blooot 0 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Hi Everyone! I'm new to the forums, but I am hoping that you are welcoming and would like to offer some resort advice to a Snow Japan Forums newbie. My wife and I are traveling to Japan from the San Francisco Bay area for our honeymoon in late January and sticking around until mid February, taking 10 days in the middle to go to Thailand. While we are in Japan, we would like to do a little side trip up to a mountain for some snowboarding. We're experienced (12+ years each) and adventurous snowboarders who love riding trees, powder (who doesn't?) and steeps, and don't mind a little hiking. We don't care much for flat terrain, parks, groomers, moguls, or having to do massive traverses. I've done a bunch of reading about Japanese resorts, and I get that it is pretty taboo to simply duck into the trees at a resort. I'd rather not have to break the rules to have a good time, so we're looking for a place that will let you ride in the trees. I am definitely willing to pay for sanctioned guides to lead us to the good stuff if such a service is available or required We would like to travel from Tokyo to a hill via Shinkansen and spend 2 days riding. Since we've got a pretty big window we were planning on watching the snow reports and then heading to a hill mid-week when conditions were favorable. Neither of us speak Japanese, so I guess we need to choose somewhere that won't be impossible for us to get to. Hokkaido would be great, but we have decided it is too far for us for only two days of riding. Apres ski is also important, but good food and drink, and some sort of co-ed onsen/hot-tubbing would be enough. Hotel quality doesn't matter so much and we're fine with traditional Japanese places. Having spent enough time in Whistler we don't need the theme-park style ski village to have a good time, so that isn't a factor. Any immediate suggestions spring to mind? While digging around, I found Hakkoda, but my wife found it a little intimidating (I think she is too modest about her abilities). Any other places that are like this, but possibly less so? Also being a little closer and easier to get to would be a bonus. Another question – since snowboarding isn't the focus of our trip, we don't really want to pack gear, but I don't know what the availability of rental equipment is like. I am considering bringing our outer-wear and boots and renting just boards and bindings. Is there a good place to rent equipment in Tokyo, or does it make more sense to get gear at the resorts? Looking forward to hearing your input, and maybe we'll see you up on the hill, or in the bar! Domo! Derek & Gillian SF, CA Link to post Share on other sites
iiyamadude 6 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Nozawa is a good place, lots of trees, and patrol are generally relaxed. Nice little traditional village too. Hakkoda is definitely a bit far from Tokyo for a short trip. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 yuzawa - plenty of different places to go. Link to post Share on other sites
gareth_oau 2 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Catch the Shinkansen Bullet Train from Tokyo to Nagano first thing in the morning, then bus from Nagano to Hakuba, you will be on snow just after lunch. Hakuba has half a dozen different resorts, for example Happo One Link to post Share on other sites
cram400 0 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 go to Hakuba.. close enough for a two day trip from Tokyo, plus opportunity to ride back country terrain with guides.. not sure if guide services are available in English, though.. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Originally Posted By: gareth_oau Catch the Shinkansen Bullet Train from Tokyo to Nagano first thing in the morning, then bus from Nagano to Hakuba, you will be on snow just after lunch. Hakuba has half a dozen different resorts, for example Happo One I'll be heading to Hakuba for a couple of days in March, but haven't done it yet. But ya know just last week I left my hotel at 7am, and was riding the mountain before 4pm - kids in tow. If it had been just the two of us we might have been able to bring that in by an hour. And we came all the way up to Niseko. [And the Nighta doesn't stop until 9pm so it wasn't a big effort for half an hour] Because it is a plane then a bus rather than a shink then a bus it isn't really all that big a difference. Unless you have a car. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 true, but even when you live in Japan, Niseko isn't *that* easy to get to. For us, coming from Yokohama, it's going to take around a min. of 6 hours door to door. We leave our house at 7:30, get a bus at 7:45 to Haneda, arrives at 8:30. Flight leaves at 9:30 and lands at 11:15, then get a transfer bus at 12 to hotel, which arrives at 2pm. As you can see, for two days alone, that is almost half the day gone just on travel one-way. That doesn't include check-in time either and getting changed. Think either Hakuba or Yuzawa is the better bet for the two days. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Hakuba, Yuzawa, Nozawa Onsen, Shiga kogen. All very accessible from Tokyo using the Shinkansen, all offer a large area to explore, rentals are easily available on or at the hill. Link to post Share on other sites
pricere2000 0 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Hello, I am from the Bay Area also. Working for a major electronics company I travel quite a bit to Japan. Hakuba is definitely worth the trip. Too bad you were not going to be there January 15th. Nozawa Onsen has a Fire Festival that is unbelieveable! The snow in japan is pretty much the same as Tahoe (Maybe not quite as heavy). Happo One was definitely my favorite resort. Lots of variety and great snow (simular to Kirkwood if you were to compare it to Tahoe). Nozawa Onsen was the best town and the tree's are great (think Alpine Meadows with Apres). This year I plan on hitting Shiga Kogen for the first time and maybe Kagura. Enjoy Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Yeah just to clarify, Yuzawa is a region in Niigata that has a lot of resorts. Kagura is the biggest, highest and generally gets the best snow. Its also connected to Naeba which can also be a great day out Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Hey Tubby Beaver, Do you drive up to Yuzawa? If so, what's your commute times from Fujisawa? I'm just down the coast from you and we tend to go to Hakuba a lot but a friend was just telling me that time wise it's actually quicker to go to Niigata than Nagano as the Kanetsu takes you right there. What's your take? And just so it's not a total hijack...to the OP..take the Shinkansen to Nagano and connect to Hakuba. I pick my Tokyo buddy up at Hakuba station and he gets there in pretty good time. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Takes about 4-4.5 hrs to drive depending on road conditions. get on the Kan-Etsu and it takes you almost to the door!! The longest part is often getting through Tokyo, when you get out of Tokyo is smooth sailing. Never went to nagano by car so I don7t know how that compares. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Nagano is pretty much the same, from yokohama, go up to west tokyo, go along the chuoh expressway then after Koufu, at the junction Okaya, take the direction of Nagano. So not the same at all really. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 haha! How much longer would it be to take the kan-etsu and take the Nagano turn off? Or is that the route you said? Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Well takes us 4.5hours... Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 The problem with Hakuba is that last stretch of 147 after you get off at Toyoshina assuming you are going that way. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Yuzawa really is hard to beat in terms of getting there. I'm a bit bored of the places round here, but thats because I have been here so long I suppose. So I enjoy going to other places more generally. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Let's swap then muika. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 No thanks Bored is perhaps the wrong word, I love living here. What I meant was just that I really enjoy and get much more excited going to new skijo's and exploring ones I don't know as well. I suppose going somewhere else also feels more like a 'holiday', whereas where I am I can nip out to Joetsu Kokusai or Hakkai-san and be skiing within 20 minutes. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Know how you feel - my goal this year is try as many different ski-jos as I can instead of just plumping for Kagura. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 I like trying out new ones, although I have prob been to Kagura a million times more than any other ski-jo......again its pure convienience and the fact the snow is often top notch helps. I'm happy I went to Shiga Kogen, I'm booked for Niseko next month and I wanna go to Nozawa Onsen and Marunuma Kogen this year for sure Link to post Share on other sites
xxx 2 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Originally Posted By: muikabochi whereas where I am I can nip out to Joetsu Kokusai or Hakkai-san and be skiing within 20 minutes. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver I like trying out new ones, although I have prob been to Kagura a million times more than any other ski-jo......again its pure convienience and the fact the snow is often top notch helps. I'm happy I went to Shiga Kogen, I'm booked for Niseko next month and I wanna go to Nozawa Onsen and Marunuma Kogen this year for sure did you know centre maiko is 9800 this year? yuzawa park 9700? muikamachi hakkaisan 10500? naspa 9700? Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 no. Didn't know that. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Now you do. Link to post Share on other sites
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