tripitaka

Originally Posted By: Korbzy im not offended but if i was told australians need to grow some balls, i would be. but i agree with OP, why are the snow resorts failing! maybe time to go to canada next year Aussies do need to grow balls.... if they want to beat the mighty All Blacks!

Originally Posted By: SJ#4 We're doing a bit of work and can't access the edit at the moment - they will be culled later on today. And if it is the same person doing that, they will be blocked from using this website. It's not that offensive. Relax.

Originally Posted By: RobBright Originally Posted By: tripitaka Originally Posted By: best skier in hakuba Does he not smash into the gate? I am very surprised he gets away with that repeatedly. They have monitors. The gates are not "smashable". They are made of foam and are flexible so people can't crash. I was also surprised and couldn't believe it. But by all accounts, it's true. Still pretty scary - especially when the wife misses it by a few inches. :S Scary.... and criminal. What do you mean "misses by inches"??

Originally Posted By: best skier in hakuba Does he not smash into the gate? I am very surprised he gets away with that repeatedly. They have monitors. The gates are not "smashable". They are made of foam and are flexible so people can't crash. I was also surprised and couldn't believe it. But by all accounts, it's true.

Originally Posted By: rider69 Kansai to Toyoshina is　￥7600 or there abouts one way. The Free roads were a pipe dream really. Let us hope though that the roads are better priced. Also improving the ETC so that everyone can use it would be nice. This would allow for a reduction of staff at the tool booths and speed up the flow. Is that the standard toll? In that case, you can get as low as JPY5320 with the 30% discount that always applies. I have heard about someone who often drives straight through the ETC barrier (True!) all the time. I would never do this and I'm surpri

Originally Posted By: Mr Wiggles Sorry I meant "I dunno whether the 1000 yen on a weekend special will be stopped too". It was the LDPs policy. I'm a bit of a green but I think that once built, roads should be free at offpeak times. Its easy to forget, but Japan is pretty much all mountains. All the rural highways run on bridges above valleys and shoot through massive tunnels, not simply and cheaply on the ground like in other countries. The maintenance cost must be huge. It is crazy to pay this cost and then price people out of using the road. It won't be cars that damage the road so much,

Originally Posted By: Black Mountain The highways were ghost towns during the off peak times even with the 1000Y business. Enjoy it while it lasts! I was able to make it from Shizuoka to Kochi last summer for 3000Y!! Thinking about some mad trips this winter as well... where should I go? Yeah, well I know people who have bought cars because they thought it was going to be cheaper to travel. Also, there seems to be a "grey area" (surprising in Japan) when it actually ends so we're at the mercy of the govt and the bureaucrats again. I also thought that one of the ideas was to get people

Well the tolls were at 1000-yen stages. For example, from Osaka to Nagoya, Nagoya to Tokyo. I'm not sure how it worked but it's been going for some time. Reverting back to pre-1000 yen will probably have the effect of making the highways ghost towns again (except for on the major national holidays). Also, it won't be so good for the ski resorts I would think.

Someone told me that there was an article on the front page of the Nikkei about ETC prices going back to pre-1000 yen days. I haven't sourced the article in Japanese nor in English.

One cringe-worthy experience I saw in a Japanese restaurant was when a foreign female decided it was time to start lecturing everyone about the killing of whales simply because it was on the menu. The Japanese are the next table picked up on it but, as you would expect, didn't say anything. So I guess there's two lessons to the story: 1.) Don't assume that the locals don't know what you're talking about because you're prattling away in English; and 2.) Think about the appropriate time that you decide to bring out your soapbox.

Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver how expensive are a set of chains? My mate has a car this year, but won't be going to the mountains enough to justify splashing out 100k+ on tyres, so if chains are cheap then me and a couple of others will buy them for to use when he comes with us. TB, about 20-25,000 yen. The latest ones are incredibly versatile to use and are made from a hardened plastic with studs.

Originally Posted By: dyna8800 You can get great deals on snow tires at Costco. I would recommend purchasing wheels as well, so that when you switch tires, you can just change out each set. Costco offers free removal/mounting (and perhaps even balancing) if all the tires are purchased from them. You would save a lot of money unless you did it yourself or had a cheap garage. Would exhibit caution with used/auction tires, as they might have a lot of tread but you have absolutely no idea of storage conditions, etc. Costco is where I saw the Michelins, but I'm loathe to spend 120k o

Originally Posted By: wattiewatson 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 Rout

Originally Posted By: stemik you can buy used, no problem, check on the auction sites. Look for the amount of tread. It is called yama in Japanese. You will find some good deals... many of the weekend warriors from the cities will have under used their snow tyres. Bridgestone blizzard (i think that is the name) are the most popular snow tyre in Japan. If I were to buy used, I think I would buy from Autobacs instead of an auction site. You'd think they give them a health check before resale.

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. non- branded tyres? Thanks Stem, that's logical. What I mean by non-branded is perhaps cheaper. I know that Michelin is premium but are there cheaper local brands? What about used? Can they be trusted?

In my experience, the worst reactions you will get in Japan are from other foreigners who want to lose or distance themselves from the Western world. In the ski resorts, people are generally cool but you might come across the odd foreigner who's not dealing with Japan too well.

I've never used snow tyres so I want to get some opinions. I know that they should be fitted front/rear, but does it make sense to fit only front on a 4WD? I know it sounds stupid but I was wondering. Also, I saw some Michelin snow tyres that would have cost me about JPY120,000 all up. Can I get a better price out there for quality, non-branded tyres? Any suggestions?

Originally Posted By: Mamabear It saddens me to hear stories of Australian's acting like complete knobs like that! Make us all look bad I think that most of us are mature enough not to stereotype based on nationality. Knobs transcend race, culture, and nationality. They're in a league of their own.

Originally Posted By: thursday tripitaka, are you a lager lout who would have a pint and then take off his shirt and stand in the middle of the street as people pass by and say "WHAT THE **** YOU LOOKIN AT" ? Just curious, as there are many ways of letting one's hair down. I'd probably have to have drunk a bottle of Bundaberg and have had my mother brutally murdered before I would get in that state. Actually, I've never seen anyone behave like that in a Japanese ski resort. I did hear about one Aussie tourist who thought he might kick in a door of an establishment and the burly Kiwi own

CB, you don't want to comment on where the better class of skier goes? Hakuba or Niseko? While there are few undesirables in Hkba, I imagine that there is more hell raising potential in Niseko.

Originally Posted By: thursday in the old days, that's what Inns were. I'd rather stay at sophisticated accomodation away from riff riff rowdies. They care only about their vacation without a thought that they are ruining everyone elses. Scumbags. Well that's rather subjective, but that's why the up-/mid-market lodges/hotels exist, so you don't have to mix with the great unwashed. While I'm sure many will prefer skiing to keep its elitist appeal, what's wrong with people letting their hair down? I can hardly seeing that ruining the holidays of the package tourists and the well money

Originally Posted By: Nisoko Sigh. So let me rephrase again. I can't think of anything much worse than staying above a rowdy bar full of pissed dudes at a ski resort or a rowdy bar full of English football thugs in the Midlands. I'm sure there are other things on the same level of undesirable-ness, but don't feel the need to list them up. Point taken. It's good that pubs exist for us rowdy pissed dudes, and in the case of Tracks, it's just a little stair climb to rest our weary heads.

Originally Posted By: Nisoko OK right. Yes, in the UK too I have stayed in some fine pub accommodation. So let me rephrase, I can't think of anything much worse than staying above a rowdy bar full of pissed dudes at a ski resort. How about staying above a rowdy bar full of English football thugs in the Midlands? I think I would choose the ski resort any day of the year. So your point is clear, the Tracks accommodation may not be the best place if your beauty sleep is a high priority.

Originally Posted By: Nisoko Would anyone actually WANT to stay above a bar?! Can't think of much worse. It depends on the bar. Countries such as Holland, Ireland and NZ have a fine tradition of "pub accommodation", but I guess it all comes down to the individual. Personally, I would much rather stay in pub accommodation than a youth hostel or a branded hotel, but that's just me.

Originally Posted By: Black Mountain Well, its possible things have changed, but Hakuba Alps Backpackers and the Travellers Nest (above tracks) are owned by the same people but aren't the same building. Hakuba Alps Backpackers is actually down the road a bit. I've stayed at the Traveller's Nest many many times but I can't really recommend it compared to other places I have stayed. In my experience, it was the dirtiest, most run-down accommodation I've stayed at and the price is the same as any other backpackers going... unless they have done some renovations on the place I won't stay there