nzlegend 1 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Just got the December issue of the great magazine 'Kansai Time Out' delivered and the first thing I see when open two is a two page Travel article (read commercial) plugging Yuzawa. The writer it seems works for a travel website that primarily attracts punters to Yuzawa and the site gets a huge plug in the more information section at the end. SnowJapan got a mere two line mention. SnowJapan is the premiere site for all things snow, you guys deserve more kudos, though it seems the other guys in Yuzawa stole the limelight this time. This is the first article I have seen in local Gaijin magazine pushing Yuzawa, all the others I can recall were the Hakuba or snow in general ones. Could a Yuzawa - Hakuba rivalry been in the making or am I just rambling? Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 nah not really Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Its enough of a hike from Kansai to Hakuba without going to Yuzawa. There's the shink, but that's big money. I went to Naeba from Amagasaki once maybe 10 years ago, but I don't really remember. I do remember that my Japanese mate had one of those speed gun detectors in his car and didn't spare the horses. Things will be better now with the Internet, but a lot of gaijin in Japan aren't very clued up. If anyone can hook such people up with good times, then good on em, I suppose. As for the SJ thing, I bet the guy also didn't tell people to simply pick up brochures at any travel agent. Or from that wall on the approach to Umeda Loft, somewhere every gaijin in Osaka will know. They always used to have hundreds of brochures there. Japanese packages always used to be good, but I'd imagine that they are incredible value now. Link to post Share on other sites
dizzy 0 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by SG: This is the first article I have seen in local Gaijin magazine pushing Yuzawa, all the others I can recall were the Hakuba or snow in general ones. last dec/jan, a magazine called Outdoor Japan had an article on niigata, and yuzawa had a fair share. i wanna see the new Time Out, will check it out! Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 that site pays SJ to advertise people you can link to it from the main pages. Link to post Share on other sites
nzlegend 1 Posted November 30, 2006 Author Share Posted November 30, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by Mr Wiggles: Its enough of a hike from Kansai to Hakuba without going to Yuzawa. the article was mainly pushing Kansai users to fly to Niigata and then get a shuttle bus to Yuzawa. It listed JAL and ANA flights from Itami. Didnt mention aball park figure for cost of flights though. Link to post Share on other sites
SnowJapan Admin SnowJapan#Andrew 6 Posted November 30, 2006 SnowJapan Admin Share Posted November 30, 2006 I think we'll manage not claiming the limelight Of course, Snow Japan is not trying to "sell" Yuzawa or any other one region in particular, beds, tickets, tours or other business, and so anyone doing their bit trying to run businesses getting people to the slopes is cool with us. We get a lot of publicity in many things like this and often times we don't even know about it. The bottom line is that even if we don't get mentioned in any particular article, people who get interested in winter sports in any region of Japan by reading about it somewhere and go online will usually very easily find out about us. I find it very interesting how much feedback and links (when something is online) we get from things like this - when the feedback is usually a one-day or one-week effect. Sometimes it is quite literally next to nothing and sometimes it is huge. It really gives you a very clear idea of how many people are actually reading things (rather than the marketing numbers people often throw around). (A shuttle bus from Niigata airport to Yuzawa?!) Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Kansai people will stick to Gifu and Nagano, its a 3 hour drive to gifu and a 5 hour drive to Nagano. Its a bit of a silly idea I think to ask people to fly there. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 supposedly my mate can get me cheap flights from Itami to Chitose... If its cheap and much quicker than a bus/car then it might be a good option for some people. Link to post Share on other sites
sanjo 2 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Quote: shuttle bus from Niigata airport to Yuzawa? What an absurd idea! That in itself might take like 2+ hours in winter, even if it's on the expressway. Might be ok for me, but I live here. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 its never that quick you have the train to itami at least an hours check-in, 30 minutes check out flight time etc plus 2 hours drive to anywhere in hokks. Tats used to do it and at least once a year he got burned for work. Link to post Share on other sites
nzlegend 1 Posted November 30, 2006 Author Share Posted November 30, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by SnowJapan.Com#1: (A shuttle bus from Niigata airport to Yuzawa?!) oops my bad the word was 'connecting' ont shuttle. Fattwins, Kyoto is about 5 hours. Nara and Osaka is about 6+ (there is a lot of slow traffic between) thats a lot of driving, I really dont know how you always did it every weekend. I did it once this summer and it was more than enough. I have to admit a one hour flight actually looks bloody attractive. When you think about it a night bus is 10500 - 13000 return. Highways tolls and gas 15,000plus per car? a 20000yen 1 hour flight is not that unrealistic. Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by SG: When you think about it a night bus is 10500 - 13000 return. Highways tolls and gas 15,000plus per car? a 20000yen 1 hour flight is not that unrealistic. Especially if you are the driver! Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 thats the thing all added up its not one hour really now is it. I did it cause i love the area and there is nothing better than here in Japan for skiing. the cost is higher than 15000 more like 20000 for a car. With 2 people its much better. I know people that did flight things like this but gave up and returned to the car. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by Creek Boy: supposedly my mate can get me cheap flights from Itami to Chitose... If its cheap and much quicker than a bus/car then it might be a good option for some people. A quick look on Yahoo suggests you can get flights to Chitose, connections to Niseko, and two nights accom full board for under 35,000, even over the weekend in January. That would give you two full days and the nighta. Simply parking a car in central Kansai can easily cost a fortune. Tack on all the other costs of car ownership (aside from tolls and petrol) and the upshot is that the average KTO reader will not have a car. Even supercheap s/h cars need parking fees, insurance, road tax, shaken, .... Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Mr wiggles how about the matsumoto fly in? Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Possible, but only one flight a day though, isnt it? They're aren't many fast connections to Hakuba from Matsumoto either. Buses from Chitose to Kiroro or Niseko leave very often. Fukuoka - Matsumoto and you're talking big difference to driving or train. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 the train isnt so long though to get to Hakuba stn from Matsumoto...what was it, like an hour or less? Link to post Share on other sites
nzlegend 1 Posted November 30, 2006 Author Share Posted November 30, 2006 I wish Hakuba was 1-2 hours away, but such is life. They also mentioned in the article flights from the new Kobe airport. If you lived in North Osaka or Kobe, they are pretty close to the airports. My firend nearby flies to Zao every year, reckons its the only way to go. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 There are only about 15 trains a day. Its an hour on the express, but there are only maybe three a day. It takes an hour and is 2500 one way. One hour 40 minutes on the local (1100 yen). Its 12:30 now and if I got the next train which is the express, I wouldn't arrive till 2:40. Tack on an extra 30 minutes for the bus to the airport. Maybe the best option for Kansai people would be to rent a medium-sized car and drive to Nagano. Link to post Share on other sites
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