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Hello All

 

I have recently joined the forum, so hello to all.

 

We have booked a ski trip for Feb 09 to Niseko and our flight from Oz arrives at Narita airport and our domestic flight leaves from Haneda airport. Just wondering if anyone can advise the best way to get from one airport to the other?

 

Also, how does the baggage allowance work when you travel with ski's and boots?

 

Cheers

Kathy..

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Do a search on "Airport Limousine Bus" and you should be able to find the English website with fares and timetable. Last time I used it, I had a big suitcase and a snowboard bag and there were no problems. I don't imagine there would be any problem if you have a suitcase, ski bag, and a bootbag. Ride is about 45 minutes, depending on traffic.

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HI KF Welcome to the SJ Forums.

 

I can't help you much with the transfers our flight has a connecting direct to Chitose - Our luggage from Aus we only had a 20kg limit each, we had ski's and snowboard, I packed my Ski boots into my backpack as cabin luggage and packed a few other light items in with them and then wore my ski jacket on the plane and just stored it once I was on.

 

We are also heading to Niseko in Feb if this is your first time ENJOY it is AWESOME!!!!!!

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HI again

 

Just a heads up for you SnowJapan has the best daily reports for Niseko last year were on it everyday a month before we left and this year when we were planning our trip we check out the accomodations and previous reports to check out the best time to go and roughly what the weather was going to be like for that month. Also GREAT daily photo's of the resort.

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Usually the airline will have a flat fee that they charge so you can take large sporting goods, which includes skis, snowboards etc. Contact your airline before you go to the airport and ask about it, this will give you extra kgs over and above the 20kg mark

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Never had a problem with the plane allowance for ski gear within Japan ...if you are OK on the flight into Japan I wouldn't worry about it. Just make sure if you are going back on Quant-ass that your weights are right...cost us $500 Aussie to come home in excess baggage! And we were not that much more than when we arrived!

 

Transfers - don't stress. I can be a bit of control freak - comes from travelling with kids - need to be 110% sure of how it is all going work in advance - and it was EASY. Limoscene bus is a dream - long ride from Narita to Haneda but easy easy easy.

 

Plenty of storage for long bags (we had 3 snowboard bags and 3 suitcases)on the bus (underneath) - no probs! And they load it with a smile on thier faces not like in Aus! :-)

 

Enjoy Japan - you are gonna love it!!

(Trying to convince Papabear to take me on a quick trip for Spring conditions for my 40th clap)

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Thankyou to everyone for their responses!

 

I have checked out the Limo bus and that seems like a nice easy option.

 

Mamabear - yes I am a control freak as well so need to be very well organised.

 

Qantas say 20kg then a flat fee of 3kg excess for over that..is that correct? How come it cost $500 Mamabear?

 

Very nervous about how cold it is going to be...think I need to do some thermal underwear shopping!

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The fee in Britain is usually 50 pounds, I did this for when I brought my board etc last year when I moved to Japan. I phoned up the airline and arranged it over the phone, when I got to the airport the desk staff knew about it and directed me to a different counter where I paid my 50 pounds and then put my board bag onto the belt and the took it away

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HI Katefern

 

Don't even consider going wihtout thermals. I am going in February and I have bought extra thermals and a box of hand and feet warmers. Make sure you have a excellent rating jacket. Being cold can ruin your day out. Also remember some days can be okay but have a super cold wind chill.

 

I spent extra last year on my jacket and pants and didn't regret it at all. Skied all day and night. THAT'S another thing don't forget you have night skiing in Niseko and it is much colder at night than during the day.

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Thermals and the little heater pads too!

 

And Kath - believe me we argued the toss until everyone in the queue behinds us was ticked off ---->in the end got told pay it or stay in Tokyo. Would love to stay in Tokyo longer, but we had a business/school to get home to! LOL. We were not happy.

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Thanks everyone!

 

snowhunter, I didnt realise you can buy hand and foot warmers? what exactly are they?

 

I have a lovely warm Columbia jacket that I have had for a few years and it does a great job (although I have only skied in Oz and its always been fairly warm).

 

Went shopping yesterday and got some thermals..so now just need a helmet and whatever those hand and footwarmers are!

 

Mamabear - I can just imagine the scene at the airport! Will remember to pack light!

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Kath,

 

The hand and foot warmers are little packs that react to oxygen when opened to create heat. The more oxygen the hotter they get - and they are designed to be used INSIDE boots and gloves so don't stick them on and walk around too long before booting up - they puff up like a microwave popcorn bag and get really hot if you do!

 

You can buy them in Aus as well - at Mainpeak, most ski shops or on the mountain at the ski hire places and probably elsewhere. Few different brands available.

 

I found them great to keep my toes from icing up and then being painful as they defrosted on the lift. Because of the powder cover in Japan it can be hard to keep your boots from being encased in snow ALL the way down - so it get's colder than in Aus when the snow builds up and then falls off cyclicly. Often I did not see my feet or board from the moment I got off the lift until I got back on at the bottom!

 

Enjoy - have a ball - but make sure you use the layers! By being able to layer thermals, mids, and a decent jacket you will be able to stay warm enough.

 

One last tip - face protection - invest in a BUFF, or neckwarmer you are comfortable covering your face with, or ski mask, or similar - chins and noses and cheeks get COLD! biggrin

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Hey Kath,

I just flew from Syd to Narita. But I flew with Jetstar. As for the bus service. You can purchase a ticket outside the aiport with a limousine bus service, how ever be warned they dont speak very good english at the half a dozen bus ticket places.

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You can buy your ticket a the machine inside the terminal, then just get out to the right bus-stop. If thre are more than two of you, make sure you get the tickets all at once or you might end up with some on one coach and others on the next one!

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When you talk to peeps about weight limits you will hear lots of different, often conflicting stories. Basically all the airlines have different rules, especially for sports equipment - do your homework before you book. That more expensive ticket may save you a fortune.

 

There are two basic weight strategies working in the world. In the east it is the 20kg limit, which also usually applies to NZ and Oz as well. In the Americas they work on the two piece system which is two bags of up to 23kg each. However *some* flights use the two piece system even though the origin and destination are in 20kg countries. One example of this is if you have a round the world ticket you get the two piece system no matter where you go.

 

On top of that it can depend on other factors like a lightly loaded plane and even which check in agent you get! I have a friend that simply says he will go and repack if he is asked to pay too much in excess baggage. All he actually does is queue up again and makes sure he gets a different agent. Not something I'd want to risk myself!

 

One option I looked at for my last trip to Japan was to post my ski gear to and from Japan. In this case I found a cheap round the world ticket for about the same cost. I got to keep my gear with me and visit NZ as well. smile

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Lots of stories and as was discussed elsewhere this is one of the annoying things about it - even the same airline doesn't seem to have consistency in the way it runs things leaving lots of people to believe that they are rather flexible with it all depending on circumstance. Just got to be lucky with the timing.

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Give yourself a bit of time though to get through Narita, buy a ticket, ride to Haneda and then check in for the flight north. Even though the buses are very regular and always leave on time, the traffic can be pretty bad. you would want to give yourself at least 4 hours from landing time at Narita and departure time at Haneda. It isn't like going from the international terminal to the domestic terminal at Aust airports!

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Yeah, the coach trip alone is about an hour (give or take depending on traffic). I've done it a couple of times, both in darkness, so have no idea where we went! wink

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yea, I was told an average cost would be AUD$35 or $40 for this trip.

 

We will be doing it on our return leg back to OZ - we have 4.5 hrs between landing at Tokyo Haneda (from Sapporo), and flying out of Tokyo Narita (headed to Sydney).

 

With the way the exchange rates are moving around lately, it's prob. gonna cost us AUD$100 by that stage! razz

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  • 3 months later...

Also, is there any interesting shopping available at/around Tokyo Narita airport, as we will hopefully have an hour or 2 to have a look around, between 5-7pm on a Monday evening there?

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