fb_steve 0 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 hey, need some advice please! i've done two trips to niskeo hirafu with my parents and i HAVE to get back to japan for the upcoming season. i'm a student and this time im planning to bring my girfriend with me. ive got a few questions and it would be really appreciated if anyone can help im tossing up between niseko, which ive been to twice, and maybe hakuba? i havent been there but it sounds great! we will be on a really tight budget, probably 10 days snowboarding and 7 days travelling in tokyo or something. basically i cant decide if we should go tokyo then train to hakuba, or instead fly from tokyo to sapporo and then do niseko. i was thinking about renting a car but realised its bloody expensive! maybe i should try and hire one from someone on the forums niseko is getting destoryed by aussies, is hakuba more of a cultural experience? i love getting imersed in the japanese culture ect. does one pass cover all of the resorts in hakuba like happo? are there sights to see around and on the trip to hakuba when we're not on the slopes? also, can anyone direct me to cheap accomodation in tokyo, backpakerstyle but not dorm-style? any advice would help, ive got a million more questions but ill stop before it gets to long. cheers , steve Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 If you wanna hire somebody ask Fattwins But, you will have to fight Markie for him though if he comes back from H.K. again If you want a chilled place with your GF, then maybe Nozawa would be nice. Good food, awesome onsen but not much else out there. Since your planning on visiting Honshu you might as well just stay around here and hit up someplace like Nagano or Niigata. Esp. since you can buy a rail pass before coming; that would enable you to avoid having to fly up to Hokkaido for skiing when you can Shink it around Honshu. Anywhere around Hakuba is epic too - not to mention some really good restaurants up there. Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Pick up a Lonely Planet for the Tokyo stuff Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Quote: Originally posted by Toque: Pick up a Lonely Planet for the Tokyo stuff Fly into Tokyo and then leave - there are many other nicer areas to visit than that concrete jungle. Link to post Share on other sites
fb_steve 0 Posted June 15, 2005 Author Share Posted June 15, 2005 thanks for the help guys, ive seen tokyo a bit already so we wouldnt spend too long in the city i totally agree Yamakashi. It might be worth getting a car but they are like 8,000Y a day! So much more felxibility to travel with one though! with the hakuba resorts does one ski pass cover all of them? it would be ideal if we could go to an area within travelling distance from tokyo with more that one resort on the same pass. any ideas? cheers! Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 The resorts in Hakuba arn't layed out like they are in Niseko The hills are mostly on different mountains so you probably arn't going to want to leave one resort and go to another on the same day. Just have to buy day passes if you plan on exploring the different hills. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 iwatake, happo and tsugaike have a linked pass. it works out to like 40 or 50 auzzie a day. A car would be nice in a place like hakuba but you dont need one. there are buses its just a matter of finding when and where from your hotels. Most of the mountains in hakuba are interesting enough to keep you happy for the day. Happo has very long top to bottom courses that are 3000 plus vertical and average of 30 degrees not bad, try to do it without stopping. Do not hire a car for tokyo. and if you buy a rail pass you can always move around anywhere you want. If you come to kyoto and im here I could be able to meet you. Link to post Share on other sites
fb_steve 0 Posted June 19, 2005 Author Share Posted June 19, 2005 awesome, cheers for the help.. i didnt get to read it til today i had to reformat my computer (go spyware!). if i set out about 15-17 days to travel starting at tokyo, does anyone have some suggestions to the layout of the trip.. id want like 4-5 days in tokyo and 7-8 days at a resort within travelling distance like hakuba. what would be some nice places to stop at b/w in beteen and maybe some day trips from hakuba? thanks! Link to post Share on other sites
cheeseman 1 Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 fbsteve, how important is cheese to your enjoyment of the resorts? If you need advice on that particular issue, feel free to ask! Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Quote: Originally posted by fb_steve: .. id want like 4-5 days in tokyo and 7-8 days at a resort within travelling distance like hakuba. what would be some nice places to stop at b/w in beteen and maybe some day trips from hakuba? thanks! Are you sure you didnt mean to say 4-5 hours in Tokyo?? Id say a really cool ski trip would be like 2-3 days at Hakuba, a couple of days at Shiga Kogen, and a couple at Nozawa Onsen. At Hakuba you could hit 47, Happo, and maybe Tsugaike. Shiga Kogen, Yakebitai or Yokoteyama Nozawa speaks for itself. IMHO, spending 4-5 days in Tokyo is a good waste of your trip, especially when there are nicer, cleaner, more historical places you could visit rather than that concrete jungle. I enjoy a night or two there to party but other than that... Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Harujuku(sp??) on the weekend is fun in Tokyo. Lots of things to look at. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 but hes bringing his GF with him Link to post Share on other sites
Hokkaidough 4 Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 She can go shopping Link to post Share on other sites
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