Seeking Advice on where to Stay and Snowboard in Hakuba

[Leaf Girl 0]

Hi All

My boyfriend and I are coming to Japan in March for a snowboarding holiday. This will be our first trip to Japan so I'm seeking some advice on where to stay and snowboard. We've chosen to come to Hakuba but there are so many different areas I just don't know where to go.

I'm a beginner (only ever been on a snowboard once) and my boyfriend is advanced. I think I'd like a lesson, although ppl tell me that I'll pick it up pretty quickly as I can kiteboard. Which section of Hakuba do you think would suit us both?

As for a recommendation of where abouts to stay I would like to try japanese accommodation to get the full Japan experience. I'd also like to have a private hot spring as I have a tattoo on my back and have been told that I won't be allowed in the public hot springs. We don't want to spend too much but I don't want to stay in backpackers either.

Any advice/comments/suggestions on what area of Hakuba to pick and accommodation would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your help!

Cheers

Alison

[Leaf Girl 0]

Also, my boyfriend doesn't want to share bathroom/toilet facilities and we'd like double bed rather than a twin. Is this possible in japanese style accommodation?

[gerard 6]

Kiteboarding looks pretty cool. Looks hard, actually.

[tripitaka 0]

Originally Posted By: Leaf Girl

Hi All
My boyfriend and I are coming to Japan in March for a snowboarding holiday. This will be our first trip to Japan so I'm seeking some advice on where to stay and snowboard. We've chosen to come to Hakuba but there are so many different areas I just don't know where to go.
I'm a beginner (only ever been on a snowboard once) and my boyfriend is advanced. I think I'd like a lesson, although ppl tell me that I'll pick it up pretty quickly as I can kiteboard. Which section of Hakuba do you think would suit us both?
As for a recommendation of where abouts to stay I would like to try japanese accommodation to get the full Japan experience. I'd also like to have a private hot spring as I have a tattoo on my back and have been told that I won't be allowed in the public hot springs. We don't want to spend too much but I don't want to stay in backpackers either.
Any advice/comments/suggestions on what area of Hakuba to pick and accommodation would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your help!
Cheers
Alison

I think the problem you face is that the Japanese accommodation is less accessible than the foreign-targeted accommodation (for the obvious reasons of language). If it's a "full Japanese experience" you're after, Hakuba may not be the best option. If I were you, I would go for the relatively comfortable option of the "tourist experience" and experience the Japanese side of things through food, drink, etc. Also, given that it's your first time and you're not that familiar with snowboarding, you will probably find that foreigners are more helpful.

I think the best learners slopes in Hkba are over at San-Ozaka or perhaps Tsugaike. However, they're both a bit isolated from the action.

[tripler 0]

Originally Posted By: Leaf Girl

I'd also like to have a private hot spring as I have a tattoo on my back and have been told that I won't be allowed in the public hot springs.

Lots of hotels have their own "public" (ie. you get naked in front of the other guests) onsen and there are often people in there with tattoos, both foreign and Japanese. Often they'll have both Japanese and Western-style rooms. Making a double bed out of futons is easy. Occasional Japanese-owner accommodation may not really want to deal with non-Japanese speakers but they probably won't come up on your web searches anyway.

Sakka, the far right-hand ski area in Happo (a well known Hakuba resort), has good beginner slopes. There's also a good English-speaking ski school in Kokusai, to the left of Sakka.

[Thundercat 60]

Tourist experience will probably be more comfortable as well. There aren't usually double beds in Japanese accommodation as you will generally be sleeping on futons on the floor. You can always push the futons together though

[RobBright 35]

Futons rock!

[gaijindrifter 0]

I just stayed at a place called 'The Lab' (its in the Places to Stay section) at the base of Happo-one, and I must say it's the best boarding experience I've had in Japan so far. The resort is Australian owned/operated and there really aren't any Japanese there at all. Baths are semi-private (dress down area is locker style but showers are sectioned off) and the rooms seem nice though we did opt to stay in the cheaper unit. That being said, even the nicer rooms there are really cheap and if I remember correctly you can do all your payments/bookings in Australia without transferring money.

 

And as for boarding, Happo-one offers everything as far as I'm concerned. I'd consider myself high-intermediate and even I found parts that seemed incerdibly challenging (geared towards your boyfriend) though there were miles of flat low grade tracks for my beginner friend to muck around on as well.

 

Hope this helped!