IntrepidNooks 1 Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 An original topic - I know! My husband and I have planned a last-minute (ish) trip to Japan. We arrive in Chitose from Tokyo on the 24rd and plan to ski the 25 to 27. We will be staying at M hotel, which I understand to be in Kutchan-cho. We are an avid skier/snowboarder combo from Western Canada, enjoy all sorts of terrain and are hopeful for deep tracks. I have perused the board but would be very grateful for insight into the following: Gear. We’re currently leaning towards not bringing our gear with us from Canada. It seems like a lot to lug for three days of skiing, but I heart my skis and want to know how much of a pain/cost are rentals. Where to ski. With only three days, we will stay close to Niseko – is it worth also checking out Rusutsu for a day? If so, what is the best way to get from where we will be staying to there? I am hoping there are buses, but I am having a hard time finding out information on this front. Guide. I am considering the possibility of hiring a guide. Given our limited time in the area, it may be a great way to get the lay of the land. Any thoughts? I saw that a couple of companies offer such services. We’ve never gone this route before – we usually just figure hills out on our own. For instance Niseko Off Piste from Black Diamond Tours seems interesting, but I would feel disappointed if we just skied areas we would have found on our own. I suppose this depends on how large/intuitive are the hills in the area. Any insight? Food. I didn’t come across recent restaurant recommendations – do you have any? If I recall, I think Hokkaido is known for seafood (duh!) and miso ramen. We’re not picky – we just love great food and want to stick to Japanese! A range of budgets is fine -- will we encounter Tokyo prices? For instance, we are fine to spend $200 per person for an outstanding dinner (albeit not every night) and are also happy for cheap eats on other nights. I have a reservation at Ezo Seafoods. I am sure I will have follow-up questions, but that covers it for now. Thanks in advance. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 M Hotel is right in Hirafu village not too far from the bottom of the Ace Family lift. Plenty of places to hire gear in town. I've never hired gear in my life so no idea of costs. Do a search for hire places in Niseko and I'm sure you'll find prices easy enough. With only 3 days of skiing Niseko alone will keep you more than entertained but a day trip to Rusutsu is always fun. The guys at M Hotel should be able to assist with booking a day trip there for you. I think a guide is a great idea myself. It's normally snowing and cloudy in Niseko and working out where all the good spots are around the mountain is not easy. Ezo Seafoods is great although I'll admit the owner is a good friend of mine. If you're looking for that really special dining experience I'd suggest Kamimura. There's a plethora of great places to dine in Hirafu though. Link to post Share on other sites
Tex 3 Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Rhythm are probably the cheapest with a wide range for hire. Probably a massive 2 minute walk from M Hotel... Link to post Share on other sites
seemore 66 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 1: Bring your own it's cheaper and it's your own. 2: Stick to Niseko you would be doing yourself a disservice not having a checking out a few other parts of Grand Hirafu 3: I have heard Black Diamond are good but if you check out some of the other threads (one with lot's of photos) he may be able to point you in the right direction. 4 there is lots of restaurants for varying budgets check out other threads in the search and there is heaps of reviews. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I prefer the convenience of having my own stuff... but as for lugging it around, have you heard about the takkyubin delivery service? It's quick (usually within 24hrs or less), cheap (2000Y) and easy (they'll pick it up and drop it off at your accommodation). You can avoid having to take it on the train, plane and bus. I would say you should bring your own stuff. You won't have to lug it anywhere. Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 take your own stuff. Don't want to be spending thousands on mingey boots and abused equipment. Just pickup from arrivals, onto the coach and your hotel is 300 metres downhill from he main bus stop. Voila. Link to post Share on other sites
blu 3 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Bring your boots and rent some Fat skis, under $150 for 3 days (and you can swap them daily). Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 You don't HAVE to swap them daily if you don't want Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 How much is $150? Link to post Share on other sites
iiyamadude 6 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Under $150. Er, this is Japan....... they tend to use yen here. Link to post Share on other sites
Nisoko 6 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 He's talking about Niseko! Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 $150 is still wasting $150 on abused rental stuff. Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 save that for a decent meal one evening. Link to post Share on other sites
seemore 66 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 They take AU$ in Niskeo isn't that acceptable currency Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 soooo....how much IS $150?? Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 14k with change for US$ 13k with change for A$ Price for a good meal for 2 with drinks. Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 or 100 cans of beer squatting outside Seicomart. Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 which is s damn waste if spent on rental gear. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 No time for Takkyubin. Unless you have luggage weight hassles, then take your own. Transporting it to Niseko is easy, as WVS says. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Think I'll start quoting prices in foreign currency....Polish Zoltys should fit the bill Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Link to post Share on other sites
IntrepidNooks 1 Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Thank you so much for all the input. My husband wants to rent, I prefer bringing out own. Decisions, decisions! My skis are fairly fat, so I expect they would be as good as what I would be renting. There will be an additional charge for bringing our own (extra baggage cost). Takkyubin delivery service is an awesome idea - especially because it looks like I could drop it off at the airport in Tokyo (we'll be there for four days before heading to Hokkaido), and then bring them back with us (which is easy because we fly out of narita the same day as our flight from Hokkaido). You guys are tremendous. Thanks! Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Oh...if you have 4 days in Tokyo then Takkyubin makes heaps of sense! Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Have a great trip! I'm on a first name basis with the takkyubin dude in my area (I use the same company every time). Every time I travel anywhere in this country and I'm not going by car, I send my stuff with them. It's usually a good idea to let your accommodation know that you're going to send your stuff. Quite often it'll be waiting in your room when you arrive! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
IntrepidNooks 1 Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 Black Mountain - Thanks so much for the tip. I finally sorted out my accomodations (if you saw my other thread there was a hiccup). I am starting to get very excited! Link to post Share on other sites
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