perpio 0 Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 hey guys! I'm planning to go to Hakuba for next season, but i've never been before, whats the place like? how do you access the mountains(hakuba47) from the village/town? i figured japan would be an interesting place to do a season, so i shall be there from october anyone else do the season there? i'll be traveling alone alas Link to post Share on other sites
gamera 0 Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by Lyndon: hey guys! I'm planning to go to Hakuba for next season, but i've never been before, whats the place like? -It's a deep mountain in a countryside, but there are some shops here and there, so not that inconvenient. As to ski slopes, let's say there are many and each and every one is unique. You can refer this thread below. Bushpig put a nice pic there. http://www.snowjapanforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/1/6527.html? Quote: Originally posted by Lyndon: how do you access the mountains(hakuba47) from the village/town? - By shuttle bus. Quote: Originally posted by Lyndon: i figured japan would be an interesting place to do a season, so i shall be there from october -Haha October is a bit too early to enjoy snow, I guess Link to post Share on other sites
TJ OZ 0 Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 This lodge offers working holidays. The owners are great and speak english and a really nice place to stay. http://www.avis.ne.jp/~azekura/english/index.html Snowbeds may be able to help you out with cheap long term accomodation. Maybe PM fattwins for some additional info. You won't be disappointed with the place Big mountains big snowfall. Night life seems to be picking up the last three seasons I've been. You will have a great time I'm sure. Link to post Share on other sites
perpio 0 Posted March 26, 2006 Author Share Posted March 26, 2006 Well i dont think mid october will be too early if i dont intend to stay in a backpackers. i want to rent a room in a house, much cheaper. Figured i need to get there early before all the rooms are taken, dont wanna be spending 50k yen a month on a shared room and the mountains in new zealand close mid oct, so theres no point staying around. I guess i can get a season pass for the shuttle bus? work wont be a problem anyway, so long as i have my internet connection my job here in the UK will be paying me to snowboard all day i'm still quite nervous about going to a non english speaking country though for such a long period, i hope i dont end up with no friends cos i cant speak their language. Link to post Share on other sites
Mudguts 0 Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 Lyndon. Don't waste your time at 47 or Goryu. There's so many other better resorts in the area like Happo,Iwatake and Tsugaike amongst others. Enjoy! Link to post Share on other sites
perpio 0 Posted March 26, 2006 Author Share Posted March 26, 2006 I see, they are all easy to get to from Hakuba? or are there other villages i should consider living in? its not really the kind of country where i just want to turn up and see whats going down i've been trawling the next for weeks and to be honest i havnt found much in the way of reviews and descriptions of the resorts, so figured a forum would be the best place to quiz people on the other hand, i'm more and more tempted to just go to the US cos japan is gonna be way harder for me alone. Link to post Share on other sites
marnix 0 Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 From the SJ main page 'info about Hakuba': Hakuba is arguably the most popular winter sports region in Honshu and is a collection of great snow resorts. There are a number of ski areas lined up along a 30-kilometer stretch of mountains. Within the Hakuba village area are found resorts the likes of Happo-one, Iwatake, Tsugaike, Sun Alpina, Goryu, Hakuba 47.... and the list goes on. Link to post Share on other sites
perpio 0 Posted March 26, 2006 Author Share Posted March 26, 2006 Which 1 resort would you guys recomend me choosing to get a season pass for then? i dont really want to buy multiple season passes, bit expensive. Link to post Share on other sites
igloo 3 Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 Have a read through some of the reviews that have been posted Lyndon ( here ). Link to post Share on other sites
marnix 0 Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 Igloo you beat me to saying exactly the same. Link to post Share on other sites
Davo 1 Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 I don't agree with your write off for 47/Goryu Mudguts-it's a great resort and has some awesome backcountry/tree terrain. Just gotta watch out for the patrol if you're off the trails inside the resort. Anyway a 5 minute hike off the top of the lift and you're not breaking any rules. Happo, Iwatake, Tsugaike, and Cortina are all great resorts too, and recently I've been favoring Happo over anywhere else. As you're going in October you have plenty of time to suss out the scene and choose the best season pass option for you. Don't worry too much about finding your way about once you're there-it isn't that difficult. You could do a lot worse than checking out the advice from TJOZ. As far as I know Snowbeds will give you a deal for 35,000 or so for a month. Meanwhile do a few keyword searches of the site, there's plenty of info and you won't find anywhere better than right here. Link to post Share on other sites
perpio 0 Posted March 28, 2006 Author Share Posted March 28, 2006 I guess my best bet is to just turn up and see what passes other people are buying for the season, hopefully i'll find a good house with some english speakers to live with. And hopefully for half the price of a hostel (snowbeds is around 60,000). I'm sure someone will be helpfull enough to translate public notice boards for me anyway I'll probably just go with hakuba47 anyway, though it sounds very busy from the reviews, but i wont be riding on the weekends anyway so it should be ok. But i plan to go wherever everyone else is going, dont wanna be a loner Link to post Share on other sites
rach 1 Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 You've got a lot of time to decide where to get a ticket to, so I'd say its a good idea to stick around here and soak it all in Link to post Share on other sites
perpio 0 Posted March 30, 2006 Author Share Posted March 30, 2006 i guess so, i'll have like a month and so, but i wanna buy pre season passes to save a few quid i think i'll prolly go with happo and 47, but i'll see what people say when i get to NZ in june, lots of japanese riders in methven Link to post Share on other sites
SnowConnection 0 Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 Temporary doc for you. http://www.geocities.jp/snownihon/Temp/TempHakubaResort.htm A problem is local tranportation. The shuttle busses are free, but each bus services only each accomodation area. So far, three of Goryu, 47 and Happo are close in distance. Iwatake is some close to Happo. You may see access problem for Tsugaike when staying at Happo/Goryu/47/Misorano region. There are JR trains which run few times a day. Taxi is expensive. You are happy if you have a car or rent-a-car when visting Tsugaike, Sun-Alpina and Cortina. Link to post Share on other sites
gogalago 0 Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 You are labouring under one major misconception, that might change your plans considerably: You will NOT get a room in a house with fellow travellers; there is no rush to get a room before they are all taken, because there simply aren't any to begin with - that concept just doesn't exist here. Backpackers are your best option, and if you are willing to shovel a bit of snow, you might get it for free... Bear in mind that the 2004/2005 season only started on christmas day, so you are not going to enjoy lurking about in Hakuba for potentially 2 months - nightlife is subminimal at peak and there's nothing going on til the season starts, so unless you are really into hiking you are likely to end up pretty bored. Unlike NZ the resorts are literally in the village - there are hotels down the side of the bottom runs, so the shuttle bus isn't an hours ride like methven/queenstown, and as the buses are free you don't need an extra season ticket for that... on season passes though I am surprised at mudguts' advice - I think you will be wanting a 47/goryu pass... if you ski you might go with happo instead... while the other resorts all have their good points (and you should definiitely visit all during your stay) you will regret having a pass elsewhere... Another big issue you will have to research is what kind of visa are you intending to come on? Not sure if the UK has a working holiday visa (don't think it does), but otherwise you are going to be limited to 90 days tourist visa, so doing the season is going to be a hassle, especially if you want to start it in october - aim for mid to late december, and enjoy your private room and the blue bar in methven until then! Link to post Share on other sites
perpio 0 Posted March 31, 2006 Author Share Posted March 31, 2006 i had worried that the whole house sharing option wasnt available, but no-one had told me it wasnt when i asked. alas i dont have a private room in methven either, but its all good. time wise... i dont mind being stuck there for a few months with nothing to do, cos i'll just work long hours and build up my money pot. Are there any boardercross comps gonna be on in the region or is it all going to be style comps? i guess i'll have to get a working visa, seems a shame to waste it though when i wont be working for a japanese company, for brits, we only get to apply once for a working holiday visa, meaning if i want to come back again for another season, its gonna be hard i expect. looks like i'll have to pay the harsh backpacker fees anyway, but i'll survive i am sure, as you say, at least the buses are free... a bit of a novelty as i havnt been riding in europe for a while anyway thanks for the input, very helpfull. Link to post Share on other sites
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