rstcyrmd 0 Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 My wife and I are flying into Narita on Friday, January 2nd and really wanted to ski close to Tokyo. But most places are already booked (I was focusing on Hakuba), and I'm really hesitant to drive as I assume it'll be packed highways. A train from Narita would take 7 hours to Hakone! Should we try to go anyway and enjoy the crowds, or wait until Sunday and stay a couple days, assuming the crowds would be less? Or are there places less crowded, with more relaxed ryokan/onsen? Or just bag the whole thing and relax in Tokyo or Hakone ryokan? We really just want to relax in a ryokan and ski a bit, nothing major, then return to Tokyo a couple nights. Any ideas are greatly appreciated! Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 1. Hakone isn't ski country. I suspect you mean Hakuba up in Nagano. 2. That weekend 1/2-3 is sure to be pretty crowded anywhere; you'd be much better off (as far as skiing goes) to spend it in Tokyo then take the train up to Nagano on Sunday evening to ski for a couple of days. 3. Narita-Tokyo-Nagano can be done in 3 hours roughly. From Nagano Station you can catch buses to Hakuba/Shiba/Nozawa, 1 to 1.5 hours. 4. If you're really interested in both Hakone and skiing, you have two very different aims. Spend the weekend in Hakone, then head to Nagano on Sunday evening or Monday a.m. Link to post Share on other sites
skidaisuki 0 Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Take the shinkansen from Tokyo station to Echigo Yuzawa and if you can find accomodation, ski at either Naeba or Kagura. That's what I'd do for the sake of convenience. If you can't book a big hotel then try some of the smaller ryokans in Yuzawa or the Naeba area. Don't drive - you are on holiday, and it's not worth the hassle. Link to post Share on other sites
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