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OK, here's some extra input (courtesy of Thursday's permission not to shut up):

If you're all set up in Tokyo and you just want a day-trip, then do Karuizawa. I invited Sunrise there once when I was staying there. Sunrise lives in Tokyo and does gigs there at night. She got on a morning train, I met her at the Karuizawa station, we skied together for the day and even did an onsen before I put her back on the train to Tokyo and she didn't even have to take a day off to enjoy a fun day at the slopes. That's how convenient it is!

However, though you would probably be able to get an instructor, which I recommend for safety reasons, at Karuizawa he/she might or might not be good and English may be a problem.

 

If you're doing more than a daytrip, then I recommend Hakuba, if not for anything else, then for the instructors. You'll find plenty of good English speaking instructors there either at Dave's "Evergreen Outdoors" or at Fattwin's "Hakuba Powder Lodge". You can take a bus from Shinjuku to Hakuba directly, do a day or more on the slopes and take the same bus directly back to Shinjuku. The prices of food, lodging and intructors is much less at Hakuba than Karuizawa.

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Okay, I've sort of worked through all the places we want to go in Japan and I think a day trip is all we have time for this time around \:\( Although if it's fantastic I'll definitely come back for a more ski-centric visit another time.

 

So it looks like Karuizawa for this one then. Could anyone possibly recommend a place there to ski or link me to somewhere I can get some more info on prices to show the rest of my group? I can't seem to find Karuizawa on the Snow Japan site.

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 Originally Posted By: sunrise
Markie, lol, was I ever falling asleep at my gig that nite!

Hakuba is a bit much for a day trip I think....


That's what a said...Karuizawa for a day-trip....Hakuba for something a bit longer than that!

Even though it might have been tough that night, I hope you thought it was worth it! I certainly enjoyed your company that day.
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Excellent, thanks guys! Looks like that's where we're heading.

 

With instructors, I know they quite likely won't have great English... but would they be sort of used to foreign tourists and teaching them still? Basically, will we get enough out of a lesson there to be able to ski safely even if we don't speak the same language as the instructor?

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Can't really say for sure. Really depends on who you get. There can be instructors with really good English but are poor instructors...if you get my drift. It's the luck of the draw. But I'd say their instructors will generally be OK. I know quite a lot of HK tourist go there and get ski lessons in English.

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ChisaChi - why not contact the Karuizawa Prince Hotel and ask whether they can arrange an English speaking ski instructor for day visitors? They are sure to have plenty of experience with overseas guests, and even if they can't arrange it they might be able to point you in the right direction.

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Also - just a tip regarding Communication issues...USE BODY LANGUAGE!

 

It amazes how when you are not understood the first time most people just repeat the same words but LOUDER again and again. I work as a Sign Language Interpreter for the Deaf, and so I am very comfortable with expressing myself using my hands and body. Meet people half way - don't expect them to always speak your language.

 

Also - learn a few key terms in Japanese. I am lazy - haven't learnt much bec 2 of my sons are learning it at school, and they interpret/translate food stuff for us. Oldest boy has 4 yrs study plus 3 week student exchange to Japan once, plus 2 other trips to Japan. 2nd son has 2 yrs Japanese and 2 snow trips to Japan to practice.

 

But I am learning key terms for this next trip. If you know you are going, and will get lessons - get an English - Japanese dictionary, or CD, or both and start learning a few key terms.

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Hakuba is probably too far for just a day trip, as has been mentioned. For a two day trip though it is a reasonable distance. I have never been to Karuizawa or Yuzawa, so can't really comment on them, but my favourite place in Hakuba (technically its in the next town...) and a great place for learners is Tsugaike Kogen. Huge mountain, pretty flat and wide. There is a great outdoor onsen there too!

 

It will almost certainly be a miserable day for some of your group if you dont get a lesson. But then again if your instructor isnt very good then you will waste a big chunk of your day. I think if you are going all that way, you need to go for two days and get a lesson to make your snow trip worthwhile.

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Tsugaike Kogen is a great place to learn to ski. It's got that very very wide gentle slope running at the bottom serviced by some six double chair-lifts so that you won't need to wait long in any queue. Though I've driven there from Hakuba many times I still don't know how to get there using public transport.

Abe, how did you get there?

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I have been there a few times by overnight bus and once on a local bus from hakuba. There are buses, but they only run about once an hour. The train line from Matsumoto continues on to Tsugaike too.

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Hi everyone, i'm supposed to arrange for my family of 8 who's coming over to tokyo in dec for holiday and i was planning to bring them to places with snow. I've read thru some of the posts and it seems that niigata and nagano is quite near to tokyo. I know that we are supposed to get the JR east rail pass so that it'll be easier for us. But all of us have nvr been to both place and i was thinking that maybe we'll go to nagano but accomdation i'll prefer to stay for 2 nites in a chalet or a self contained house and 1 nite in a japanese ryokan with outdoor onsen. After that i thought that we could make use of the pass to go matsumoto for day trip before heading back to tokyo. But i really dun know which part of nagano should i go? Is it a good idea for us to go to hakuba for 2 nites follow by i nite in nozawa onsen or shiga kogen? coz would like the kids to see the snow monkeys. Pls help with my planning and if anyone knows of any accomdation that is suitable for us pls advise. We have our budget so we are not looking for high end place. There'll be kids ranging from 5 to 17yrs old in this trip.

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