Day trip from Osaka

[Teege 0]

Ohayo !

 

My flight to the US stops over in Osaka...just wondering if there is a decent resort that can be done in a day or 2.

 

Domo.

[degsy 0]

what about places like biwako valley?

[NoFakie 45]

Like Degsy says there are resorts on the west side of Lake Biwa, such as Biwako Valley, Hakodateyama etc. You can also go snow shoeing up there if that's your thing. The courses are short, but hey, its close to the city. I think Biwako Valley is even open all night on Saturdays. You have to take a gondola to get up there, so it doesn't work out any cheaper than the resorts in Nagano, I'm afraid.

 

If I remember correctly, you can get up there in just over two hours from Osaka by car on the highway (though not from Kansai Airport that is well south of Osaka). If you don't want to rent a car, there are buses during the season. I think it costs something like 6,000 yen return from Umeda. The JR line that goes up near there doesn't have many trains and they're aren't many connecting buses, so plan ahead well if that's how you intend to go.

 

Osakaites should note that even if there's no snow, there's still some nice hikes up there. The leaves should be pretty nice at this time of year, and you get a good view across the lake. As another plus, it won't be anything like as crowded as famous autumn spots like Ohara, Kurama or that temple (forgotten name) near Shijijo on the Keihan line.

 

If you've got a couple of days, I would recommend trying a stopover bus trip to one of the Gifu resorts like Winghills or Katsuyama. If you've boarded or skied before, I think you'd have a much better time in Gifu.

[Teege 0]

NoFakie !

 

Thanks for the imformative reply. It will definitely help with my planning !

 

Thanks

 

Ps does that 6,000yen from Umeda include lift ticket by any chance !?!? just hoping

 

[This message has been edited by Teege (edited 24 October 2001).]