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Go for the "Skippu" from JR. For about 11,800 you get a shinkansen ticket to Yuzawa and lift ticket for the whichever Yuzawa resort you're visiting.

 

Very do able for a day trip. If you get the right Shinkansen (7:10 on Sat morning), the trip from Tokyo to Yuzawa is around 1hr 20min. On the train by 7:10 am, on the snow before 9:00 am.

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Gala Yuzawa! Last year Wednesday was ladies day so free cake for us lasses - not sure about this year. Anyway, this week is cheap week (if it would just snow..) 6500yen weekdays and 9900 at the weekend - return shink and lift pass. It's 1000yen for a locker if you need one and the food will set you back another two grand. Take turkey sandwiches and mince pies and sit in one of the disused gondula cars near the bottom of the half pipe for lunch...

Check out http://www.jtbsun.com/sunFormTour_list.asp?PAGE=SN9

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By far and away the cheapest is a bus trip.

Option 1-

Get the right day (in the week) and for 3,400 you leave from Ikibukuro sun city bus depot in the morning and can be at a gunma resort (Minakami Okutone, Tanbara etc) for around 1030am, shred til five-ish then head back. Travel and lift pass included.

Granted- not the most extensive places but fine for the odd daytrip.

 

Option 2-

Overnight bus, leave 1030ish pm from ikibukuro, be on the snow for 8am at a far better resort (pretty much any in Nagano, Niigata). Head for home around 4.30ish or later depending. Lift pass, travel and rental (sometimes), should you need it, included for between 5,900 - 10,000.

These are with a company called orion-tour.

www.orion-tour.co.jp/

web page

 

Dunno if that link will work. Never tried it before. I`ve picked up a stack of brochures all with similar deals from stations all over the place. Last year I booked loads of trips through No. 1 travel, always seemed to work out alright.

 

Tried the shink last year too. As the others said its worth a go, but kinda limited for resort choice, but way more comfortable.

Buses are not very comfortable and often involve early morning waiting, while the resort wakes up. :rolleyes:

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Y11,800 includes return shink ticket.

 

If you need to take an over night bus for a day trip, just to save an extra Y5,000 or so, then maybe you should look at taking up a different sport.

 

At Yuzawa there are a few half decent resorts, not as good perhaps as those available from Nagano, but the convenience more than makes up for it. There are quite a few within a Y2,000 taxi ride (split the fare with a couple of mates and its nothing at all). A typical day is - Leave Tokyo at 7:00, on the snow by 9:00am, ski/board all day, a quick onsen before getting back on the shink at around 6:30pm to enjoy a couple of relaxing beers before arriving back in Tokyo at around 8:00pm.

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If you need to take an over night bus for a day trip, just to save an extra Y5,000 or so, then maybe you should look at taking up a different sport.
Hell's wrong with that? There are thousand of foreigners and Japanese kids who do it everyday during the season.
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Siren - mate, it just seems like a bloody lot of effort when for a very little extra the whole hassle could be avoided. Maybe if you're only source of income is a part time job in a combini, an o/n bus is a workable solution, but if you're a foreigner living in Tokyo and intending to take up skiing/boarding then its likely you're going to be able to afford to take the shinkansen. Either way, it's no bother, the more people on the buses means more free seats on the shinkansen.

 

Ender - generally, if you buy the tickets early in the week, there are reserved seats available, otherwise, a quick trip to a JR View Plaza on the night before will get you a non-reserved seat. It may be possible to buy them on the day, but I haven't tried.

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Ender - it is pretty expensive when you include the taxi to and from the resort, maybe a taxi to and from your house and tokyo station, the onsen, the beers, lunch and a couple of munchies during the day. It doesn't leave much from Y20,000. It's the shink ticket that gets you, if I had a car I'd probably be more inclined to drive to the resorts in Gunma or other places closer to Tokyo.

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Maybe if you're only source of income is a part time job in a combini, an o/n bus is a workable solution, but if you're a foreigner living in Tokyo and intending to take up skiing/boarding then its likely you're going to be able to afford to take the shinkansen.
I know what you are saying but just because you are earning four time more here in Japan than what you would have got back home in Australia doesn't mean you shouldn't go out and enjoy a different experience even if that involves more hassle. ;\)
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if I had a car I'd probably be more inclined to drive to the resorts in Gunma or other places closer to Tokyo.
Unless there are four or five of you a car is usually the most expensive way to get out of Tokyo. Depending on where you live they can also be the slowest. Cars are good if you're going for a few days but for day trips from Tokyo, I'd definitely shink or bus it. cool.gif
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huh? I thought u were a fellow Australian.

 

Anyway, I agree, the bus has only 2 advantages: you get there well before the lifts open. Second, you can get much more direct travel which is not possible using the shink (unless you are going to gala).

 

Other than that it must be a nightmare.

 

The shink is a dream when you are on it but you have to get to Tokyo eki first - not nice for some. And then yiou have to get from Nagano shitty to Hakuba valley. Then do all this is reverse on the return trip.

 

If someone wants to drive me, I will give them Y20,000 at the door if they pick my up and drop me off at my house.

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huh? I thought u were a fellow Australian.
lol.gif heaven forbid what gives you the idea?

Of course I agree with what was said. I just thought it was a bit stupid to relate it to how much you earn.
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:rolleyes:

 

"I just thought it was a bit stupid to relate it to how much you earn"

 

Sorry Siren, but I'm not the one who is suggesting that taking an o/n bus to the snow from Tokyo, when other far more convenient albeit slighly more expensive options are available, is a good idea. \:o

 

and yes, it is a particularly boring day at work today.. :p :p

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Are you suffering from amnesia (as well as being obnoxious)?

 

 Quote:
Maybe if you're only source of income is a part time job in a combini, an o/n bus is a workable solution, but if you're a foreigner living in Tokyo and intending to take up skiing/boarding then its likely you're going to be able to afford to take the shinkansen.
 Quote:
If you need to take an over night bus for a day trip, just to save an extra Y5,000 or so, then maybe you should look at taking up a different sport.
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