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cmorrison


Posts: 1121
Joined: Sep 2007
Last Visited: 10:36
21st Apr 2021
Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 21.06hrs on Tue 13 Nov 12
Has anyone been skiing in Japan?

I've been over to Japan a few times to Tokyo this year with work and with a trip planned for January I'm hoping to take a weekend to go do some snowboarding.

Does anyone have any recommendations or pointers? Anyone used these guys? [www.tokyosnowclub.com]

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

daveski


Posts: 1506
Joined: Jan 2008
Last Visited: 10:01
28th Apr 2019
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 13.39hrs on Wed 14 Nov 12
An appropiate post - looking into Japan myself - Sister is in Australia and skis in New Zeland which is kind of prohibitive from UK/Ireland and Japan came up as an alternative. They have friends that rtave about Japan, I will see what in info I can get from them - obvioulsy only resort realted info.


Freeheel


Posts: 337
Joined: Feb 2007
Last Visited: 12:20
22nd Dec 2016
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 19.35hrs on Wed 14 Nov 12
I've been thinking about Japan for a while with this recent indy article whetting my appetite further.

[www.independent.co.uk]

It would be a big trip (plus cost wise) and not sure a week would do it justice but if you got it right it could be the experience of a lifetime (think snorkel) etc.

To date I've found reasons not to go (good snow in the alps/mates can't come etc) however its still high on the wish list so if anyone has been or goes please report back.

Freeheel

cmorrison


Posts: 1121
Joined: Sep 2007
Last Visited: 10:36
21st Apr 2021
Re: Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 21.02hrs on Wed 14 Nov 12
Yep would be extortionate if work weren't paying for the flights and accommodation in Tokyo.

Feel I've got to take the opportunity next time I'm over.

Chris

seocan


Posts: 58
Joined: Mar 2009
Last Visited: 12:35
12th Jun 2016
Re: Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 21.06hrs on Wed 14 Nov 12
The skiing is powder-tastic. The cost of living is absolutely brutal.

Hipennine


Posts: 1061
Joined: Dec 2005
Re: Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 11.25hrs on Thu 15 Nov 12
Hokkaido Island is the place for powder, but Niseko is mobbed by aussies. Rusutsu is smaller and way quieter (the aussies for some reason all come to Rusutsu on day trips from Niseko on Thursdays), and there are no real steep steeps, but you can ski/board anywhere (unlike most Jap resorts where tree skiing can lead to loss of lift pass, etc.), and the snow is the best I've experienced anywhere. You can spend all your time glade skiing in light pow for weeks.

However, for Cmorrison out of Tokyo, the most convenient has to be Yuzawa which has its own Shinkansen railway station attached to the Gondola station. (tip: as a foreign visitor, investigate getting a JR East railpass for 4 days, which works out cheaper than for eg one return trip on a longer shinkansen journey).

The snow can be exceptional at the snowcentres accessible from Tokyo, but it can also be not so good. I'd recommend checking out Nozawa Onsen for the experience and ambience (but it's expensive, and the aussies have also discovered it), and the Hakuba valley (Happo One, etc.) for variety (and relatively low cost). Both are about 3 hours by train/bus from Tokyo via Nagano.

I did investigate going to Myoko, which also had some low cost hotel accommodation.

Generally, cost of living in the resorts is way lower than Tokyo, and if you are prepared to stay in Japanese guest houses, can be very low accommodation costs, but no good if you value privacy !

www.snowjapan.com is a really useful info source.

Hipennine


Posts: 1061
Joined: Dec 2005
Re: Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 11.26hrs on Thu 15 Nov 12
Some pics (1st one is typical rusutsu weather):





Edited 1 times. Last edit at 11.37hrs Thu 15 Nov 12 by Hipennine.

Attachments: 100_0632.jpg (223kB)   happo one.jpg (49kB)   nozawa.jpg (36kB)   rusutsu mt yotei.jpg (54kB)  
Nelbert


Posts: 281
Joined: Oct 2009
Last Visited: 16:26
23rd Aug 2015
Re: Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 22.10hrs on Thu 15 Nov 12
I have looked into it, and I've got a perfect excuse to go as the girlfriends dad lives in Japan. Just a case of finding the dosh now. Not quite so easy.....

Niseko is where I looked. 20ft of powder a season will do me. And what's wrong with Aussies? They can be a bit loud at times, but certainly not worse than the southern englandshire toff twats I see in the French Alps year in year out.

Will get this done at some point.

cmorrison


Posts: 1121
Joined: Sep 2007
Last Visited: 10:36
21st Apr 2021
Re: Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 09.43hrs on Fri 16 Nov 12
I think as work will be in Tokyo and pretty hectic I'm probably restricted to going somewhere on Honshu rather than Hokkaido, plus when I looked last year flights from Tokyo to Sapporo were pretty steep!

My thoughts are to go somewhere around Nagano. I'm either going to take the shinkansen over or go either of these weekends
[www.tokyosnowclub.com]
[www.tokyosnowclub.com]




Freeheel


Posts: 337
Joined: Feb 2007
Last Visited: 12:20
22nd Dec 2016
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 11.32hrs on Fri 16 Nov 12
Hippenine, thanks for the pics which just confirm my thoughts that Japans a must do sometime thumbs up Its the when and how and how much I need to figure out!

Freeheel

Hipennine


Posts: 1061
Joined: Dec 2005
Re: Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 13.43hrs on Fri 16 Nov 12
Nelbert Wrote:

Niseko is where I looked. 20ft of powder a season will do me. And what's wrong with Aussies? They can be a bit loud at times, but certainly not worse than the southern englandshire toff twats I see in the French Alps year in year out.

Will get this done at some point.


Agree about the southern englandshire toff twats - in fact they are much worse.

The problem with the aussie invasion in Japan is that their arrival tends to push up the prices in the "favoured" resorts, and as far as Niseko is concerned, although there are a lot of lifts, they are mostly rather antique and very low capacity, so queues can be a bit of a problem (note most Jap resort hills are practically deserted Mon - fri). Their behaviour can also generally be of the lager lout/boorish variety big time, and that is a definite no-no with the locals, and the local perception of all european types can be influenced by that. Japan is a very polite society !

However, if you can seperate yourself from the aussies, the reception from the locals can be absolutely fantastic. The atmosphere of mountainous rural Japan is completely different to the mania that is Tokyo, people are great, and the food is fantastic.

oldagedpredator


Posts: 635
Joined: Mar 2006
Last Visited: 18:17
19th Feb 2021
Re: Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 13.58hrs on Wed 21 Nov 12
Japan powder film, yest there is this much powder:

[video.patagonia.com]

Exciting even if I haven't a clue how to ski it.

Freeheel


Posts: 337
Joined: Feb 2007
Last Visited: 12:20
22nd Dec 2016
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 21.56hrs on Wed 21 Nov 12
Sheeesh that's just pure ski porn - lucky barstewards! moody smiley

alan


Posts: 10768
Joined: Nov 1994
Last Visited: 17:02
27th Mar 2024
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 22.29hrs on Wed 21 Nov 12
If you're curious what Japan can offer, come along to Warren Miller's Flow State over the next few weeks, one of the longer segments was filmed on Hokkaido. See www.winterhighland.info/flowstate for show details.

oldagedpredator


Posts: 635
Joined: Mar 2006
Last Visited: 18:17
19th Feb 2021
Re: Skiing in Japan
Date Posted: 14.12hrs on Thu 22 Nov 12
Which reminds me, must get a ticket for Bo'Ness.

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