Tokyo people

[66jzmstr 0]

So, the missus is getting antsy about going back to Japan. I welcome the idea, but she's deadset on moving to Tokyo. I fall under the "it's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there" category, as I'm not a fan of big city living.

 

I am curious - for those who live in Tokyo, what commutes do you face for skiing and/or riding? What's nearest? Do you drive or take the train? How much is it? Is the resort worthwhile? etc.

 

Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu!

[muikabochi 208]

Hi

 

Our area of Niigata (Yuzawa/Muikamachi) is the closest time wise from Tokyo. 80 minutes or so on the shinkansen from Tokyo to Echigo Yuzawa, then a number of resorts within 20 minutes drive of the station including the popular Kagura.

 

Minakami is a stop before Yuzawa on the shinkansen in Gunma and there's some resorts round there.

 

The places in Nagano like Hakuba / Nozawa / Shiga Kogen are a bit further time-wise but worth the trip as the scale is bigger and the snow often better.

 

Then you could go a different way over to places like Hunter Mountain in Tochigi, but there are often more individual resorts rather than clusters like in Nagano & Niigata.

[66jzmstr 0]

Thanks for the reply, muikabochi!

 

I'll check those resorts in the SJ Database! By the way, how is it out there? Deep crowds of fashionista scenesters or just manageable lift lines of skiers and riders?

[longboardsk8man 0]

hey 66 - i`ve come from a small town - lived here in tokyo for the last 4 years and it@s a cracking place to live - for a while.. you just need to make sure you get a regular hit of nature to stay sane that`s the only thing -

the great thing is with a city this size there`s people from all walks of life into all sorts of things, so always a crew to hang out with.

 

as for access to the mountains - there are a couple of close options.

it`s a one hour bullet train ride to the yuzawa area which has about four or five different hills in the one area. Varying levels from complete beginner / family slopes to places which offer fairly easy access to the back country. at the height of the season a return shink ticket (bullet train) and a lift pass + lunch will set you back about 14000 yen, and you`re back in tokyo to buy the missus dinner.

 

there:s also quick access to the airports as well which will serve you well if youw anted to head north into the tohoku region such as aomori or hokkaido... there`s loads of travel agents around as well also offering a lot of different packages as well - might be another cheapie option you could look at...

 

anyway - best of luck with the decision!

[muikabochi 208]

Without wanting to get too carried away, while still fast of course, the reality is:

 

Tokyo > Echigo Yuzawa = usually around 80 minutes.

Station > Mitsumata by bus = 20 minutes.

 

You're on the snow once you get to the top of the Mitsumata ropeway.

 

But Mitsumata > the good part of Kagura = 30 minutes or so.

[66jzmstr 0]

Good to know - thanks for the replies!

 

Is there a yearly railway pass you can purchase? If so, how much is is it? I'm just wondering how much of that daily cost is the transportation and if a pass purchase is warranted. If we do go to Tokyo, I'm sure I won't get my usual 40+ days a year of shred, but I'd like to see what I could salvage, and at what cost. Also, does the Nagano area get as crowded as the Yuzawa resorts on weekends? Are hotel prices out there outlandish, or are there some reasonably priced places to crash on a Friday or Saturday night?

 

Also, how much further is Nagano than Niigata? Maybe the map I'm looking at isn't too great, but they almost appear to be the same distance from Tokyo. (That doesnt' take into account how direct or indirect the path of the trains is though.)

 

Again, thanks for your help!

[sanjo 2]

No yearly railways pass unfortunately.

 

Last season I didn't go anywhere that was crowded, though super-convenient places like Gala Yuzawa do get crowded on weekends... because they are super-convenient.

 

The route is not as direct going to Nagano but if you are going for a few days it isnt a problem.

[skidaisuki 0]

66jzmstr:

 

As the Beatles once sang, 'get back'. Tokyo does my head in at times but not as much as living in the country the whole time almost certainly would. Live in Tokyo and with a bit of planning you can enjoy the best points of town and country living.

 

I totally second the advice above - it is a lot easier to get quickly to decent snow from Tokyo than if you are living in Osaka/Kobe, Nagoya or (definitely) Fukuoka - living in the mountains is a different issue, but of course then you have the expense of car ownership. All those places have their good points but access to mountains isn't amongst them. The Kagura/Naeba option (NOT Gala - crappy snow and full of beginners) is very, very useful and good value if you just want to do one full day trip at a weekend. JR basically sell you a day return by shinkansen, including 1 days ski pass for Kagura (or Naeba) for just over 11,000 yen. Sure, you have to get up early to make the best of it, but for me it's THE bargain day trip in Japanese skiing. Contrary to my mistaken assumptions, Kagura and Naeba are not Mickey Mouse resorts - they are high, generally have good snow and have enough space and variety of runs to keep most skiiers and boarders happy for a while. Even if you find yourself standing on the train it's only 80 minutes from Tokyo station, and a bit less from Ueno / Omiya.

 

Apart from that, there's the Nagano shinkansen which gets you very close to the North Alps in 90 mins and is virtually never crowded, plus in Tokyo the sheer number of resident snow freaks means that it is quite easy to hook up with road trips to the less accessible resorts.

 

I would say that you won't regret living in Tokyo from a snow access point of view - unless you have no money at all - but where you decide to go depends on keeping your woman happy and advancing your own prospects for a job. All the trips have to be paid for, after all...

[indosnm 0]

Nagoya is 90 mins away from g¥Gifu and a 2.5hr drive away from Nagano. Little bit more for Niigata (myoko area)

I wouldn't put it in the category of Osaka or Kobe at all. Pretty lucky here for mountains and oceans (or SEA's)

[tsondaboy 0]

There is a commuter’s pass from Tokyo to Yuzawa but its 400000 yen for 3 months. So it’s only good if you commute every day from Yuzawa or the company pays for it. There are also express trains from Shinjuku station that go straight up to Hakuba but take 3.5 to 4 hours.