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First post for me, mods please move this if it's in the wrong place.

 

Myself and four others are heading to Hakuba from London in about a weeks time and I'd really appreciate some help from people who've been there and done it. We arrive early in the morning into Narita (landing 09:15) and want to make our way to Hakuba as quickly as possible. I've done some extensive reading and it seems the two most viable ways of getting there quickly are by the Shinkansen/bus via Nagano, or by Chuo taxi.

 

The transport issues I have are;

 

Shinkansen: have belatedly realised that we're landing just after Chinese New Year and I've read that the trains will be packed, with little chance of catching one to Nagano. We land next Thursday (26/01/2012). Is this likely to be the case? Is there no way we will get on (with 2x board bags between the five of us, in addition to normal luggage). I'd offload the snowboard bags on to the Takkyubin but we'd really like to be boarding the next day, and their website says delivery can take up to three days.

 

Chuo taxi: door-to-door which is great, but again I can't find an answer about whether or not they can take our board bags. One is a big Burton 180" bag, the other is about 3/4 of that size.

 

Can you recommend one route over the other?

 

Secondly, does anyone have any general advice on where to board in Hakuba? We're staying at Hakuba House which is Sappo / Wanado / Happo One area (none of those areas means anything to me - yet!). I've heard that if it dumps down then Cortina is the place to go, but with the number of resorts in the area how do I know which ones to head to? I'm a relatively experienced boarder, looking for maximum slope-time, not too fussed about snow parks. Any tips on where to go for off-piste (I've read that Happo-One is quite strict on not going off-piste).

 

Sorry for the disjointed questions, just trying to gather as much info as possible! Appreciate any info at all.

 

Cheers,

Keith

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The Narita Express to Tokyo then the Shink to Nagano is a great option - I'm not sure it would be full because of CNY as I dont recall Hakuba/Nagano being that big of a market for the Chinese. You can book your reserved Shink seats to Nagano at the airport when you land, get the Narita Express, then the shink then the bus from the Nagano station - east entrance. The Chuo Taxi can take your bags and is pretty simple. There is also the Hakubus which provides a similar service. If you decide on the Shink look into getting a JR pass BEFORE leaving so you can go some other places - depending on time.

 

With 5 of you it maybe simpler and easier to organise a private van although that takes all the fun out of it. In reality you most likely wont ski the 1st day, no matter how you travel. Although a couple hrs late in the arvo is possible.

 

Going off piste in Japan is fraught with danger that can be managed. Not sure how much avi gear etc you are bringing and what skills you have. Be safe!

 

Cortina is indeed good on a pow day and on certain days there are "Big Day Out" or similar there that includes a bus, lift ticket, huge feed and drinks and an onsen. Your accom will be able to sort it.

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Take the keio skyliner to ueno then transfer to the asama shinkansen bound for nagano then transfer to the bus.

 

Should get you to the bus stop down the road by about 2pm if you're lucky.

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CNY isn't gonna be an issue. Takkyubin should be the next day from Narita to Hakuba, I just did it from Hakuba to my house just south of Yokohama and it arrived the next day, BUT it won't likely get there till mid-morning by which time you'll wanna be on the snow. The Shinkansen shouldn't be busy, you can put your board bags on the overhead rack. I've heard that there are racks between the cars for ski/board bags but for some reason I've yet to find them!! :lol:

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About the takkyubin, it can take a little longer when you are using that service from the airport. If you want to ski the next day I'd suggest not using it. As TB said, it's usually quite quick (I've sent stuff to Hokkaido from Shizuoka, south of Tokyo, in less than 24 hours) but there is more volume at the airports which means turnaround can be slower. On the return leg of my international trips I send my bags home to Shizuoka from Narita every time and they have yet to arrive the next day.

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yeah to be sure I'd take them....but I did get mines the next day after an international flight.....thats obviously why they say up to 3 days.....certain days will be busier than others so they want to err on the side of caution

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Once you get to Hakuba......You are going to be ski in and ski out at Sakka (Happo-one) which is at the upper part of Wadano no Mori......a very nice area with plenty of places to eat, drink and be merry. It's my favorite area and I stay there 99% of the time I go to Hakuba which is pretty much the only place I go... :lol: So, you should spend a day or two there (depending on conditions) and then fan out. Yes, Cortina...Goryu and 47 can be great, Tsugaike...OK. The rest I've skipped til now.

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oh yeah.......forgot to talk about Wadano area. If you are at Sakka you are "ski in/ski out".....but it could depend on where exactly you are staying and how much snow there is. I stayed there at New Year and while it was possible to ski into the hotel, it wasn't exactly on the slopes. The footpath doubles as a ski track and if enough snow then great. With a snowboard....well i couldn't ride in as I stayed slightly downhill from the lift area. Wadano does have restaurants and bars but its not as busy as Echoland, the main entertainment area. Its also pretty hard to know if its a restaurant or bar or just a hotel or lodge as signage from the road is minimal. There is a good pub up there called simply "The Pub" and its part of the Mominoki Hotel complex. The sign is set back from the main road though so it may appear like there is nothing but trees when you look up the road! I was talking to the manager of the Gakuto Lodge and he was saying that its planning laws that stop any big signs on the road itself....they wanna preserve the forest aesthetic (I can appreciate that). That said, its easy enough to catch the shuttle into Echoland and get a taxi back for about 1700¥ IIRC. You get the best of both worlds then, staying close to the lifts and also ease of access to apres amenities

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Chuo Taxi is a minibus, so bags are fine. The Shinkansen won't be packed, but you save so little that you might as well get the taxi. Far less hassle.

 

It looks like there is a big system coming next week, so you've timed it well.

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TB....they are going to be staying a little uphill of the Sakka Lodge so in the morning they'll walk over to the easy out route just above the kids park and ski down to the quad. At the end of the day they just take the easy out back to the same spot. Good info on Wadano.....we always stay up at Sakka but actually rarely do much exploring around the neighborhood....kinda hard with a 9 yr old in tow. My wife has her favorite Chinese restaurant down in town so we go there most of the time to eat.

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Chuo Taxi is a minibus, so bags are fine. The Shinkansen won't be packed, but you save so little that you might as well get the taxi. Far less hassle.

 

It looks like there is a big system coming next week, so you've timed it well.

If there is a big system coming in you will probably be more than happy with on piste or a quick foray into the side/slack country, at least begin with. If you are not used to how deep it can get in Japan, start slow. And get a guide for any big off piste adventures.

 

Getting the Shink is all part of the experience. We always asked for the end seats in a car so we are able to stand our board bags behind them. Worked for us.

 

Loved it at Cortina. I also loved Iwatake, small place, but we got it on a powder day and were there with our kids just having fun horsing around in powder paradise with hardly no other people around. Certainly not technically difficult, but great fun all the same.

 

Have a great trip.

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TB....they are going to be staying a little uphill of the Sakka Lodge so in the morning they'll walk over to the easy out route just above the kids park and ski down to the quad. At the end of the day they just take the easy out back to the same spot. Good info on Wadano.....we always stay up at Sakka but actually rarely do much exploring around the neighborhood....kinda hard with a 9 yr old in tow. My wife has her favorite Chinese restaurant down in town so we go there most of the time to eat.

 

ah ok, they are right up the top so will be no probs...I was just down the main road, so had a wee tramp thru the forest. I could board back, but I never did

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Great info all, thanks very much for the responses. I think we'll book the Chuo taxi as they can take our board bags and definitely get the Shink on the way back - can't visit Japan and not travel on a bullet-train!

 

Thanks to the feedback.

 

Pleased to hear there's a big system on the way - hopefully it holds.

 

Thanks again for the info - incredibly useful.

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Board bags on the shink is easy. Just need to drag them through the Tokyo train station which is easy.

 

Id get a 4 day JR East Pass. Almost the same price as 2x way Shink tickets and allows you to bail to Tokyo and come back if you want to break your trip if no new snow is coming or you need a break. That is if you aren't heading to Kyoto and Hiroshma, both well worth checking out.

 

On the shink if no one is sitting in front of you, look under the seat, there is a lever which allows you to spin the seat around so it faces you, giving you leg room and/or ability to chat with traveling mates.

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If you're going through Shinjuku, there is the Alpico Shinjuku-Hakuba highway bus route. It might be a little slower than a Shinkansen, but the price is more reasonable and you don't have to hassle with stops. Plus, busses are easier for luggage.

 

To get to Shinjuku from Narita, there are several orange airport limosine buses direct from the airport for about 3000 yen.

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If you need a hotel in Tokyo, the Citadine in Shinjinku is great value. A night out in there is awesome too. Try DNA - great trannys.

 

Haha, we've booked in there! Booked it before I even read this.. great glad it's good.. and wtf, trannies?! Yeah got three days in Tokyo after the boarding, based around Shinjuku. Thanks for the info on how to get there but I really wanna experience a bullet-train so gonna stick with the Shink.

 

Flying out in 14 hours.. time to pack!

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Stoked for you. When you are Tokyo I find the best way to get around is to buy a 1000 Yen daily ticket for both main underground lines and then get a PASMO card and load it with another 1000 yen, that way you can go anywhere on any of the public transport. Just use the 1000 Yen train ticket where you can and the Pasmo as a back up if you need a JR or other train line.

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