Gradeski 1 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Hey Fine to meet you guys. Greg in Chicago here. Two of us have been eyeing Japan up the last few weeks and think we make make the move. We have a month and thinking of a three week trip over there. Would love to check out Tokyo and from what I gather Niseko and Hakuba seem to be the main two places. Or is that just most popular places? Thinking of doing 7-10 days in Hakuba and then wondering about the practicalities of getting up to Niseko. I can see maps and stuff, that's fine, just wondering for first hand experiences of people on here who might have done that trip. Realistically how did the timing work out for you? Cheers! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Hi Gradeski and welcome. Those two places certainly get the most attention and likely the largest numbers of the foreign crowd and are excellent choices, though I have not been to Niseko myself. But there's more to Japan than just those two. Just thought I'd mention that. You have a lot of reading ahead of you! Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Practical? Yes, if you don't mind a lot of changes. Realistic? Yes, if you don't mind taking a day off to change loctions. Cost? Expensive. You would have to go from Hakuba -> Nagano Station -> Tokyo -> Haneda -> Shin-Chitose -> Niseko, which would take the better part of a day at least and you would arrive late evening if you were to do it in one day. Hakuba -> Nagano - about 1hr by bus. Nagano -> Tokyo - about 2 hours by train Tokyo -> Haneda - about 1 hour by train Haneda -> Shin-Chitose - about 90mins by plane Shin-Chitose -> Niseko - about 2hrs30mins by bus. If you want to visit Tokyo, take 4 days out, and the first and last half days, travel to and from Tokyo. Link to post Share on other sites
panhead_pete 27 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 This topic has been covered many a time mate. Do a search and a LOT of reading. 3 weeks is HEAPS of times for plenty of lines in the pow and seeing highlights of Japan. Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Another option is to take a flight from Matsumoto to Sapporo Matsumoto is about 1 hour south of Hakuba. Link to post Share on other sites
Gradeski 1 Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 Thanks for that. A bit of a journey. Actually with so much to do in one rather large area in Nagano, that seems to be a good idea. I've got to be honest not really mad keen on the idea of upping sticks for a day long journey. Link to post Share on other sites
Mick Rich 78 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Without wishing to start at Honshu V.s Hokkaido debate, you should definitely check out the Hokkaido powder if you have the chance and with 3 weeks to play with, it's well worth the effort! Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Matsumoto Airport is a very small, loss-making airport with hardly any flights and bad transport links, but for o/s skiers the Hokkaido link is a very useful one. If you did Nagano first, the flight would get you into Niseko in time for the nighter I guess. You wouldn't have to miss a whole day. USA to Japan is a long way, so you might as well see as much as you can. Link to post Share on other sites
tripler 0 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Another option is to take a flight from Matsumoto to Sapporo Matsumoto is about 1 hour south of Hakuba. Make sure to get a seat on the left hand side of the plane for great views of the Japanese Alps. Link to post Share on other sites
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