Japan... Again!

[kpc]

Indeed the snow adds a very different and in this part of the country quite rare dimension to these scenes. We were also in Kyoto 2 days ago and to get our first snowfall of the trip there and in Nara was a little surprising considering where we are spending the next week. Always happy to see some of the white stuff though! My partner wasn't so convinced...

I reckon we must have been there just about the same time as you: 12-16 Jan: Tokyo; 16-21 Jan: Osaka, we visited Hiroshima & Miyajima on 18 Jan, Kyoto on 19 Jan and Nara on 20 Jan ...this was our 4th trip to Japan and I would like to visit Sapporo and Okinawa next. After our great experience at Kurokawa-spa Ryokan-Kurokawaso Official website last Easter, i would like to try more Onsen retreats as well

 

[NoobFlyer]

I reckon we must have been there just about the same time as you: 12-16 Jan: Tokyo; 16-21 Jan: Osaka, we visited Hiroshima & Miyajima on 18 Jan, Kyoto on 19 Jan and Nara on 20 Jan ...this was our 4th trip to Japan and I would like to visit Sapporo and Okinawa next. After our great experience at Kurokawa-spa Ryokan-Kurokawaso Official website last Easter, i would like to try more Onsen retreats as well

Indeed, they are very similar dates to ours.I did a day trip around Sapporo at the end of my list trip and would love to return during the Snow Festival to see the ice sculptures and revisit a few of the locations that were closed for the New Years Holidays. I don't think my partner will let me come back during winter without at least one warm weather visit first though
Still so many more places to visit! But we are getting there slowly


As all of our trips so far have been skiing orientated, we've been lucky to have no shortage of awesome onsen experiences. Sitting in an outdoor onsen with snow falling around you is a spectacular way to end a day of skiing some of the best snow in the world.

 

[NoobFlyer]

Some shots from the trip back to Tokyo and around Odaiba.

Another spectacular angle of Fujisan.


I think this old girl is a little lost...


That's one big robot dude.

 

[NoobFlyer]

Day 9 - Tokyo to Hakuba

Not a terribly exciting day today with an early start to catch the only direct Shinjuku to Hakuba service so I'll try and provide some travel advice.
There are 2 well known options to get from Tokyo to Hakuba with the direct highway bus which is pretty cheap but slow and prone to delays in snowy weather. Also not the most comfortable. The other popular option is to take the Shinkansen out to Nagano then transfer via bus to Hakuba. The most expensive option as you need to pay for the shink and bus separately (though the shink is covered by a JR pass if you have one). The quickest option if you make a good connection at Nagano and the Shinkansen is the most comfortable way to travel. The bus to Hakuba lets this option down. However as it can get quite cramped when it is full and they have to use the fold down aisle seats.
The third option is the slower Azusa express train from Shinjuku to Hakuba direct via Matsumoto. This costs about the same as the shink to Nagano and is also covered by a JR pass but you don't need to pay the extra 1500 yen to catch the bus at the end. The problem with this option is the direct service all the way to Hakuba only leaves once a day from Shinjuku at 7:30. You can catch a faster Super Azusa to Matsumoto but then you need to transfer to a much slower local train to get to Hakuba. Even so this would still beat any option that includes a bus ride but maybe that's just me.
Another positive to this route is the train travels at a much gentler speed so you can appreciate the spectacular scenery you're weaving through even more

 

[amaroo]

Very nice TR with beautiful Photos. We're keen to re-visit Japan... your TR shows why.

 

[NoobFlyer]

Still another hour or so on the train until we reach Hakuba so I thought I'd pass on the photos my partner took on her flights to Tokyo on SQ. Turns out she is better at this than I am

SQ252 SYD-SIN
A333
Seat 36A







SQ636 SIN-HND
B772
Seat 37G


R2!!

 

[NoobFlyer]

One more shot from the train as we were approaching Hakuba.


Of course yours truly didn't think it would be too far to just walk from the station having vaguely remembered it only being 10 or so mins last year. Well he was wrong, more like a half hour walk but at least there was some stunning scenery to look at on the stroll

So we have finally arrived at our accommodation for the next 8 nights, Rosenheim Hotel Hakuba.

Sorry we were a little rushed to unload the gear and rest the feet so no room pics but it's a nice enough little place for us and we enjoyed it so much last year we decided to return. The real appeal of the Rosenheim is the proximity to the Happoone ski lifts (about 5 min walk) and the on-site onsen with indoor and outdoor areas, the latter having excellent views of the ski jump stadium used during the '98 Nagano Winter Olympics. Some rooms also have some similarly spectacular views of the mountain though this time we are facing up towards Goryu/47 so not quite as amazing.

Still always happy to see this stuff outside out window!

This is going to be a fun week

 

[NoobFlyer]

Our first full day in Hakuba was spent skiing some rather lovely conditions at Tsugaike Kogen with 15 cm of fresh overnight then continual snowfall through the day to keep things topped up. Visibility at times was on the low side and the gondola was closed from mid-station due to high wind gusts but Tsugaike is a nice place to begin a trip with lots of variety in beginner and intermediate runs while the legs are getting back into things. Though mine shouldn't need too much warming up having just been skiing 2 weeks ago
We used coupons from this site Snownavi Hakuba - Ski Resort Information and Accommodation at HAKUBA Happo-one, Tsugaike and Goryu that included a 1000¥ lunch voucher for an extra 200¥ more than the normal day ticket. You also receive 'return visitor coupons' that provide even better discounts at the big 3 (Happo, Iwatake and Tsugaike). Biggest line of the day was about 10 min to buy the lift passes then after that not a single lift line to be seen. We certainly weren't the only ones on the mountain but everyone seemed nicely spread out even with the top of the mountain closed.

Of course the only way to end a day of skiing in Japan is a trip to the onsen (or in this case a 'hot spring bath'). The hotels public bath isn't a true onsen as I believe they need to be natural pools in the ground whereas the one in the Rosenheim is on the second floor. Still has the same effect on the body and such an amazing view from the outdoor pool looking out over the slopes up to the ski jumping stadium. (I might try and sneak a photo when no one else is around)

Dinner tonight was at a little Japanese restaurant in Happo village called Maeda. No reservation needed on this Sunday night which turned out to be a little surprising considering the quality of the experience. To me this place embodies everything that makes Japanese dining so good, excellent food, attentive friendly and very quick service and most importantly, very good prices.

After we we sat down they bought us some green tea followed my our drinks order and a couple of complimentary packets of mixed nuts. I know beer is generally not that cheap in Japan but 550¥ for a 500 mL bottle of Asahi at a restaurant seems rather good value.


We then shared a bowl of wild vegetables and mushrooms to start.


I had the hot soba noodle set and my partner had the hot tempura udon.



The serving ware was also quite pretty.


All this for 3200¥. Yeah, I think we might be coming back

 

[NoobFlyer]

Hakuba Day 2
Another day , another morning awaking to fresh snowfall and very cold temps outside (around -12C according to my phone's weather app). A slightly less cloudy day with forecast saying the sun will try and peek through in the afternoon. Having successfully avoided the crowds yesterday at Tsugaike, today we were off to Iwatake to move onto some more difficult terrain and get a few tree runs under our (read: my) belt. The plan worked and once again not a single minute was spent in a line after the day pass was bought and we were up the initial gondola ride. Such a stark contrast to the Oz snow fields I'm used to where even on a weekday a wait of a few minutes at least is to be expected in peak season.
The sun did indeed eventually make an appearance and once it lit up the valley it was quite a sight to behold.

Looking back towards Happoone and Goryu/47.


The view up towards Tsugaike, Norikura and Cortina.


A wee bit chilly last night.


I guess I should also post some more food photos...
The provided breakfast at the hotel is your pretty standard fare with a mix of Western and Japanese items. Everything is quite nice and refreshed often, can't ask more for a hotel breakfast I guess.



Dinner was a rather more subdued affair with a combination of not wanting to wander too far from the hotel in the cold and cheapness meaning we settled on Lawson's dinner. Not the most exciting food you'll see but it is fresh, very cheap and really good quality for what is actually just convenience store food. The are also quite happy to zap anything in the microwave on the spot which particularly comes in handy for those in hotel rooms without microwaves



All of the above came to about 1200¥. Apologies for the makeshift table setting on the bed but I don't think the Rosenheim planned on their guests dining in the room.

 

[NoobFlyer]

Hakuba Day 3
Awoke this morning to a gorgeous and rare bluebird day with not a cloud in the sky. The views up and down the valley in all directions were of course stunning.





As we move into the midweek I figured the crowds would have dissipated enough to brave Happoone, and I wasn't wrong this time another day without a lift line to be seen
Only a dusting of snow overnight so for me it was a day on the groomers, a lot of fun (and very tiring on the legs) on the long winding courses around Happo.

 

[craven morehead]

Enjoying the pics, keen to go back for my third trip :mrgreen:

 

[NoobFlyer]

Hakuba Day 4
An impromptu change to our itinerary for today as we decided last night that a trip to Nagano would be fun to break up the skiing and provide a few moments to just take it easy, relax and enjoy the moment.

Really the only way to get from Hakuba to Nagano city is via bus. Technically you can take a train to Matsumoto then up to Nagano but this was going to take 3 hours instead of the 1.25 h on thus and be more expensive as well. Even this self-confessed bus hater couldn't justify that one so a gentle stroll down to the Happo Bus Terminal, paid for our 4 trip coupons (1800¥ per person per trip) and off we go. Due to the late decision to make this trip not much planning was possible so other than a walk up chuodori to Zenkoji Temple we were just going to less how things went.
The bus trip was rather uneventful and thankfully not crowded so the aisle fold down seats weren't required making it a perfectly pleasant way to spend an hour or so watching the lovely scenery roll by.

Zenkoji temple is about a 30 minute walk at a gentle pace from Nagano Station with fairly good signage from the bus terminal taking you down to the underpass and across to the other side of the train station before bringing you up onto Chuo dori, the street that runs straight up to the temple. The temple area was a quite interesting set of structures and I found the surrounding gardens and monuments just as interesting as the main temple itself.







We also contemplated a visit to the snow monkeys but we agreed that the afternoon would be better spent relaxing in our hotel with occasional trips to the onsen Though not before a little retail therapy for my partner on the way back :/

For those that do want to visit the monkeys I would suggest doing a semi DIY trip by not booking the 12000¥ tour that departs from the Happo Bus Terminal but rather take the Alpico bus to Nagano (3600¥ return) then purchase a 2900¥ 'Snow Monkey Pass'. This sign was down in the underground passage passing beneath the train station so I'm guessing it would be available from the ticket counters down there. As far as I can tell the only extra not included in the DIY trip is an included lunch but you do gain a whole heap of flexibility in how you want to visit Zenkoji and the monkeys with of course a substantial saving to boot.



Also tried a few long exposure shots on a walk around the village yesterday evening. I was quite happy with the results.

 

[NoobFlyer]

Hakuba Day 5
Another bluebird day today so not much to report other than some more spectacular views of the valley from Happoone.


I did manage to come across a little Japanese bakery where they managed a very decent coffee, easily the best I've had in Japan. Can't recall the name but it's on the next level up from where you exit the gondola at Happo. A level down from the main Usagaidera restaurant.


I'll also take this moment to just mention how awesome Japanese bakeries are. I'll try and get a picture of the set up at our next location (yep still keeping the itinerary a secret ) but the quality of the pastries has always been outstanding. I had no idea the Japanese were such good bakers? Very easy to overindulge in the cards but so worth it

Dinner will be at a new place Yamagami Shokudo NEO or if that's unavailable, Maeda again.

 

[NoobFlyer]

Hakuba Day 6
We decided to do something a little different and head a bit out of the way to Kashimayari Ski Resort, towards the south end of the Hakuba Valley. The weather wasn't great in terms of temperatures or visibility with precipitation hovering between small hail and decent snow.


Rather wet and cold but we did still have fun and it was nice to be on a local Hill away from the tourist crowds.
And any day that ends with one of these puppies is a good day


Dinner was at Yamagami Shokudo after we tried to get a seat and failed 3 times - turns out being organised enough to make a booking helps a lot.
My partner had the Pork Curry with Croquets and I had the Soy Karaage set meal. (She may have been a little keen to tuck in before I could snap the photo)





Both were really nice and once again good value with those meals and a couple of coughtails coming to ~3100¥.

 

[NoobFlyer]

Hakuba Day 7
Our last full day in Hakuba and the better half had decided she was done for the week so I ventured out to Cortina solo, with a fresh 20 cm overnight.


I can see why this place is do popular with the powder hunters. Lots of steeps, lots of tree runs and (for me) lots of stacks. Quite a bit of a line up in the morning with about 45 min wait to but the lift pass then another 10 min wait for the main centre lift. Although I've spent more time in lift lines today than probably all other days combined it is a Saturday after all and it's only the main distributing lifts that actually require any waiting. I was happily lapping a few of the side lifts without a wait.

This place is even more impressive up close.


So that brings our Hakuba adventure to an end. What a marvellous place this is when you pick your spots and of course be incredibly lucky with the weather. This place will hold a very special place in my partners and I's hearts for a very long time

 

[kermatu]

Unfortunately I don't ski but am loving this TR and already plotting my return to Japan -- have only been once, 15 years ago.

 

[NoobFlyer]

Tokyo - Part 3

It has been a hectic last few days (for more reasons than just the trip) so apologies for the lack of updates, I will complete the TR properly once back home.
For now I will just provide a summary of our last few days in Tokyo while I wait in the holding area for the Tsukiji Fish Auction viewing.

We arrived back in Tokyo for our 3rd visit of this trip on the Shink (yep look at me not following my own advice ) a little earlier than originally planned, primarily to facilitate my partner's unwavering desire to go shopping. And shopping we did, for quite some time...


She did allow a short break for me to sample something I was probably a little too excited for but figured this was too special an opportunity to pass up....
McChoco Potato!

I can report they tasted every bit as good as they looked and more

The following day took us to the happiest place on earth, Disneyland! Being my first trip to a Disney park it was quite an experience to see the level of detail some of the sets have. For me at least the WWoHP in USJ was a better experience but I am very very biased . I think Disneyland was a better park overall and wow do they know how to put on a show! Then there's the merchandising! I imagine many a family come out of that park with a 2nd or 3rd mortgage.

After such a long day I knew what I had planned the next morning was going to be optimistic but I managed to haul my protesting body put of bed fight on time at 4:11 for the short walk down to Tsukiji Fish Market. The reason for this ungodly hour of exercise, to get a spot for the tuna auction viewing. After arriving around 4:45 I secured a place in the second viewing group for the 5:50 to 6:15 slot.

So that's it for now, the rest of the day will be improvised with nothing planned though I'm sure my partner will be able to squeeze in some shopping

Another excellent surprise I received yesterday, the notification text that my points upgrade for my partner (or should I say... fiancèe ) on the flight home cleared meaning our first plane trip as an engaged couple will be together in business class! Not sure if I'm more excited or she is but I do know I shouldn't have told her about the extra luggage allowance she will now receive.... :/

 

[Cynicor]

Not sure if she was a Fiancé before this trip, but congratulations if not!

I've been in Japan since early Jan and have another month here. Almost all of it in Hokkaido with a car, touring the backcountry.

 

[LadyC]

Congrats Noobflyer! Nice way to end the trip

 

[NoobFlyer]

Not sure if she was a Fiancé before this trip, but congratulations if not!

Indeed she wasn't this trip was special in more ways than one

I've been in Japan since early Jan and have another month here. Almost all of it in Hokkaido with a car, touring the backcountry.

Your trip around Hokkaido sounds amazing, I hope you're planning a TR of your own to tell us all about it...