Day trips from Tokyo

[Snufkin 0]

Hi all. I am relocating to Tokyo Japan this coming February, and I am keen to get snowboarding done. I am new to these forums, so please don't flame me if this has all been done/said before, but I would like info on day tripping to the snow from Tokyo. What are some decent areas I can day trip to? Can anyone point me to where I can find some cheap lift/bus packages?

[Fattwins 0]

I wont flame yeah man but Ill link you to a search and you can find out tons.

http://www.skijapanguide.com/cgi-bin/ubb...353-100131-6YGU

 

I would think 2 day trips its so much better for the money.

[klingon 10]

1 day - Gunma (Minakami area, Kusatsu), Niigata (Yuzawa area).

 

A bit further afield - Nagano (tons!), Myoko/Arai in Niigata, Yamagata? maybe

[damian 0]

It can be done really easily.

 

You can easily go as far as the harder to reach resorts in Hakuba such as Tsugaike Kogen. But you will not hit the snow until 10am and need to have your train-bus transfer down to a fine art in Nagano. Leave home at 4am and arrive back at 9pm. Yuzawa is a no brainer, but book your shinkansen tickets well in advance (like a week, not the day before) and get the earliest shink from Tokyo as the bus from Yuzawa to Kagura etc is not so reliable or frequent (at least that was my experience), so it helps to have spare time up your sleeve. I know of one idiot that took the shink to Nagano city then a taxi to Hakuba. He then did the same for the return trip.

 

You will find that depending on where you live in Tokyo, most of the hassle and time wasting is getting from your house to the shink seat in the morning. Local trains stop at every station at 4am and you usually have a 30 minute wait for the shink. Live near a shink station and you will rule the mountain and have at least 20 different sex partners per month. Or perhaps not.

[bigjimmystyle 0]

Dear Britain - your reply brings up a question. How exactly do you go about reserving a seat on the Shink if you live off-island? How important is it to do this, exactly? Thanks,

[damian 0]

In peak season I found that arriving at Tokyo station to buy a ticket on the early shink usually ended in disappointment, or standing the entire trip, or a shit fight for a seat, or turning up way too early and standing in line on the platform to ensure a seat... or a combo of these things. I personally like reserving a seat which allows you to lob up 10 minutes before departure, rock onto the train and go to sleep whilst every one else fights for a seat. Booking is not essential mind you, I have always managed to get to the mtns regardless of whether I booked or not, but it might mean sitting in the smokers car or buying a Green Car ticket or standing. I never pre-booked my return ticket though.

 

I used this for bookings and then would collect the tix at a local JR ticket station (not every JR station has a ticket office).

[Oyuki kigan 0]

don't go to Karuizawa.

[slow 0]

JR has discout Shinkansen ticket for day trip skiing.

It includes return Shinkansen ticket and 1day lift ticket. You can arrange what time you go and back and where to ski. I remember it was around 10000yen or so.

 

I am checking JR website everyday but can't find this ticket yet. Maybe they don't offer it untill Joetsu Shinkansen will be restored... It'll be after 28th of December.

It seems like I can't get discount Nagano Shinkansen ticket before then either... So, I'll take bus from Shinjuku when I go to Hakuba.

[sanjo 2]

 Quote:

Maybe they don't offer it untill Joetsu Shinkansen will be restored... It'll be after 28th of December

One problem Niigata faces right now is bad info, misunderstandings and bad rumors.

The Joestu Shinkansen has been ok from Tokyo to Yuzawa since just right after the events at the end of October. There was no damage to that at all.

Skiers/snowboarders do not need to go past Yuzawa - thats where they would get off anyway. It is fine, no problems, working, not broken, genki, running as normal, etc. And has been except for a very short period after the quake to the north in Chuetsu (and that was just a precaution, nothing to fix)

(It is only from Yuzawa to Nagaoka that was damaged near Nagaoka - and that will be back on 28th Dec.)

[slow 0]

So, it might be just because of the lack of snow.

I hoped to have daytrip skiing in Niigata to check my new skis before going to Hakuba. As soon as they start to sell discount Shinkansen ticket, I'll be there.

[damian 0]

I forgot the url for the shink tix:

 

http://www.world.eki-net.com/e_TrainSearch/e_Route.asp

[joshnii 2]

Good point sanjo.

 

Like when the actual quakes were happening, incorrect info and incorrect rumours can be very damaging and even dangerous.

[slow 0]

I found brochure of the discount Shinkansen ticket to Niigata, Nagano finally!

But the day trip before Hakuba will not happen if the weather will be like this next week...

[Markie 0]

If the weather continues like this, for my next week's trip to Hakuba, at least I can look forward to a nice dinner with sunrise and you, slow.

[sunrise 0]

er, as long as we don't postpone our trip for another week or more till there's a decent snow base, which is a consideration right now. We have to decide what we're doing by around the 20th. Can you stay a little longer?

 

Rach are you coming down to Haks between Xmas and NY? I'm sure Markie would love to take you out for dinner with us assuming we get there. Eh, Markie?

[frannyo 2]

I dunno rach, that Markie sounds like he's a bit of a player....

[slow 0]

Markie, I thought you were going to have nice dinner with echineko, she will not be there??

[sunrise 0]

That's for a different night

[Markie 0]

Echineko has not confirmed whether or not she will be going and even if she goes, she has 多い　彼氏。So she may not have time for me.