muikabochi 208 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 In the past, a number of folk who were unable to take off their marketing hats posted on here. Mostly exaggerating conditions, telling people to book early to avoid disappointment because it's filling up fast, forever epic bottomless conditions, etc. Almost always cheesy. (But not in a 'good cheese' way!) It was quite amusing but confusing and misleading for people who didn't know what/who they were. Something like that! Link to post Share on other sites
Gunma Boarder 14 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Deep down I guess I was hoping for something a little less obvious and more intimate than Hakuba. Would love to hear about good early season alternatives that are good for a weeks skiing Nozawa is really nice for both skiing and enjoying the town. Very nice feel about the place. Pleasantly touristy with lots of hot spring hotels. Might also think about the resorts around Mt. Myoko which are pretty close by. I have never been in winter but I did have a good time there in summer also have the hot spring hotels. Really beautiful mountain and nice little town. Could probably do Nozawa and the Myoko area in one trip. Yuzawa is another great option with lots of hills but during Christmas time Kagura might be the best option due to it getting the most snow. It also has hot spring hotels. Noticing a patern in my thinking Nothing like a hot spring after the mountain. Those would probably be the best options besides the Hakuba valley and Hokkaido. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
u-tan 2 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 I spent nearly a week around Christmas at Myoko in the 12/13 season. There are a few options to keep you busy there. Snow was... iffy that early. We had one huge all night/all day dump which meant two great days and 2 average ones over the 5 days or so we were there. The day we were leaving it was melting hard. I am pretty sure all of the resorts were open by that time this season but I am not sure how good conditions were. I would say Myoko is a nice place but a bit of a gamble at that time. Link to post Share on other sites
TsugaikeKogen 79 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Tsugaike Kogen Link to post Share on other sites
timnz 0 Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 That would be the case for lesser resorts, but for the Big N, be cautious and check 12 months beforehand. Will avoid Niseko, the wife would prefer somewhere a little less Australian and a little more Kegani. After all if we want a resort full of pissed Aussies we have Queenstown for 10% of the Japan fare. Thinking splitting the week between Rusutsu and Furano, Perhaps Rusutsu first followed by Furano as wifey will be ski'd out after 3 days and in need of coffee shops. As I understand it Rusutsu dosn't have much of a town other than the hotels. Is this right? Presume booking accom in these two places can be done at fairly short notice? That way if snow is thick on the Honshu ground we can do something a little more local and economical. Link to post Share on other sites
timnz 0 Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 Deep down I guess I was hoping for something a little less obvious and more intimate than Hakuba. Would love to hear about good early season alternatives that are good for a weeks skiing Nozawa is really nice for both skiing and enjoying the town. Very nice feel about the place. Pleasantly touristy with lots of hot spring hotels. Might also think about the resorts around Mt. Myoko which are pretty close by. Yup Nozawa Onsen is heavily marketed here as being the quieter more traditional alternative to Hakuba. Certainly interested if there is snow on the ground, and Myoko another option. Maybe should buy some snow tyres for the old banger as needs new wheels anyway and defy all advice and drive up that way if snow looks good. what could possibly go wrong... Link to post Share on other sites
gvm3373 4 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Myoko was very crowded with foreign visitors this year and that's being polite about it. If this is the future trend then I would not recommend going there. Link to post Share on other sites
634-maru 4 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 If you aren't being polite about it...? Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Pretty ironic. Gaijins complaining about gaijins. Link to post Share on other sites
timnz 0 Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 Xmas flights to Japan booked 20 Dec to Jan 8th so hopefully a week before New Year and maybe a couple of days after New Year if not bankrupt before. Will be there May/Jun too flying back in time for opening of season here. Gonna be an expensive year... Now back to the mundane that is life in the meantime.. Link to post Share on other sites
best skier in hakuba 5 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Mt Granview? Link to post Share on other sites
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