HappyG

back to the original question.... Evergreen is an excellent school, but if you hit them at the wrong time of year, it can be a nightmare to get the lessons you want, unless you book way in advance. Chinese New Year? Fuggedaboutit! This is probably because most people think they're the only way to get "English-language" lessons in Hakuba. I've found that although the quality of coaching at the Japanese schools is not quite as good - or maybe it's just not as Western, and therefore I don't respond as well - the fact that I can get lessons from them when and where I want, often more tha

Hi FT, re buying a car... when you say "resident", will getting a gaijin card do, or is it a lot more difficult than that?

I believe you Markie - I haven't done it myself, but a lot of ppl in Sing go via HK to Niseko to cut out the whole annoying Haneda loop. Making Hakuba for lunch from Sing means leaving at midnight, not 9am. If I left Sing in the morning for Narita, I'd still be travelling way past my bed-time.

J If you're good with spending that extra time getting another plane up to Hokkaido, having often bussed it to Haneda to catch that plane, then you've got more choice than me. As I noted before, I try to minimise that kind of hassle on holiday, and Hakuba is way easier from Singapore. One flight, a quick change of platform at Tokyo Station, and you're pretty much there: leave Sing at night, be on the slopes at lunch! I'm with you on spending a couple of days in Tokyo - always fun, and much better for cold-weather gear shopping than Singapore, strangely enough - but that again leads m

If you're going from Singapore, sometimes the biggest factor in your decision is what flights you can get. While a Tokyo flight is generally easily available, and a 6/7 hr overnighter, getting up to Niseko can be more than twice as long again. Maybe three times. Sometimes you're schlepping across Tokyo to Haneda from Narita to catch your flight, or going via HK and hoping for a good connection. Whereas Hakuba is generally 10 to 11 hours door to door, that amount of time will probably just see you boarding your second flight on the way to Niseko... Although you wouldn't think it, som

So the next important question is - where are you going this year, and when?

Thanks - that "now" archive is superb... didn't know it existed. Cheers.

I've searched for this topic, and suspect it might lie hidden somewhere in the depths of "Snow in Japan" - but wondered if anyone had a quick answer to this question from a friend, who is thinking of going skiing in Japan in mid-December... "Will Hakuba be ok? Will there be skiing at the top or all the way down? Would Niseko be better at that time of year?" Cheers

Uh-oh. Brilliant answer - thanks very much. Although you forgot to add the "getting lost = 1 hour" in one of the stages! Cheers

Anyone know how long that trip would take? Would it be drivable in a couple of hours? I don't suppose there's a bus... Cheers

Thanks. Sounds good. Are they pretty frequent or is it tough to get on in the morning - or does that just "depend" - and do they go all the way to Happo or just Goryu/47? Cheers

At the 47 end of Meitetsu, I think is the best description. Pretty close to Powderhouse. Thanks

I stayed within walking distance of Happo last year and loved it, but this year I'm staying a very short bus ride away from 47 and Goryu, and want to know how reliable the shuttles are... Are they frequent and regular and nearly always empty (brilliant) or the opposite on all counts? Do all the buses go to all the fields, or do they just collect for the one...? If I need to, is it easy to get a taxi out if your Japanese isn't great and you're not going far? My first post and so many questions - sorry. Any answers (other than "go to Niseko" - I think I've read all of that post!) muc