tripitaka

Originally Posted By: hannasus Glad to hear TabiTabi is as good as it looks on the website. Can't wait to get out there. Spending a lot of my work day daydreaming at the moment! It's very good and run by very laidback people.

The government announced this as part of an economic stimulus package. Apparently it's only for use on weekends. Very good news for car owning skiers I guess.

Originally Posted By: wallas I'm booked into Tabi Tabi aswell, i get there 20th January. I'm in a constant daydream at the moment, i just want to get out there !! TabiTabi is a great place. One of my favorite lodges in Hakuba.

Originally Posted By: panhead_pete Can someone please explain why the Yen is holding its value so well? It's basically becuase the yen has been funding investment around the world. So when you see all those flash houses and cars in Australia, you know where the money's been coming from to pay for it all. While mining's been good, it still isn't enough to pay for the Aussie lifestyle. But now the shite's hit the fan, the Japanese want their money back. You might find this hard to believe but collectively Aussies spend approx $1.70 for every dollar they earn.

Perhaps a good opportunity to turn one of the flash condos into bunk beds

The yen's been as high as USD 0.8. The Japanese only seemed to be concerned about the USD. Maybe this time's different.

Travel cancellations due to the strong yen, for example, have hit the town of Kutchan, Hokkaido, which is part of the Niseko ski resort known to be popular among skiers from Australia, people involved in the local tourism industry said. The head of a large hotel in the town, which had anticipated more than 20,000 foreign visitors this winter, said a half of its guests are foreigners in wintertime but some 15 percent of reservations from abroad have already been canceled. An official of a local association of tourism organizations said, ‘‘We hope the government will swiftly take e

Mama, I think you're right. Japan lift tickets will be between AUD75-85 now. However, accommodation and eating out will hurt pretty bad for those who aren't staying in the cheap lodges. Even a bunk room will be up around AUD$50.

Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver Originally Posted By: tripitaka At the end of the day, skiing is a bourgeois activity for most. 99% of the world's population will never get near a ski slope. So if you can't get the latest Louis Vuiton ski suit this season, don't worry too much. You're still pretty comfortable. I saw Posh Spice in Meribel 2006, in a Chanel ski suit, with cropped ski jacket showing off her navel, with matching skis. They looked like they were made from leather as well!! I thought she was a snowboarder. I bet you the suit is warm.

At the end of the day, skiing is a bourgeois activity for most. 99% of the world's population will never get near a ski slope. So if you can't get the latest Louis Vuiton ski suit this season, don't worry too much. You're still pretty comfortable.

The reason why is that Australia is one of the most indebted countries in the world, and since the credit crisis started, the offshore funds have dried up. Also, commodity prices have crashed and demand has fallen significantly, so the productive sectors of Aussie aren't making much money. Wait to the housing bubble crash kicks in. That's not going to be pretty.

At Kyocera Dome 9th floor from 10 am-6 pm. Heaps of discounts and giveaways. See Kansai Flea Market for further details and discount coupon.

Originally Posted By: Mr Wiggles Originally Posted By: tripitaka It's getting brutal for the AUD. You'll be paying Aussie prices this winter I'm afraid. At least you'll get better snow for your money in Japan (that sounds really crass!). I worked it out and it means all prices in AUD are up 40% compared to last year. OUCH! Imports in Oz must be about to go ballastic too. Still, if you bought a condo at Niseko, its value in AUD has just gone up 15% in one week! I wouldn't count on finding a buyer too quickly though. They'll also probably want to haggle on the price,

It's getting brutal for the AUD. You'll be paying Aussie prices this winter I'm afraid. At least you'll get better snow for your money in Japan (that sounds really crass!).

Just don't frighten the kids or do anything freaky! As gaijins we need to work on our onsen etiquette, tats or no tats.

Originally Posted By: panhead_pete I would prefer this doesnt end up in a debate about the merits of getting tattoos but I'd like to find out if there will be any Onsens in Hakuba where I can go without causing offence due to having ink. This is Japan. You might not "offend" people, but there is the possibility that you'll make some people uncomfortable or potentially scared. If it really concerns you that much, don't go to the onsen at all; cover your tats; or go at a quiet time. In my opinion, times have changed. I have seen people with tats in public baths or at onsens. If you're

Originally Posted By: Mr Wiggles The income multiples in Oz and NZ make them a prime case for a property crash. It might take some time yet, but the fundamentals will out. This time is never different. As for currencies, this looks like the carry trade unwinding. Carry trade money was a big factor in the AUD and Kiwi appreciating. Aside from the usual big players, a lot of housewives and ordinary Japanese people, referred to as "Mrs. Watanabe", have been speculating on currency fluctuations in the last few years, mainly selling yen and buying up the commodity currencies. Since summer 2007,

The global credit crisis is beating up the Aussie economy and dollar pretty badly. The way things are heading, it will be 20-25% more expensive for Aussies to come here this season. I wonder if this is going to have much impact on the local industry, particularly up in Hokkaido.

I was lucky to be in Hakuba on December 24th last year. What surprised me was that there were so few people around. It's a good idea to pace yourself if you're not in shape or haven't skied for a while. Met a few people from Australia who had wrecked themselves before it started dumping, which made it even more miserable for them.

Originally Posted By: Fattwins They paid a huge 2 cents a share last year! They owe 900 billion yen which only decreased 12billion last year. Thus my uneducated financial conclusion is??? How are they going to find the money to upgrade jack beep. They cant, a good company would look for partners. There are partners here in Hakuba that want to inject capital but this ridiculously run company wont even think of that. I would hedge a bit that there are people in Niseko that would inject capital into the resort as well. FT, if they're in debt, it's not a good idea to pay divide

Tokyo sounds like the archetypical Japanese company that has been given a lifeline (without any effort on their part) but is failing to grasp the opportunity through a lazy mentality that opposes change in any form or fashion. If that's not PC, then so be it. Nobody can argue that it's not a scenario uncommon throughout Japan.

You can get diesel Delica's with 4WD pretty cheap. My mate's cost about 500 man but it was already kitted out beforehand. It's registered in Nagano which is diesel friendly. Is there anything interesting in Echoland besides bars?

Originally Posted By: Oyuki kigan i am gonna get a minivan and make it into a camper! Good work. My buddy has a desel-powered Toyota Delica all kitted out with a sleeper and space for his surfboards. I think it's a good investment but it is nice to hang out indoors in the evening.

Originally Posted By: neversummer Some companies hiked their 'high end' properties up by 30% which is very steep but their research showed that people were still willing to pay for them. I still believe that it is not expensive when compared to say Australia or Europe. I haven't been back to N.America for a while so can't really compare prices there but in premium properties for between 12000-14000 per person per night isn't that bad, especially when compared to the hotels in this area. The way the Aussie dollar is heading, that would be starting at $150 per night and heading over $2

Originally Posted By: Oyuki kigan I am concerned that peak oil will affect tourism to Japan more adversely than a falling dollar. OK, I agree with you to some extent. A combination of the two makes things harder, particularly for mum, dad, the kids, and the labrador. For the independent ski-traveller, it's just another hurdle to overcome. I guess it means that the people with the cheaper digs in Hakuba are going to be very busy this winter. I'm happy to hear that for their sake (some nice pension owners in Hkba). Us Japan-based punters will have to be careful if we're going in peak t