[Niseko (or somewhere else) in early December?]

Well, if I can't find snow I'll probably head to Shikoku or something - I'll definitely get out of Tokyo during that week.

 

I guess I don't really have to decide now - ideally I would know for sure, because if not, I'll get a rail pass, and if so, then I won't - but I guess it's not that big a deal if I get the rail pass and don't quite take $250 worth of trains...

 

Anyway, thanks for the advice...and if others want to chime in with a "Hey! Even if the snow sucks it'll be ton of fun!", then feel free

 

How is the nightlife at Furano or Kiroro? Until now I've been focusing on Niseko for some reason...

[Niseko (or somewhere else) in early December?]

Thanks for the reply. Later's not an option unfortunately - I've got to be in Tokyo on Sunday the 9th to catch a flight to Bangkok on the 10th.

 

By not skiable, do you mean the resort wouldn't even be open? Are there other things to do for a few days if there's no snow? And as for going up high - is that a possibility? I'm a good skiier.

 

The alternatives are Okinawa (but there I've got the opposite problem - at that time of year it's probably just a bit too cold to spend time on the beach), or just randomly traveling around Japan. Skiing is definitely the preferable thing here...

 

And another note - my Japanese isn't that great, and I'll be alone - so going someplace where there are some other English speakers is a plus too - looks like Niseko has that going for it as well.

 

Anyway, any suggestions are very welcome - if you really think it's not worth it to come, that's a totally reasonable answer...

[Niseko (or somewhere else) in early December?]

Hello everyone - I'm a new member - first post ever.

 

I have about about 5 days to travel around Japan, and have already been here twice so I've seen most of the major cities. I would love to go skiing, and also I will be alone, so skiing seems like a great thing to keep me occupied.

 

The problem is the days I will be traveling are December 3 to December 7 (give or take a couple days), and I don't know how the snow will be then.

 

I see that in some years it is great, but in other years it doesn't really start until mid or late December...

 

So my questions:

 

1) In general, how is the snow at this time?

2) I am a big skiier, but would like to learn snowboarding - if the snow is bad, will there still be enough for the smaller runs? Basically, what is the worst case for this time of year? Will the resorts definitely be open?

3) What will the town be like at this time? Will the bars and restaurants be open? Will there be a lot of people there?

4) Is there a better option than Niseko?

 

So, in general - I'm looking for the liveliest area, that has the best chance of good snow.

 

Any suggestions would be much appreciated - and sorry for the long list of questions!