yfc1 0 Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 Happy New Year! Went to Hokkaido last year and fell in love with snowboarding instantly! I'm planning on a trip to nagano this feb and would like to invest in some good snowboard gear! Could anyone tell me where about in Tokyo I can shop? To best honest it would be greatly appreciated if some one could give me a few pointers on what to look for when buying! Thanks a million! Link to post Share on other sites
Siren 0 Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 Easy-peasy. Place - Jinbocho where there are many shops. But you need to do some research (using the internet) to find out your board size, type of board (freeride or freestyle), bindings (normal or step-in) and brand before you go. Otherwise you'd get hopelessly confused. Link to post Share on other sites
yfc1 0 Posted January 7, 2004 Author Share Posted January 7, 2004 Jinbocho? Is it the "book" place? Link to post Share on other sites
Siren 0 Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 Yes, if you walk a bit down the Yasukuni Dori it becomes the 'Ski Street'. You won't miss it. Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 They sell skis there too Link to post Share on other sites
yfc1 0 Posted January 7, 2004 Author Share Posted January 7, 2004 how much would i need to spend for boots, binding and board? would it be cheaper for women boarders? Link to post Share on other sites
Siren 0 Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 I didn't look at the price in detail this year but if you buy the items separately, you should budget for (reasonable quality) (in yen): Board - 40,0000 to 100,000 Binding - 20,000 to 35,000 Boots - 25,000 to 35,000 Some of the shops do sets (board/bindings/boots or just board/bindings) and you can probably get a beginner set for between 40,000 to 80,000 depending on the combination. I have no idea whether it is cheaper for girls. Link to post Share on other sites
nekobi 0 Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 even though you are a beginner, dont hesitate to invest in expensive, good quality gear. i am kicking myself that i went for midrange stuff last year. Link to post Share on other sites
woywoy 0 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Just as Nekobi said ... buying good quality gear may set you back a few yen but you will thank yourself in the long run. It will last you longer and you will have more fun up on the hill! Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Too save money look at last years kits. Clothes from last year are usally 50% off. Go to Alpen there for clothes huge selection lots of brand names at discount, I got a new jacket and pants all brands for 20000 yen or about 200 US dollars. Boards dont know much but skis are maybe much the same. dont by the best board you wont be able to ride it. dont buy a beginner board youll grow out of it fast. I would buy upper mid range you can grow into it and that will go a good 2 seasons at that point you can re-access your level. Thats from a skiers point of view Link to post Share on other sites
Siren 0 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Fattwins is right and I would say the same thing about snowboarding. Link to post Share on other sites
yfc1 0 Posted January 8, 2004 Author Share Posted January 8, 2004 any particular boards/boots you guys could recommend? I was searching the internet yesterday, and there were just too many brands out there! I think i would try my hands on freeriding first. Link to post Share on other sites
Siren 0 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Best if you take a trip to Jinbocho and shortlist what you see and like which the members here can comment upon. Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 0 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Best deals in Tokyo are to be found in Ochanomizu on the Chuo line from Shinjuku. See if you can pick up bindings and boots made by the same company as they you get the best fit that way. For example Northwave or APX boots with Drake bindings; F50 wmens or F60s, Salomon Poison bindings and Dialogue boots (dont know the name of the womens specific version). Salomon stuff is esp good for learners as they have fast fit boots and bindings making everything faster and easier to do up. You can buy last years model boards for 40,000 yen and should be able to pick up a womens specific set for 40,000 incld boots and bindings, just mid range stuff so if u are doin 20 plus days a year spend a bit more to get quality stuff. Esp dont skimp on bindings as they fall apart the easiest. With clothing look for 10000mm plus water proofing as a minimum. With boards look for something with a fairly soft forgiving flex, stay away from pro models if u are a learner. Check boardreviews.com for some inside info. If you have the cash make sure u get a helmet and helmet specific goggles and wrist guards come in real handy. Happy shopping. Link to post Share on other sites
yfc1 0 Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 thank you very much for all your advice. to be honest I have only snowboarded once last year.....haven't even got the hang of it yet! Are the salesperson any good at Ochannomizu? And can they speak english? I can't really speak Japanese...i guess the most i can ask is the price of the gear! Link to post Share on other sites
Siren 0 Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 OK let's see how resourceful you are. Feel free to come back if you have any more questions. Link to post Share on other sites
yfc1 0 Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 does it matter whether you are goofy or regular when buying snowboards? Link to post Share on other sites
kintaro 0 Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 No. Boards are neutral. Link to post Share on other sites
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