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I think it's a positive thing that a resort is just actually bothering to do this in the first place - and wish that more would as well. It can't be a bad thing. If they make the effort then people can judge them on that and their answers.

 

Basically, I'm another cheapo who'd want to stay somewhere cheaper than what they have. Yeah, they look great, but I just can't afford 'em! Maybe for a special occasion or something like that.

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well, when in comes right down to it...yes it would be nice if ARAI had cheaper accommodation in order to make everyone happy.

 

But the cold hard fact is that the market they are catering to is massive. With 2.5 million people in close proximity ( an'thats's just within their prefecture) they would hardly be struggling for patrons.

Also, from a bit of research...it seems that ARAI shares the mountain with older resorts. So...why should they try to compete with older resorts who are cheaper...attract a cheaper crowd...when they could (and have) built a resort full of the best lifts/accom etc?

They get some of the best snow, and have really consistent weather, so that's not a draw back...

And seeing as ARAI is only a few years old, perhaps they want to complete their initial vision before entering a new one?

Couple this with the fact that they are part of a larger group (and a socially & environmentally conscious one at that)known for offering the best....it appears that what they have achieved at ARAI is exactly in line with their company culture.

I say give them a few more years and the maturity of the resort will prob play a part in offering more affordable accommodation (altho the Inn doesn't seem tooo bad).

Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately...by then we'll prob all be older and richer and won't mind forking out for a wee bit of ritz.

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Oh... and I do however think there is merit in having some of the best boarders/skiers on the slopes tho...(makes all us wannabes hang there)but those are typically the sorts who are looking for cheaper accommodation yeah?

so .... perhaps ARAI could provide some sponsorships? (if they don't already) It could make some skilled and deserving people pretty darn happy and the mountain gets known for having the best boarders/skiers....

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sometimes you need to loose a little money to make a bundle in the future.

 

Are you guys putting ads out that show there are cheap places to stay in and around arai.

 

whenever i have been to Arai we stay in myoko. yeah its far but you cant beat the price or the scene.

 

PS i respect the patrol at arai and the rules. things are run alot like back home. if its closed then I know there is a reason. I have never done any rope ducking at arai.

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 Quote:
Originally posted by Blair:

ARAI is spelt in capital letters because that is how our corporate brand manual specifies that it must be done.
if you could see my facial expression now.
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Much amusement and more for the ARAI spelling thing. There are lots of companies in Japan that take liberties with English rules for proper nouns and enshrine this pigheadedness as a rule in their brand manual, but it's so dumb. It's particularly dumb because the people in charge of brand management are so incompetent that they haven't figured out the difference between a name and a logo.

 

The trouble is, you can specify it in your manual, but you can't get anybody else to toe the line. And if nobody else follows your own arbitrary and counterintuitive rule, as is to be expected, then you've just diluted your own brand. As I said, dumb.

 

It should be 'Arai'. You should explain it to them Blair.

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I agree whole heartedly with Enderzero

 

I lived an easy 30 mins drive from Arai but I went there only once. The terrain is great but I just felt like a kid in an expensive restaurant ie uncomfortable and unwelcome. The ticket was expensive and when we got there on a hot sunny day looking forward to a half pipe session we were told it would cost extra - something ridiculous like 500 yen a pop eek.gif . I dont see why I should pay to use the pipe when I dont have to anywhere else and it isnt even serviced by a lift, and if Im riding the pipe then Im not extending the lift lines anywhere else at the resort. The food was costy and tasteless and unsubstantial and we had problems finding some chow at 1:30pm. WTF?

 

Basically what me (and others here) are saying is fellow forum readers, unless you have money to bleed you will have a better time, feel more comforable and not have to pay for the pipe if you go to a different resort so if youre trying to make up your mind then take these things into consideration.

 

Steeno - agreed with what you said about whistler. I know its mostly just the gaijin who are cheap but is that such a bad thing? And having more foreigners on the slope would make the resort look good. One of my J-mates told me she thought groups of gaijin look cool and if your resort looks cool people want to go there (and spend money).

 

Also Blair if you propose to answer the hard qs maybe answer the hard qs (not just the ones about terrain) and save the corporate jargon cos most of us on here dont give a stuff.

 

At the end of the day I dont really give a damn who goes where and what policies etc but if you go to a resturant and get bad service or food not up to par then you tell your mates, so thats what Ender and myself are doing.

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You have to pay to use the pipe at Hakuba Iwatake, but at least it's got the best reputation of any pipe in the area.

 

If you're serious about pipe riding, a nominal charge may be a good thing. I would imagine that it keeps beginners out, so perhaps you don't get as many people carving nasty ruts in the walls. I'm not a pipe rider, but that's what some people often accuse beginners of.

 

I only go to Arai occasionally as a day tripper, so the cost of the rooms is not really a concern. The most noticeable thing about the resort for me is that they've built something that's actually quite nice right at the bottom of the lifts. Instead of the normal hotch-potch of concrete boxes competing to have the largest sign and least compatible design with their neighbours, you get a quadrant surrounded with hotels with a harmonious design that does not overly detract from the natural setting. Long-termers may find this hard to believe, but the resort looks like it was built using what foreign architects refer to as a "plan" eek.gif . Some of the other hills I've been to, such as Kiroro, have also been purposely built as ski resorts, but none of them have been as nice as Arai. Arai's hotels may be a little too "Disneyland" for some, but I think they've done a pretty good job on the whole. When you think of the mock-Bavaria-on-steriods excesses at Hakuba Cortina and elsewhere....

 

I'm afraid experience has taught me to have extremely low expectations for gelende food. I thought the food at Arai was "average".

 

The hill itself is pretty good. They get loads of snow. The controlled area they have is a lot of fun and a commendable idea, though your options are limited when it's not open. If you want to ride open terrain in bounds, another option is Charmant Hiuchi over the back-side of Arai.

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Dont you think that keeping beginners out of the pipe is a bit elitist? Im sure thats not what youre getting at Nofakie but whats wrong with people learning new stuff on the mtn. I suck big time at the pipe but on a day with not much else on offer it makes a nice change. Charging a fee for something I suck at isnt very nice I think, esp as you have to do plenty of runs on a pipe to get any improvement.

 

Just me 5cents

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if ppl dont gop all the way to the top of the pipe then the pipe quickly gets oververt. Then the ppl that do go past the top get chucked into the middle of the pipe and splatter themselves on the flat bottom. Even if your a beginner then please make an effort to go all the way up to the top to keep it fun for everyone.

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Hi

 

Lots of really interesting points since I last checked the thread. I'll do my best to address them all here:

 

sweetaz

 

1 - ARAI does not share a mountain with anyone else. It also is not part of another range of mountains such as the Myoko range which contains several related peaks.

 

2 - ARAI has a sports promotion foundation known as the Morita Sports Promotion Foundation. The purpose of the foundation has been to raise the next generation of downhill Olympic ski racers from the senior high school level. ARAI has also sponsored the Japan Paralympics for several years. A few professional snow boarders also train at ARAI, though it is not clear to me presently how exactly ARAI sponsors them.

 

Fattwins

 

I really appreciate your comment about respecting the ARAI Patrol and the boundaries here - Thank you

 

db

 

I got a straight question and gave a straight answer. What would you do given the same circumstances?

 

cal

 

Maybe I did forget to put the blinking winking smiley on that one. To be totally honest, I have no idea what a blinking winking smiley is supposed to mean!

 

Ocean11

 

Some companies have done quite well by taking liberties with the English language. Have you ever heard the story about how the brand name for SONY came around?

 

Fattwins

 

Thanks for the tip about SAM. Some of the top management at ARAI has heard of this magazine, but it is a first for me, cheers.

 

zwelgen

 

I got a list of questions from SnowJapan, split it down the middle and have posted answers to the first half online. Please give me the benefit of the doubt when I say that I have not shirked away from any of the hard questions.

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I think what zwelgen meant was not that you disregarded any questions as such, but you did not ANSWER the questions with anything new or with anything other than "corporate jargon" as she so subtly puts it....

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Blair...

 

re point 1 in your last post...

 

 Quote:
A designer came in from Vail to create Arai’s base village, with instructions simply to design a place that made everyone feel welcome. The result is a convenient sleek and modern resort that looks like it would feel more comfortable in the Rockies or in the Alps rather than sharing a mountain range with the confused dinosaur resorts at neighboring Myoko Kogen. .

 

Taken from the ARAI web site under Property Description segment - The Village

thanks for the clarification.

 

Also..it's great that ARAI already have sponsorships sorted.

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