tripitaka

Point taken CB. It was late March however and the conditions were settled.

Originally Posted By: Creek Boy >Would I find much of that kind of thing, lift-accessable, at Tsugaike? What are the ski-patrol like there? I think patrol are only really anal about people riding the S. faces and W. faces because most of them run to the gelende. Many of you might remember 4 years ago or so when the assistant professor at some uni took a group skiing, and even though the cat track was roped off because of avi danger, he still took them down it. In the end 1 girl died and another 1 or 2 had slight injuries. So, if they catch you there Id imagine they'd pull your pass. Othe

Originally Posted By: Go Native Quote: We've been working closely with some major Japanese travel agents to get our product in their brochures and have a big presence on some of the most popular travel websites Um....we are trying hard on the Japanese market as well as I said above. It goes beyond just the above as well, we've had talks about the region with JNTO officials and government ministers about focusing on Niseko and marketing this region more. When it comes to marketing and promotion, Japanese officialdom is completely lost. Just today, I ventured into downtown Osaka w

Originally Posted By: gurgle Originally Posted By: tripitaka Well, there you have it. "As long as prices keep going up," so it's effectively a Ponzi scheme More like a tontine than a ponzi scheme I reckon..... Yes, I guess ponzi has bad connotations, but where they're both similar is that you need a steady flow of punters to keep it going.

Originally Posted By: gurgle Originally Posted By: tripitaka Originally Posted By: Mamabear I really don't understand Trip.... how is the Aussie property market much different from the US Market, the Canadian Market, the UK Market, the NZ Market...and at east a few European markets? I don't actually think it is that different Mama, particularly when you think of its explosive growth due to a credit bubble. There are some differences for sure, mostly to do with taxes. The aussie "model" if you like, is to keep buying a bigger and more expensive house as you can afford it an

Originally Posted By: Go Native I certianly wouldn't compare it to real estate trends in other rural areas of Hokkaido. If you can show me any other town, city or resort in Japan with such a large international investment interest then lets compare it to them. I know large cities like Tokyo attract large amounts of foreign investors for big commercial properties but that isn't the case up here just yet. It's mostly been individual investors buying one apartment or house. It does appear to be changing a little now though with some of the big Asian companies coming in with big plans, like in Han

Originally Posted By: Mamabear I really don't understand Trip.... how is the Aussie property market much different from the US Market, the Canadian Market, the UK Market, the NZ Market...and at east a few European markets? I don't actually think it is that different Mama, particularly when you think of its explosive growth due to a credit bubble.

Originally Posted By: Go Native Nothing stupid about it. The property market here has been purely driven by international interest and invesment. The buyers have been almost entirely international investors. Most of the financing for all developments here has been through international lenders. Quite simply the pricing and growth experienced here has nothing to do with what is happening in the domestic real estate market. So am I allowed to make any comparison with foreign REITs that are also reliant on foreign funding and investors? Or is Niseko different to those as well? Your argumen

Originally Posted By: Go Native There is no point at all in comparing the property market in Niseko to the rest of Japan because what happened here was never part of the Japanese market and I doubt ever will be. That's just plain stupid. Niseko is in Japan. How can it not be part of the Japanese market? Foreigners are relatively recent on the scene so I think it's a bit early to be calling your own sovereign nation up there.

Originally Posted By: Go Native Why do you care though? I mean so what? Whether or not you agree with the Aussie attitude towards property investing certainly means little to those who've made small and large fortunes from it over the last 15-20 years. And certainly very little to those who made a bucket load of cash over the last 6-7 years in Niseko on property. Like any investment property investing will come with risks and there are good and bad times to buy and sell. There is no point at all in comparing the property market in Niseko to the rest of Japan because what happened here was ne

Most of the comments here support what I believe.... that Aussie attitudes about property are different to the rest of the world. Of course, there are some unique factors behind that, including some of the largest private debt levels in the world and a govt that has spent billions of taxpayer money to prop up the market. It's all about debt, plain and simple. The idea that property prices only go up is ludicrous at best, especially in the case of Japanese ski resorts (or Japanese property in general). Also, one of the key tenets of investing is that past performance is not indicative of f

Originally Posted By: Go Native Property value is purely and simply what people are prepared to pay. Aussies though certainly have a very different perception about property as an invesment to what seems normal in Japan. Ahh.... yeah. While I admire your free market philosophy, property valuation is much more than what "people are prepared to pay," particularly as a smart investment. However, I agree with you that the Australian obsession with property as an investment is completely different from what is normal in Japan. I think it's fair to say that if we remove the Aussies from the

I don't know about Niseko, but some of the property prices (commercial/private) being asked for in Hakuba seem way out of line to what they're worth. From what I can see, most of the demand is from Australians, who seem to live in another universe on the issue of assessing property value.

Originally Posted By: Ryoma There's a big sports store at the Nishi-Shinsaibashi area of dotonbori. They had a large selection of boards from what I remember but I don't really remember how they compared in price. (Also don't remember the name, sorry ._.) It's basically on the Dotonbori Mido-Suji bridge. Unfortunately, I bascially only know ski shops but best of luck! It's called Spotaka and it's probably the best store in that area. Further up the Midosuji, in Europa-mura, there is a very expensive Burton store. The best deals on snowboards are probably out in the burbs at places such a

Originally Posted By: Go Native The real question is why is the domestic market not skiing as much anymore? Obviously it has something to do with disposable income but frankly the Japanese are some of the best savers in the world and there's still plenty of money going around, I don't believe it's just because they can't afford it. Personally I think it's mainly because they haven't done their job in marketing skiing to the next generations. Skiing has changed a lot in the last 20 years or so including the massive increase in boarders and a movement worldwide for fatter skis and off-piste sk

Originally Posted By: gurgle Hard to see somewhere like Happo close, but I find that resort a mess of lifts. Then someone told me they were all seperately owned and it made a lot of sense why things had not been improved. Note, this has all been heard from others. I'm just repeating gossip and I don't really know, but I heard that Happo is carved up by different farming families whose principles are not conducive to change.

Like many businesses in Japan, ski resorts would rather run their operations into the ground rather than change. That might be a cynical observation but anyone with any experience in the local business world will find that hypotheses to be generally valid. Like the golf course industry, most ski resorts need a good shake out or they should fold altogether. Even the crown jewels such as Happo have their issues.

Some good sales on in Hakuba at the moment. My mate picked some nice boots at Yamato-ya near the station for 30% off.

It feels unseasonably warm today in Kansai. Are we about to get a a warm patch of weather?

The question about the NZ course having any relevance here is moot. The question should be do Japan training courses have any relevance anywhere else. For avalanche skills training, I think Japan would be way behind if it weren't for foreign trainers and organizations.

Originally Posted By: rider69 This season many people know about the trees and they are open. By 11am you will find Cortina tracked out. Yes. We were at Happo on Dec 30th and we were talking to Australian tourist on the gondola who skied the trees at Cortina the previous day. The foreign owner of the lodge he was staying at has been telling all and sundry.

Originally Posted By: thursday It started December 14th 2009. I think you're right Thurs. From Dec 14th, MasterCard and cards on the Maestro system can't be used at 7-11.

Originally Posted By: Leaf Girl Hi All My boyfriend and I are coming to Japan in March for a snowboarding holiday. This will be our first trip to Japan so I'm seeking some advice on where to stay and snowboard. We've chosen to come to Hakuba but there are so many different areas I just don't know where to go. I'm a beginner (only ever been on a snowboard once) and my boyfriend is advanced. I think I'd like a lesson, although ppl tell me that I'll pick it up pretty quickly as I can kiteboard. Which section of Hakuba do you think would suit us both? As for a recommendation of where abouts to

Is this an example of devil's advocate or just a bored Fri arvo troll??

Originally Posted By: Go Native Well tripler you could try and just walk away I guess. I'd suspect they'd call the police though. There was a case some time back down in the Hakuba area I think where some patrol guys got in a physical altercation with some foreigner refusing to give up his pass. Can't remember the details though. There was also a case of where a local foreigner was reported to immigration. Fortunately, for his sake, the fact that he has family here stopped it going even further.