wattiewatson

re the car issue - I'm with the majority above - I can't see how a non-resident can register a car. There are a few long term car rental places around. They usually cater to residents and offer 1 year rentals. The going rate was Y30,000-Y40,000 per month. It would be an uphill battle to get one of these guys to rent a car to you as a tourist.

You've got to make your own fun in Nagano city as in most bars you can't find two ojisan's to rub together. If you've got a good crew you'll have fun but it wouldn't pass muster compared to apres ski in a european city. There is probably better nightlife in Hakuba than nagano city itself but as i lived north of the city i didnt really go out that way too much.

Originally Posted By: boardbaka That`s a good analogy there WW - just been reading about the cafeteria - The one being built is meant to be amazing - now just work on the snow making possibly Ruapehu has a great vibe. I rode probably 20 days there last year. However I wouldnt go for the snow. They have plenty of snow making its just that the temperature is too variable (high - low) for making snow.

Originally Posted By: Go Native By a long way the best job opportunities for foreigners at a ski reasort in Japan can be found in Niseko. Niseko has the largest number of foreign companies that hire foreign staff compared to any other resort here. Japanese companies generally won't hire foreign staff for seasonal jobs. I agree with this. Seasonal work in Nagano looks rough. Niseko ups your chances of getting a decent gig, and hakuba looks like the pick of the bunch in Nagano. I did know a foreigner who got a job at a bar in Nagano which was a good gig (but she had great hooters, som

work in a ski resort is pretty hard to come by compared to say the United States or New Zealand. When i was in Nozawa there were less than a handful of foreigners working there. Most were getting paid less than the cost of living and would have had to rely on savings. Your better of working in Europe and then coming over for a long holiday. I would think you would need to bring around Y250,000 per month for accomodation, food and lift passes/ season ticket. Off the top of my head i dont know pay rates but would imagine that youd have to work a fair bit to make more than Y150,000 per m

rode there last year. I would come flying down the mountain and hit football field size patches of ice. Didny buy a pass this year. The mountain would suck without that lift. Basically like suginohara without the top lift!

Any iron will do. A cast iron wiould probably work best! The Korjo would work just dont put any water in ther steamer part. Also expensive waxes wont make any difference to snowboarders. If youre a cross contry skiier it make a differnece but any wax will do if your riding the pow!

Any iron will do. It doesnt need to be non-stick or have a flat bottom. Ive found plenty of irons down at the local discount store

Originally Posted By: iiyamadude At Nozawa you pay Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays. Out of interest, when did they start this? One of the great things i liked about Nozawa was that you could have a whole day out for bugger all.

Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver I love the big bowl of mud-pack curry that you get on the hill, throw in a katsu too......oh yeah!!! The all-u-can eat curry shack at tashiro, next to the lake is one of my faves!! I like a fair bit of Japnaese food, espeicially Ramen. Mud bucket curry with random deep fried minced meat on top must be an acquired taste. If you are on your way to Nozawa, I recommend checking out the Bashia supermarket (iiyama). Theres a pretty handy bakery in there (front left). Both the rice or pumpkin bread are worth trying. They are a nice change from the standar

Originally Posted By: tripler Originally Posted By: wattiewatson When I had a Nozawa pass they would give me free day passes until I recieved my season pass. I got the same deal in Myoko. Wow, that was very nice of them. Shiga Kogen said there was no way to get the money back if you bought day tickets while waiting the one week for them to laminate the season pass. Laminating takes 30 secs but I forgot you've got to let the machine warm up for 10 mins first. So I guess one week is fair enough. I always wanted to ride shiga but enjoyed nozawa / suginohara so much that I never got up

I lend everything apart from my hydration pack and boots. I dont think you should be too precious about it

Originally Posted By: tripler thanks, stemik. Shame they can't do it on the spot. Can it be ordered by phone or online? Sorry for all the questions but I am seriously thinking of getting one. When I had a Nozawa pass they would give me free day passes until I recieved my season pass. I got the same deal in Myoko. Im sure if you hand over 8 sheets, theyll give you a day pass to somewhere

- Packing my own lunch saved me a ton of money (and I didn't have to eat mud bucket curry). I don't get how if your a student you can't ride on weekdays. Do you have to turn up everyday? I wouldn't plan on moving to Vermont for the snow. I used to live in Manchester Vermont and it was damm cold and icey but with bugger all snow.

Originally Posted By: stemik Not 100% sure on this, but on 4wd going up a hill you get the most traction on the front wheels...coming down a hill you get the most traction on the rear wheels (as you brake), so it would make sense to get both front and rear. This sounds like rubbish to me. I'm not an 4WD expert but the weight will be over the front wheels in most cars so you should get the most breaking out of the front wheels going up or down hill. Second hand tyre shops are great. I don't know of any in Osaka but there is a good one on Route 18 as you go towards Shiga Koen fro