Hakuba Help

[hammer 0]

Hi all - my wife and I are planning our first ski trip to Japan and are looking for some help. We are planning to fly into Tokyo early Jan 2013 and have 6-8 days skiing then visit a few places in Japan. Originally we were planning a Niseko trip but would now prefer somewhere quieter where the powder does not get tracked out quickly and also somewhere that makes us feel like we are in Japan i.e. not rammed with foreign tourists like us.

 

Now looking at Hakuba - we both like powder, trees and open bowls (I'm on telemarks). Are the resorts around Hakuba reasonably quiet - I have heard about some ski areas forbidding off-piste/tree skiing - is this true?

 

Am I correct in thinking that most resorts are covered by the all area pass although only 1 area can be skied each day (for example if we visit Cortina, the other area it is linked to (can't remember the name of it) cannot be skied that day?

 

Accommodation - I read another thread on this forum and somebody was staying at Hakuba House - this looks like just what we want: ski in/out (or within a couple of minutes of some lifts). Any other sugestions for places to stay - We would be wanting private room, ensuite with an upper budget of around 20000Y /night/room

I did fancy staying up at Cortina but from what I have read there is not much else up there? We also want to be able to head out in the evenings and enjoy some Japanese food etc so don't want to be too remote as we won't have a car.

 

Talking about transport - are the buses to the ski area frequent and are they included in the cost of the lift pass?

 

Finally.... monkeys - is it possible to visit them using public transport or do you need a car?

 

 

Sorry for so many questions...

 

 

Thanks

 

(I am open to suggestions of other ski area to go to instead of Hakuba - the choice is too vast for me to cope with.... we want a decent size of ski area, loads of snow and not too busy)

[stemik 14]

Hi all - my wife and I are planning our first ski trip to Japan and are looking for some help. We are planning to fly into Tokyo early Jan 2013 and have 6-8 days skiing then visit a few places in Japan. Originally we were planning a Niseko trip but would now prefer somewhere quieter where the powder does not get tracked out quickly and also somewhere that makes us feel like we are in Japan i.e. not rammed with foreign tourists like us.

 

Now looking at Hakuba - we both like powder, trees and open bowls (I'm on telemarks). Are the resorts around Hakuba reasonably quiet - I have heard about some ski areas forbidding off-piste/tree skiing - is this true? Yes some areas forbid off-piste/tree skiing. For off piste then Cortina is your best bet. For backcountry hire a guide/tour

 

Am I correct in thinking that most resorts are covered by the all area pass although only 1 area can be skied each day (for example if we visit Cortina, the other area it is linked to (can't remember the name of it) cannot be skied that day? If you buy a linked Cortina/Norikura pass then you can ski both the interconnected resorts. If you have the all mountain pass then you can only ski one resort per day. If you have the Alpen pass then you can ski Happo, Iwatake and Tsugaike on the same pass on the same day, but you need to connect by bus.

 

Accommodation - I read another thread on this forum and somebody was staying at Hakuba House - this looks like just what we want: ski in/out (or within a couple of minutes of some lifts). Any other sugestions for places to stay - We would be wanting private room, ensuite with an upper budget of around 20000Y /night/room

I did fancy staying up at Cortina but from what I have read there is not much else up there? We also want to be able to head out in the evenings and enjoy some Japanese food etc so don't want to be too remote as we won't have a car. Cortina Hotel is by itself at the north end of the valley. Wadano, Echoland and Goryu are the preferred accommodation areas.

 

Talking about transport - are the buses to the ski area frequent and are they included in the cost of the lift pass? For frequency it depends on where you are staying and where you are heading. All the ski shuttles are free.

 

Finally.... monkeys - is it possible to visit them using public transport or do you need a car? Yes you can use public transport it is a couple of buses. One to Nagano and then one to the monkey location followed by a walk. It will be a full day trip. alternatively you can go on a guided tour. I think tours leave daily in the height of winter.

 

Sorry for so many questions...

 

 

Thanks

 

(I am open to suggestions of other ski area to go to instead of Hakuba - the choice is too vast for me to cope with.... we want a decent size of ski area, loads of snow and not too busy)

[Tubby Beaver 209]

I wouldn't call Hakuba "quiet" though!!

 

Personally I recommend the Wadano area, hotels are dotted throughout the forest with restaurants and bars sprinkled in between. Its ALMOST ski in ski out up at the Sakka lifts for Happo-one, I think if you stay further up it may even be legit ski in-ski out. I stayed just below the Sakka lift and it was a 5 min walk to the ticket office and lifts from my hotel. You can get the frequent shuttle buses into Echoland for a bit busier feel to your bars and restaurants and then a Taxi back to Wadano, its not expensive. You will see a lot of foreign tourists though, outside of Niseko I'd say hakuba is the next most popular. Nice place though and a lot of options in the valley for you to ski

[hammer 0]

Thanks for the replies so far - still keen on Hakuba, although regarding your comment about Hakuba not being quiet : do you mean the villages (bars) or that the ski hills/lift lines can get busy?

Any suggestions for other resorts - good off piste (without risk of losing lift pass), not too small a ski area with accom near lifts and most importantly not too busy on the hill. Niseko also sounds good (lots of snow/large interlinked ski area), although I understand it can get rather busy and tracked out prety quickly on powder days?

 

Thanks

[yamaski 0]

(I am open to suggestions of other ski area to go to instead of Hakuba - the choice is too vast for me to cope with.... we want a decent size of ski area, loads of snow and not too busy)

 

Shiga Kogen might be worth a look.

 

Or for more of a town place, somewhere like Yuzawa.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

on public holidays and weekends the lines could be quite long, probably ok during the week though.....I guess the locals could give you a better idea. Myoko, Yuzawa (Kagura has some good off the back options and the snow is good) It CAN be busy on weekends though due to its accessibility from Tokyo by shinkansen, Nozawa (which is pretty close to Myoko so you could stay in noz and do a day or 2 out at Myoko if you wanted). Hakuba village is definietely the best on Honshu for night time options but less of a Japanese-y feel than say places like Yuzawa or Zao Onsen. Nozawa also has a local feel to it but is becoming pretty popular with oversees people so might not be what yo want.

[grungy-gonads 54]

Better even, than Zao?!?

 

But... as they said.

[muikabochi 208]

Better even, than Zao?!?

 

Yes, even better!

[Tubby Beaver 209]

actually i reckon that Shiga Kogen has the best night time options!!

[Go Native 70]

Niseko also sounds good (lots of snow/large interlinked ski area), although I understand it can get rather busy and tracked out prety quickly on powder days?

 

Niseko has a lot of powder days. I struggle to think of many ski areas that would have much more. Some areas that are relatively well known and easily accessible can get tracked out quickly but if you get to know the mountain fresh tracks can almost always be found regardless of how busy it is (unless it hasn't snowed for awhile). I'd always recommend a guided tour of the mountain on your first day to work out where everything is. It's a big ski area and a lot of the best off-piste areas aren't easy to find unless they're pointed out to you. Overall Niseko has some of the most easily accessible, relatively safe and extensive legal off-piste of any resort in the country (it's popular for good reason ). Niseko would certainly be busier midweek than most resorts around Hakuba, well busier than most resorts anywhere in Japan but it doesn't get all that much busier on weekends. If you're looking for ski in/out or close to it in Niseko though your upper limit accomm budget would be mightily tested if you were looking to stay in Hirafu (where most of the apres ski entertainment is found).

[Tubby Beaver 209]

I stayed in Hirafu, in a Japanese place for 7k a night Bed& Breakfast** and it was 3 hotels down from the bus station (and whatever that lift is called). Hokkaido has loads of resorts on offer that could give you great off piste action.....Mike Pow has a thread dedicated to Hokkaido and a lot of it is in Kiroro as well as Niseko. If you have a car, you can stay in Sapporo, which is a huge city with everything big cities have to offer, and drive around Hokkaido wherever the best conditions are......therefore not limiting yourself to 1 resort or the other. Rusutsu, Niseko, Teine (of course), Kiroro and countless others are an decent drive from Sapporo.

 

 

**actually it also included dinner.....but we ate dinner out most nights we were there

[big-will 7]

Worth pointing out that lots of resorts in Japan are very, very quiet weekdays and non-holidays.

[hammer 0]

Thanks for the replies - lots to think about.

 

Now made a short list of Hakuba, Shiga Kogen and Rusutsu up north.

[big-will 7]

The great thing is that you have lots and lots of time to think about all those things too.