japans laws belong in the dark ages, and I'd like to think that if I was so inclined, I could take various actions, in order to try to bring about some change. It might

Im not sure I do consider myself a "guest" in Japan anymore. Ive lived here for several years, I pay the same taxes as Japanese people and Ive made the same (if not more) contribution to society/the economy as most Japanese people in that time. Im sure a lot of Japanese people might find it a "bit rich" to hear my criticisms of the country, but I think Im fully entitled to my opinions. There is a tendancy for people here to make the assumption that foreigners dont really understand Japan or the Japanese, and in someways, sometimes that might be true, but often it is just a form of racism or

Charming! Im not a dopehead btw - not recently anyway! Sorry if I came across as being rude ILZ - that wasnt my intention. Your English is very good BTW. To put a different spin on the discussion (and perhaps more relevent to snow japan forums), there are signs all over ski resorts in japan warning people about skiing out of bounds, how its so dangerous to themselves and others, yet many people go and do just that. I wonder what your attitude is to this activity - presumably, living in Zao, you might have come into contact with people who get up to such "mischeif"?!

I wasnt saying you were telling me what to think! I was just saying what I thought. Is that ok?

Basically, you could buy some legal drugs in Tokyo which are as strong in there effects as their illegal equivalents, as well as being equally if not more dangerous. Ilovezao - people take drugs - legal or otherwise - basically for similar reasons to those that drink alcohol or smoke. You might think that people are mad for taking illegal drugs, but then I think people are a bit mad for smoking - addicted to a drug terrible for your health and it doesnt even make you feel good!! Im sure my friend thinks Im mad for drinking so much beer all the time - he doesnt drink, smoke or even drink co

You could definately get this stuff 4-5 years ago, perhaps the law has changed since then. Ilovezao - I respect your decision not to get involved in illegal drugs, but I also think it is intelligent to ask questions about the laws and attitudes people have towards things such as legal and illegal drugs. Dont you think there are some double standards there?

So what about the legal drugs which you can readily buy in certain shops in Roppongi. Synthetic "Ecstacy" analogues, various tryptamine derivatives which are highly hallucinogenic etc? Are these ok? - they are legal after all.

or anyone who smokes - isnt nicotine as addictive a drug as heroin or something?