Slippery Jim

JAS no longer exists; it was taken over by JAL several years back. Skymark & Air Do are available to Hokkaido.

Very much doubt it will affect ski season, except perhaps for those looking to fly to Sapporo from regional Japanese airports that have been huge money drains for JAL (and taxpayers). Just booked (provisionally) trips to Furano in late December and Niseko in early January, both on JAL, and have no qualms at all about it.

GN, thanks much for the info. Much appreciated.

Anyone know the lift ticket prices for Niseko this season? All-mountain, one to five days?

333skis, a test set of Armada JJ clones.

Probably the simplest way is to just take the express bus back to Nagano Station from Nozawa, then get back on the express bus to Shiga. Of course, you could try offering a monetary reward to some enterprising SJ'er who has a good-size van and is willing to fetch you from N to SK -- given that it's going to be close to 5,000 yen/person for the buses. There may be some ``wagon taxi'' service out of Nozawa that could handle family & gear, but not sure about that.

Maybe Marunuma Kogen up in Gunma, but certainly no guarantees. I haven't skied anywhere in Japan before mid-December in many years.

If you go up Furano way you should take at least one day at Asahidake. It's just a ropeway, 500 meters of vertical, find your own way down. Powder odds in Jan/Feb approx 100%.

If you go to Niseko, stay at the Prince Hirafu-tei and upgrade to a room with your own rotenburo (outdoor hot-spring). It's not actually outdoor, but they've converted the balconies into in-room hot spring baths, just right for two, partly open to the sky. Nothing more romantic than being in the bath with snow falling in on you at night and a good bottle of wine to hand. Trip report & pics welcome.http://www.snowjapanforums.com/images/icons/default/grin.gif

I'll go with Thursday for people coming from overseas. For Japan-based folks, Rusutsu can be good for a three-day trip if you find a bargain.

Minestrone & garlic toast at the Ace Hill cafeteria in Niseko Hirafu. The turkey chile at Deer Valley ain't bad either, and the chile at the Roundhouse in Whistler is pretty good (does anyone see a pattern here?).

While getting her to give skiing (or boarding) another shot is ideal, you seem to think it ain't gonna happen. So... With that in mind, Niseko is a far better option than Furano: massages at Alpen, good food, good bars, great onsen, day trip into Otaru (or even a couple of days trip into Otaru/Sapporo).

Ooooooh, yeah. Seen a LOT of that!

Conventional wisdom is hot summer = cold, snowy winter. That's held (unfortunately) true as we've had relatively mild summers the past 3 or 4 years, and relatively short, mild winters. So I'm turning up the air-con and hoping for a blistering hot July-September.

watched The Big Lebowski again the other night...classic!

oooh, nice! Should've checked the smileys.

The press in all countries is very local-centric...because the people in all countries want it to be. People want to know about their friends & neighbors, or about how things are going to affect them personally. Just human nature.

That Toyota 800 was a cool car; could've bought one for less than $1,000 back in '71, but opted for a little Honda 360 for $250 instead...stupid!

May head up myself for some final runs on monday

How's the snow up at Shibu-toge?

Improve? For whom? A stronger yen makes it more possible for people who live & work in Japan to visit overseas (and drop some of their suddenly more-valuable income on those economies).

One more bump: seeking advice on dining/drinks in Asahikawa; there for a couple of days next week. Last chance to steer me in the right (or wrong) direction.

Thanks Thursday, but I guess I'm on my own. Ah, well, plenty of ramen around no doubt, and I rarely have trouble finding a pub.

Bump to beg for advice...

Planning a few days in Asahikawa later this month, first trip there in many years. Anyone have some good recommendations for food & drink? Thanks