Day trip other than Gala?

[Coops 0]

Could anyone please recommend a resort besides Gala Yuzawa that can be visited for a day trip / one overnight from Tokyo? Occasionaly I have time off work when visiting tokyo and boarded Gala a couple of years ago. The convenience of Gala was superb, being able to hit the gondola right from the shinkansen station. Are there any similar possibilities? Thanks!

[Rag-Doll 0]

Anywhere in the Yuzawa area is suitable for a day trip from TY. Kagura via the Mitsumata ropeway is approx 10-15 min taxi ride from the Echigo Yuzawa station (Y2,000). Grab a couple of mates, split the fare and it's a good alternative to the shuttle bus.

 

Get the 7:10 am shinkansen - if you can't book line up early for a seat but even if you don't get a seat, the 7:10 is quite quick and you'll get there around 8:30. Go out of the Echigo Yuzawa station via the lefthand exit (as you walk through the ticket gate). Hail one of several taxis that are waiting there. Be sure to go straight out with no stuffing around (there is only a handful of taxis) to ensure you get a taxi. There are change rooms and coin lockers and gear rental at the Mitsumata ropeway building. There are other places near by that also rent if you can't wear Japanese sizes. You won't get first tracks but you it is possible to be on the snow by 9ish if you don't need to rent gear. Getting from Mitsumata to Yuzawa in the afternoon is a bit more of a scramble, but not really a problem and if you time it right you can be back in TY by 7.

[big-will 7]

Gala is the ultimate, but others in that area are good choice too. You might want to try some in north Gunma as well, maybe not quite as convenient and Hunter Mountain as well.

[skidaisuki 0]

I agree that Gala's most convenient but Rag-Doll's advice about Mitsumata is spot on, as Gala gets crowded precisely because it's so convenient....

[ProbablyaCrazyPerson 2]

And 1/3 of gala is not opening this season at all.

[skidaisuki 0]

The other thought is the resorts in Karuizawa (even closer time wise to Tokyo but on the Nagano shinkansen). Same problem as Gala though - and few posters here rate the ski-jos in Karuizawa as much good. Short and boring is the general rule.

 

If you can do an overnight trip and money's not such an issue you could easily go to Hakuba (via Nagano on the same shinkansen route). In a group you could share a taxi from Nagano and be skiing mid-morning from Tokyo on a Saturday.

[damian 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Rag-Doll:

Get the 7:10 am shinkansen - if you can't book line up early for a seat but even if you don't get a seat, the 7:10 is quite quick and you'll get there around 8:30. Go out of the Echigo Yuzawa station via the lefthand exit (as you walk through the ticket gate). Hail one of several taxis that are waiting there. Be sure to go straight out with no stuffing around (there is only a handful of taxis) to ensure you get a taxi. There are change rooms and coin lockers and gear rental at the Mitsumata ropeway building. There are other places near by that also rent if you can't wear Japanese sizes. You won't get first tracks but you it is possible to be on the snow by 9ish if you don't need to rent gear. Getting from Mitsumata to Yuzawa in the afternoon is a bit more of a scramble, but not really a problem and if you time it right you can be back in TY by 7.

You're out of control mate. I'm laughing after reading that. Mr Planning Geek reveals himself. Reminds me of me. Does he have time for a piss after the train or...?

And you forgot one bit: before getting in taxi, stick middle finger up at Snow Japan dotto comu web cam.

[Rag-Doll 0]

I like things organised. What's wrong with that?

 

I did that bloody trip so many times I could do it blindfolded.

 

I have a pathetically low tolerance for stuffing around or delays when it's snow time - it's the death of a thousand cuts, waiting for some "friend" to get his gear ready when there are fresh tracks to be had...snowboarding isn't a matter of life and death, it's more important than that!

[montoya 0]

for an easy convenient 1-day trip in the yuzawa region, kandatsu is pretty good. it's a bit small but there's lots of free shuttle buses, somewhat close to the station, good course variation and an onsen above the locker room. kagura is much more bare-bones about that stuff.

 

also when kagura shuts down because of the wind (which is quite often) there's a good chance kandatsu is still open, since it's in a more sheltered area.

[Rag-Doll 0]

Yeah, that's a good point Montoya - Kagura does get a bit iffy when the weather is bad. As a back up place Kandatsu is worthwhile.

[muikabochi 208]

I prefer Iwappara when the snow is good.

 

Kandatsu was half closed for huge chunks of last season. The place seems to be in tailspin.

[Rag-Doll 0]

Iwappara? Really? A part from the very top, is it anything but a beginner's place?

 

I think Kandatsu suffers a bit when there is too much snow - it has some ungroomed steepish areas that might be prone to sliding a bit. The top run to skiier's left and one of the front faces were roped off the few times I was there. The skiier's right of the front face had some nasty cracks in it.

 

It isn't my first choice in the area by any means. As bored as I got with Kagura, it just offered so many more opportunities than the other places around Yuzawa.

[muikabochi 208]

I like the top bit and the side bit of Iwappara, usually go a few times a season.

 

Ishiuchi Maruyama is a way better choice than Kandatsu anyway. I remember Kandatsu last season for a large amount of time it was like 30% open (and its not big in the first place!) Not keen.

[NoFakie 45]

Isn't Kandatsu under foreign ownership now? The reason I ask is that a lot of people seem to assume that if a foreign company took over a Hakuba resort, they would open more terrain. The theory goes that this would then bring more punters in.