wisepearl 0 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Hi all, Looking for some advice please... I'm a newbie to Japan, based in Osaka. My family are heading over for Christmas/New Years and we want to go skiing. I know end-dec is still fairly early into the ski season, and I am not at all familiar with skiing in Japan. None of us are very experienced or long-term skiing, so we're not after the ultimate in slopes! But was hoping someone could give me advice on: Japan Alps (Takayama?) Hyogo Prefecture Hiroshima Prefecture The fam will all have JR Rail Pass but I'll be coughing up for my tickets. Would prefer to avoid heading all the way to Sapporo due to price, or even too far north of Tokyo). Just after a place that should be a reasonable bet for skiing end of December, which is reasonably accessible from Osaka for maybe 3-4 day ski trip. Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks, Emma p.s. any Canadians out there, my entire skiing experience is limited to skiing near Halifax and one day in Quebec. that's why I say I'm not picky with the slope! Link to post Share on other sites
gogalago 0 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Depends how things turn out this year.... Most accessible is hyogo.... hachi kita and related could definitely keep you entertained for a few days, but whether there will be enough snow by then remains to be seen. There are a few underated resorts in the area too, particularly if you are not looking for mad terrain. gifu is the next step up, and might have more snow that early, but as I said, it all depends. nagano is your surest for snow, but if there is some in nagano, you will probably find it in gifu too... nagano might provide more options though. ... and you are right to forget sapporo if you are on a budget, and many would argue even if you are not budgeting. hiroshima is also out unless we really get a mad crazy start... you don't need to be looking north of tokyo, unless they are flying into narita rather than kansai. You still have a few weeks, so I would wait and see - too early to make the call. I would go with hyogo for convenience unless the whole focus of their trip is snow... nagano could mean eight hours on a bus and if you are mostly wanting to show them around and do a minor spot of snow, keep it localish. Carefully examine transport options too - if you are planning to drive you can day-trip hyogo too, while nagano is a bit more of a weekender. buses to hyogo aren't that efficent and while there are day buses, you might find it more hassle than an overnighter to nagano for less substance. yes I know you said rail passes, but for mountains i have seldom found trains practical unless your start point is tokyo, although you are welcome to prove me wrong with research. My comparisons have never been against free trains, but the bus and lack of lugging gear and waiting for shuttles has always made the bus more practical... Link to post Share on other sites
wisepearl 0 Posted October 21, 2007 Author Share Posted October 21, 2007 Thanks for the info! My only concern about 'wait and see' is then managing to find accommodation for a family of four in that crazy week between christmas and new years! They are flying into Kansai, and no access to a car - so public transport all the way! They are here for nearly 3 weeks, so taking the better part of a day is OK if its worthwhile, ie making it to Nagano should be ok. Would appreciate all the info, suggestions and ideas I can get from anyone!! Link to post Share on other sites
gogalago 0 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 If they are here for that long and its a kind of sub-trip, I would head for nagano - you can use the rail passes to get closer to the hills than some of the other places, but might involve a few transfers - still you could get to hakuba for example in 5 and a half hours, so not as bad as I thought - I never had free trains as an option so the 22000yen that will cost you was a bit steep. As you are touring, you might look into stopping in matsumoto and checking out the castle, or going off to see the monkey onsen or some other touristy things too. Now you should pick between Nozawa, Shiga Kogen or Hakuba. They are all capable of keeping you well occupied for a few days. If you had more time you might do two of them, but don't think its worth splitting up three days with more travel. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Doesn't the Shinkansen connect Osaka with nagano? Surely there will be a train link from Osaka at least to Matsumoto Link to post Share on other sites
abe 0 Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Hmmm... Its a dodgy time of year for snow. I would say just to be safe, you should go to Nagano. Its not that far. Tsugaike Kogen has great learners slopes, as does Nozawa Onsen. Your family will get a great Japan experience if you take them to Nozawa, its a beautiful town. Can anyone here think of a worse way to spend Christmas than at a ski resort in Hyogo with no snow on it?! About the trains, if you dont want to have to change trains in Nagoya, I think there is one express train a day that goes all the way to Nagano from Osaka. From Matsumoto or Nagano city you will need to take one more train to get to the slopes. If I remember correctly, the train to catch is called the Shinano wide view, and it leaves at about 8 in the morning from Osaka station. Link to post Share on other sites
wisepearl 0 Posted October 21, 2007 Author Share Posted October 21, 2007 Thanks all for the info, I was just reading a stack of info on the main snowjapan site, and Hakuba/Nagano really looked appealing. My mum has mentioned she'd be interested in trying cross country skiing My bro and I will hit the slopes My dad is not that interested in skiing, so he could explore the castles, etc. Plus it appears there's many onsen in the area which should be good. Not to mention a huge variety of cabins/lodges, so I'm thinking I'll be in Nagano with my family for new years eve! We might stay 3 nights. Now I've just got to figure out transport etc. Don't want to be stuck up in a mountain resort with no transport and have nowhere to go! Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 There are a few ppl from here who will be in Hakuba for New years eve, plenty of bars etc there Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 >Can anyone here think of a worse way to spend Christmas than at a ski resort in Hyogo with no snow on it?! do you know what your talking about? 2 of the resorts mentioned above actually have good snow and good tree skiing. Hiroshima wasnt open last year. I lived and skied there for 5 years. Dont waste your time nor money. If you have the time Nagano, Niigata cant be beat. Link to post Share on other sites
abe 0 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Sorry, I wasn't meaning to rat on Hyogo The point I wanted to get across is that if the amount of early snow is similar to last season, the further north the better. Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 I love Hachikita. --I think it's about as good as some of the best places in Gifu, but I wouldn't plan a trip there at Christmas! You'd have to get lucky. Someone said Hokkaido is expensive, but there are surprisingly cheap all-inclusive package deals and it's a pretty safe bet for snow. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I am usually eating and drinking a lot over New Year so it's a bit of a rest time for me. I'll get back on the slopes when the crowds thin out just after. Link to post Share on other sites
skidaisuki 0 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 wisepearl - if you are looking for accommodation in the Hakuba area, even for the Xmas - New Year period, you should still be OK. Just ring around a few of the places listed. Even if they are full they can usually point you in the direction of another equivalent place that isn't. Our experience in previous years is that there are generally more beds than people to fill them and something can normally be worked out - even at a reasonably economical daily rate. The good thing also is that many places will drive you to the resorts, if you ask politely - it's all part of the normal service for most guesthouses Link to post Share on other sites
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