Fun Villages in Nagano

[NoFakie 45]

Folk used to go out in the bubble era, so you get bars and discos dating from back then. People used to go out after eating in the pensions and whathaveyou.

 

It didn't last long though.

[boardbaka 3]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Toque:



That was a good read JH

I agree Toque. classic sounds like how homer simpson would reply! Speaking of which this link is classic.

www.homer.isneo.com

[Fattwins 0]

The young kids are going out a bit more again but choices are rare. I like a nice pub feel, a few beers with mates chatting about the day. I also dont mind an hour in the onsen with a few beers if allowed.

[Oyuki kigan 0]

Isn`t there still that dance club in Hakuba (by Happoone)? When i went there 5 years ago it was pretty good

[Ocean11 0]

It's often fruitless to go looking specifically for that 'traditional' Japanese experience because it hardly exists anymore and it's unlikely to be satisfying, especially if you're trying to combine it with a sport that is essentially non-traditional. It's generally best to do your planned activity and enjoy what little bits and pieces of Japanese culture you stumble across while doing that. I've been camping in the summer in Togakushi and while it's a nice enough place, if you go there hoping to see the soul of Japan, you'll go home disappointed.

 

As for going somewhere else and being respectful, you could have tried a pinch more respect here instead of condemning everybody in that hysterical, off-target fashion.

[SnowConnection 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Mr Wiggles:
Folk used to go out in the bubble era, so you get bars and discos dating from back then. People used to go out after eating in the pensions and whathaveyou.

It didn't last long though.

MrW, you are right. Even 30 years ago, we saw a lot of people (age teens to 30) at streets/discos/bars of Naeba ski resort. Long long lines at ski lifts were. Now, they are at age 40 to 60, and most of them never come back. The successors prefer to TV games & cellphones. They do not like to have "activities with sweat". I saw a Canadian guy (age 40's) at a mountain lodge last year. He said he let his children learn one sport and one musical instrument, which impressed me.

[NoFakie 45]

SnowConnection

 

Maybe I'm too soft, but I won't point the finger at young people. The kids are all right! I blame foreign travel. Why spend ages to get a train from Kansai to Nagano, say, when you can fly to Korea in a shorter time with a cheaper ticket? If you drive to Nagano, then you'll pay far more tax than the person who jumps on the plane. Cars may be a "bad", but planes are much worse.

 

A good number of people go to places that are not as nice as places in Japan, so its not simply a case of overseas always being "nicer" or "better", or even "cheaper" depending on the location and the total cost. In some cases, overseas is simply "different", itself a big attraction. For most people, a few days in Bangkok, an exciting place but also the world's most polluted city, beats a few days at a nice spot in Japan. In addition to the "cool points" of overseas travel, flights have become far cheaper in the past few years. I remember paying 140,000 yen for a "budget" ticket to go Osaka-Delhi in 1993. It'll be about half that now.

 

Overseas travel is a great eyeopener, so I'm not against it at all. I'm sure its opening up a lot of young Japanese peoples' minds. However it takes money away from domestic travel, a sector that developed huge capacity during the economic and ski bubbles. It's something you definitely have to consider when talking about tourism. It's not just playstations and cellphones.

[minus 1]

Very well put Mr Wiggles.

 

I'm not keen myself on visiting a karaoke/bar that looks like it is right from the 70's.

[johndknm 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Toque:
Sava can you help me find a thread???

I'm looking for a thread about Niseko, Niigata, Nagano or Gifu where a newbie doesn't come on here asking general questions and then goes away after 3 posts

I think I came and stayed. Oh, and Nozawa turned out to be a fabulous place too..bit dead at night though...

JH try maruken-sansou for a place to stay, close to the gondola base. Uphill from the main street.

[1st plum 0]

The Plum family like Nozawa the best of the lot. Really nice place, friendly people (well the ones we met).

[bettyx 0]

aah this thread is funny.

 

LOUD, the club down at happo, was pretty big on weekends, i heard, but i never actually went down there. it seemed to get going late (after midnight). my friends were working up in the private room, they put on a heap of makeup & sat around with the special guests, just chatting & doing whatever non-sexual hostesses do. (what the hell do they do anyway?)

 

ps. if yr making jerseys, i want a #3 on mine.

[enderzero 0]

It is possible to find the euro-american camaraderie you are looking for if you stay at one of the gaijin pensions and meet some people. You never know what mediocre "club" you might end up at. Of course, just a walk to a local restaurant or bar can turn into a pretty fun night out, even without all the expensive après options of the big village resorts outside of Japan. Is that Japanese? Well maybe not in a Kurosawa kind of way - but it is still a Japanese experience and certainly can be a lot of fun. It seems we all agree that "traditional Japanese experience" and "Whistler like village fun" are completely conflicting ideas. Decide where you want to go based on the mountains and not the "villages" and you will surely have a good time.

 

Arai has a village.