Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Hey guys,

I'm planning on heading to Hokkaido in Feb 2012. We can only go for two weeks and we are thinking one week in Niseko, and doing the other week somewhere else. Where is good to go for a week on the north island? I have been to Rusutsu and it was great but I'm not sure I would want to spend a week there. Apart from there I have only been to Niseko. Somewhere close by a city would be tops or at least somewhere with some nightlife. Any ideas would be great.

Cheers!

Link to post
Share on other sites

I would say base yourself mostly out of Niseko and maybe do a few days in Sapporo hitting Kokusai, Teine, Kiroro, maybe even Tenguyama if you want!

 

Sapporo is going to have your nightlife and if you have a car (rent one) you are going to find yourself getting to these places very easily. It's a pretty easy drive and not far for these resorts either out of Sapporo. Kiroro is always a good bet as well! Rusutsu is super close to Niseko and there are a few very uncrowded resorts around if any locals want to tell you what they are :) I know one place that will give you those answers!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks MitchPee for the info, much appreciated. Are the slopes near Sapporo good for off-piste as well or mostly groomers? Have you based yourself (something you do to a turkey?) in Asahikawa before? I was thinking Furano TubbyBeaverinho but I heard they are very strict on you if you leave the beaten track? Could just be a rumour.

Cheers

Link to post
Share on other sites

There are fewer nearby snow areas adjacent to Asahikawa than Sapporo - probably will need to drive/bus a little further. The trade-off will be fewer people and possibly better snow conditions. If your priority is night life, definitely Sapporo. If it's a week on snow someplace other than Niseko, Furano might be the better bet.

 

Most snow areas near Sapporo have a fairly lax off-piste policy, just so long as you don't enter roped-off safety zones (like under lifts) or closed designated off-piste areas.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Asahikawa isn't a bad place to base yourself for a week. You could have a couple of days in Furano, Kamui, Asahidake or Kurodake. Furano is very strict on ducking ropes, but at the others, you can ride anywhere. The nightlife in the city is decent too, plenty of great places to eat and drink, and a couple of ok nightclubs. If you hire a car, the ski jo's are all within about an hours drive.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Good snow is the priority, but it's nice spending time out in a new city.

I will check out some vids of the places yas mentioned around Sapporo and Asahikawa and go from there.

Thanks for all the good info guys!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Just to add my 2-pennies-worth, Furano is a city but feels much more like a small town and yes, it still has a strict no-out-of bounds/under-the-ropes policy! Nearby Kamui, however, is a different story with some great off-piste fun to be had without any chasing ski patrol to worry about!! The trouble with Kamui is that there`s nothing else there, but then Asahikawa is just down the road. So yeah, a few days based in Asahikawa would be good, with the rest based in Niseko/Sapporo as MitchPee suggested. In any case, have a great time and I might see you up there! :wave:

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...

Can anyone help me out with this. I have used the SJ Route finder and printed out the map.

 

We are driving from Chitose to Furano and it suggests the DO-TO Expressway. Is this a finished expressway now that can be travelled in winter??

Link to post
Share on other sites

Judging by the snow reports I would give Furano and Tomanu a wide berth.

 

Rusutsu is a crap place it hasn't snowed there for years and even niseko is is even getting any snow.

 

i would definitely base myself in saporo http://www.snowjapan.com/e/resorts/resortdetail.php?resid=128

 

This place rocks

 

seemore

Link to post
Share on other sites

Ha! That's crazy, snowing so bad it's even white-out on the map! lol

 

Don't know if its a new highway, but I assume that it would be open if it does exist. I just drove on Route 5 in white-out conditions and nothing was closed, along w/the expressway from Otaru to Bibai (partially snowy/limited vision).

 

Ganbatte!

 

Edit:

 

found this on wikipedia:

 

October 29, 2011 - Yubari Interchange - Shimukappu Interchange section opened.

 

Edit (pt 2)

 

http://www.drivetraffic.jp/map.html

 

If you scroll up to Hokkaido, you can see an expressway run across the area. When you zoom in, some sections of the expressway are faded....not sure if that's maybe a tunnel...?

 

Edit (pt 3)

 

Yeah I think it's a tunnel...looked at some of the other expressways near niigata and they have the same thing.

 

 

Time to sleep before I end up writing a book on expressways lol

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah, that section from Yubari to Shimkappu has been kinda finished but not actually open for quite a while. But recently I have seen road signs around the place saying its open, so I guess they've finally got their act together!

 

If its not open, then it's the 274 through Hidaka, which takes ages and winds it's way round the valleys underneath the empty expressway!

Link to post
Share on other sites
×
×
  • Create New...