5acrefarmer 0 Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Hi. I came across this site a few days ago and my poor brain is in overload/confounded mode by all the great information and inspiration here. It's been 20 years since my last visit to Japan and now I decided to delay my return by a few months and factor in some skiing. That gives me a long 12 months of planning and scheming which I enjoy luckily. Asking novice questions here can save me some time in researching what I don't know about and hopefully your expert advice can steer me in the right direction. My trip will be for 2 months, public transport and hitch-hiking, minshukus and hostels for accom (friends place in Tokyo). I'd like to include roughly 6 days skiing or more at two or three resorts. I will start at Nozawa Onsen as I need to go to that area and it sounds great then I will be heading north thru Honshu to a bit north of Yamagata-ken but not up to Hokkaido. I have looked at several resorts that are in the right areas but can't tell what they are like. Many seem very small (though that may be a good thing). I am a good skier that prefers advance runs but not into dealing with avalache situations. Happy to plod along on intermediate runs if the surrounding are pleasant, well, for half a day I guess! So any recommendations on resorts in northern Honshu north of Nozawa would be greatly appreciated. Resorts close to a Youth Hostel might be good to know about and if having big feet (12) is a problem at times I need to know! I will have the right clothing but would hire skis, poles and boots. Great to be here on this web site, looking forward to being back in Japan ! Cheers, Ian Link to post Share on other sites
joshnii 2 Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Hi Ian North of Nozawa I suppose you mean north east of Nozawa? Well just to the north is Myoko. Good place. Then further up how about Yamagata Zao? I am planning on spending a few days there and really looking forward to it. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 How do you plan on travelling around? Link to post Share on other sites
5acrefarmer 0 Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 Yes, north east is correct, I'll look into the 2 places you suggested. My 2 trips to Japan back in 1983 and 1988 where for a total of 6 months and I hitch-hiked 95% of the time, Japan is one of the two best countries I ever hitch-hike in. It will be a fun challenge to do it during winter. Otherwise I will use trains mostly, just small local trainlines, not Shinkensan as I'm a budget traveller though I have been on a Shinkensan once. I would prefer accommodation on or within an easy walk to the ski fields. I have plenty of time to research but like to start early and get advice from more experienced people so thanks. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 buses are pretty cheap to the ski fields as well, easy to get them from Tokyo and I imagine any other decent sized urban centre Link to post Share on other sites
5acrefarmer 0 Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 Transport is easy enough to work out, thanks. I just need to work out which resorts to consider, but it will take time I know. Skiing for me is the best sport there is and Japan the best country to visit so it's a heady combination and my impatience is huge! Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Not being funny but i think you need to give up on the idea of hitch-hiking in Japan, I would be surprised if anyone pick you up. I have never tried of course, but after living here for eight years my observations tell me it will be difficult. Anyone correct me if I am wrong. Your best bet would be train or bus, I guess buses are the cheapest way to get around? Never used them myself, but I know some who do and they say they are cheap enough. There are many ski bus tours especially from Tokyo. Link to post Share on other sites
5acrefarmer 0 Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 Sorry but I will have to correct you. I have hitched up and down and around Honshu and all around Hokkaido. I guess a gaijin hitch-hiking is a novelty and getting rides was too easy and a great way to meet locals and to practice what I ended up calling "hitch-hiking Japanese". I highly recommend doing it and it is far quicker then local transport. I will admit I did it so much that the conversations got tedious as it was the same basic stuff everytime, "where are you from, is this the first time in Japan" etc, but that's no-ones fault. The only country I found where hitching was even better was the Faroe Islands when I went there in 2005. The only land transport I ever paid for there was one bus ride on the first day which I regretted but nevermind. Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Ok I stand to be corrected, well good luck with your hitch-hiking, at least it is a safe country to do it in. Hope you have fun when you come. Never hitch-hiked myself, never appealed to me to do it I guess, though lots of people around the globe do it. Link to post Share on other sites
5acrefarmer 0 Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 Yes Japan is a very safe country to hitch in, I don't hitch everywhere of course. You should give it a go! Some basic rules of hitching in Japan are, Walk or take a train to the edge of town if you're in one. Stand only where cars can pull over safely off the road. Don't stick your thumb out (or whatever, I made signs in Kanji and held them out) when there is a line of cars coming, a driver might react instictively and stop suddenly and cause chaos! Smile and look friendly Don't wear sunglasses, we need eye contact to work people out. When you realise how easy it is to get a lift you can pick and choose you potential rides to some degree, trucks can be fun, young people too. Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Cool signature. Fish is good. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I have hitched once and it was to get back to a mates house a couple of towns over (it wasn't so far) after we missed last train. The guys who picked us up actually went the opposite way that they were going, just to take us home, pretty cool IMO. That said I always just use public transport Link to post Share on other sites
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