Suggestion for where to ski in Japan

[Mis5P]

Hello
Would love recommendations / suggestions on where to ski in Japan that caters for beginner and intermediate levels..I am a beginner skier, somewhere with lessons?
Hubby is intermediate to advance.

Also when is a better time Jan or Feb ?
Is early Mar too late?

Would love suggestions on where to stay as well.

Thanks in advance
L

 

[burmans]

More info needed, do you just want skiing, do you want some culture as well, do you want to eat in/out, do you care if everyone you speak to is Asutralian?

 

[Cynicor]

Definitely more info needed. The Hilton Niseko in Hokkaido is where I am currently, I've done the last 5 seasons here. Will be going to Myoko on Honshu in 2 weeks.

Niseko/Hirafu is full of Aussies, caters to all levels and is easy to navigate/rent/eat out and live. It is not a cultural experience but does have a tonne of snow. Great for a first time to Japan, then move on elsewhere.

I would have done that but each time I bring a bunch of newbies with me, and I love the ski valet here. As I'm by myself this year I am taking it easy and not needing to ride when the powder is not so good.

There are so many resorts in Japan. Even Rusutsu nearby would be good, but maybe not enough terrain. How long will you go for, too?

 

[trentusjuventus]

Niseko/Hirafu is full of Aussies, caters to all levels and is easy to navigate/rent/eat out and live. It is not a cultural experience but does have a tonne of snow. Great for a first time to Japan, then move on elsewhere.

I would have done that but each time I bring a bunch of newbies with me, and I love the ski valet here. As I'm by myself this year I am taking it easy and not needing to ride when the powder is not so good.

There are so many resorts in Japan. Even Rusutsu nearby would be good, but maybe not enough terrain. How long will you go for, too?

I'll second what's been said here, heading back to Niseko for about the 5th time now as well. Niseko is very well developed and extremely westernised, as a result you won't have many troubles there with things like language, food, rentals, directions and so on. But on the other hand, I agree with Cynicor that as a result you will probably feel like you haven't even left Australia. Of course they offer lessons (usually with western instructors) and have some decent beginner runs, however it's a long way to go (and a fair bit of money to spend) to just ski green runs. There's a whole load of places to stay and it really does come down to your budget, there are hostels/lodges (Bamboo, Moorea etc) which are very reasonable for shared accommodation, small studio apartments, and hotels (such as the Hilton mentioned above), all with very varying costs, and periods when availability can be lacking.
As for time, the bulk of the snow comes down in Jan-Feb so it's of course the ideal time to go, but also the busiest, especially Feb with Chinese New year. The latest I've ever been is mid Feb and the snow was still great. I've heard anything after start of March can be hit and miss, and you can get several says without any fresh snowfall.

Of course there are other resorts on Hokkaido (Rusutsu, Furano etc), but they're definitely not as well set up for foreigners/first timers as Niseko, and there's even resorts closer to Tokyo near Nagano, but I've not been there so can't comment but I'm sure there's others on here who can.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[wingspan]

My first skiing experience was at Daisen White Resort, and it is great for beginners and advanced skiers alike. It's nice spending time in Tottori prefecture because it's where more locals go to ski and you avoid many of the tourist prices (and maybe the tourists too!). Although it is potentially a little more difficult to get to.

 

[blu]

Are you planning for 2016?
(otherwise airfares could be expensive now - no sales, & accomodation booked out)

 

[Daver6]

I can only comment on Hakuba as its on the only place I've skied in Japan and stayed in the Hakuba Tokyu Hotel.

There were no shortage of Australians in Hakuba too. Plenty of other foreigners. There are about 9 or so mountains up and down the valley with free buses between them all. Having said that, the frequency and timing of the buses was a bit random. If you just go with the flow it isn't an issue. Terrain range was pretty good. Off-piste skiing is a big no no, but plenty of un-groomed runs if you want something more challenging.

The hotel we stayed at was a little isolated. There were other hotels nearby with restaurants and a couple of nights we just used the free buses to get around. Personally I loved Hakuba. If I go back to Japan, I'd quite possibly go back there, but there is a strong will to try somewhere different too. No real complaints is my message I suppose.

 

[ausfox]

+1 for Niseko/Hirafu. Ski d there this time 2013. Great power, plenty of groomed piste, cheap tows ( lots of gondolas) sometimes cold as. Easy accomodation across the range of standards. We had an apartment about 250m from the gondola. Easy as.

 

[Cynicor]

Ok, I need some help/thoughts. I'm planning 15-16 season's trip, as I'm in the airport leaving my Japan 14-15 trip and will get very depressed that my next snow is 11 months away, otherwise.

So I think I need more time here. 2 months to be exact, followed by a week heli boarding in Alaska. Probably Jan-Mid March overall.

I prefer the Hokkaido powder to Honshu (drier, more floaty, can actually move through it after a deep dump...) but have a few questions and would appreciate other's thoughts on any and every aspect of my trip.

I have enough Hilton points to do at least 5 weeks at the Hilton Niseko Village, and will still have a stash through the year. I was probably going to find somewhere in Hirafu to stay first, then book the Hilton as a series of 5 night refundable stays, so that if I was to head to Honshu I could just cancel a part, fly down and then back up.

Flight is about to board now, so first thoughts appreciated.

Other issues- car hire, wifi hire, where to stay (upper Hirafu preferred, would like own bathroom or toilet and sink at least. Possibly with self cooking facilities.

Thanks!

 

[coolkid101]

+1 for Niseko. we always manage to find a conference to attend for "work" purposes during ski season in niseko so the whole thing gets tax deductible!

 

[travelislife]

Ok, I need some help/thoughts. I'm planning 15-16 season's trip, as I'm in the airport leaving my Japan 14-15 trip and will get very depressed that my next snow is 11 months away, otherwise.

So I think I need more time here. 2 months to be exact, followed by a week heli boarding in Alaska. Probably Jan-Mid March overall.

I prefer the Hokkaido powder to Honshu (drier, more floaty, can actually move through it after a deep dump...) but have a few questions and would appreciate other's thoughts on any and every aspect of my trip.

I have enough Hilton points to do at least 5 weeks at the Hilton Niseko Village, and will still have a stash through the year. I was probably going to find somewhere in Hirafu to stay first, then book the Hilton as a series of 5 night refundable stays, so that if I was to head to Honshu I could just cancel a part, fly down and then back up.

Flight is about to board now, so first thoughts appreciated.

Other issues- car hire, wifi hire, where to stay (upper Hirafu preferred, would like own bathroom or toilet and sink at least. Possibly with self cooking facilities.

Thanks!

I have been to Niseko 5 times and skied Honshu as well but had my best trip this year by far, I reckon you should branch out from Niseko. We hired a car from Sapporo airport for 2 weeks and hit all the small resorts around Hokkaido, skied 9 different hills, and it was awesome!

I had half a day at Niseko this year because some friends were staying there and after the brilliant service and vibe we had during the the rest of the trip I actually felt like a fish out of water even though I knew what it was like and had enjoyed it on other occasions. I guess this trip just opened my eyes to the real skiing in Japan (remember there are 600+ ski hills in Japan) which is deserted slopes, quiet hills, not having to fight for fresh lines. Some of the places we went you couldn't spend more than a couple of days unless you were getting large amounts of fresh, but otherwise they are brilliant. Some of them seemed to have a max of 100 people on the hill all day!

 

[Cynicor]

I have been to Niseko 5 times and skied Honshu as well but had my best trip this year by far, I reckon you should branch out from Niseko. We hired a car from Sapporo airport for 2 weeks and hit all the small resorts around Hokkaido, skied 9 different hills, and it was awesome!

I had half a day at Niseko this year because some friends were staying there and after the brilliant service and vibe we had during the the rest of the trip I actually felt like a fish out of water even though I knew what it was like and had enjoyed it on other occasions. I guess this trip just opened my eyes to the real skiing in Japan (remember there are 600+ ski hills in Japan) which is deserted slopes, quiet hills, not having to fight for fresh lines. Some of the places we went you couldn't spend more than a couple of days unless you were getting large amounts of fresh, but otherwise they are brilliant. Some of them seemed to have a max of 100 people on the hill all day!

That is the plan exactly, although I would proabby base myself in hirafu rather than trying to keep moving around. I've been to Myoko on Honshu, and then Kokusai, Moiwa, Rusutsu, Iwanai, Niseko-Weiss and of course Niseko area. And there is so much more to see!! But i think I'll rent a car for at least some of it and try to avoid packing, unpacking etc. I may do some overnighters in the better areas and then move on, but come back later if it was good.

I'm looking at upper Hirafu village unless someone can convince me to do a month in Honshu. Partly this is because if i have friends drop in for short trips they can ski/learn somewhere with plenty of english, rental access etc. It is also so that I can meet people and stock up on supplies easily/get aorund without a car if that happens to be the case.

I completely agree about the smaller places though- Niseko United is for the birds unless you get an amazing powder day or you just want to run groomers with mates for a morning.

So may I ask you about car hire? Company, costs, type, size of your car, AWD etc?

THANKS!

 

[travelislife]

That is the plan exactly, although I would proabby base myself in hirafu rather than trying to keep moving around. I've been to Myoko on Honshu, and then Kokusai, Moiwa, Rusutsu, Iwanai, Niseko-Weiss and of course Niseko area. And there is so much more to see!! But i think I'll rent a car for at least some of it and try to avoid packing, unpacking etc. I may do some overnighters in the better areas and then move on, but come back later if it was good.

I'm looking at upper Hirafu village unless someone can convince me to do a month in Honshu. Partly this is because if i have friends drop in for short trips they can ski/learn somewhere with plenty of english, rental access etc. It is also so that I can meet people and stock up on supplies easily/get aorund without a car if that happens to be the case.

I completely agree about the smaller places though- Niseko United is for the birds unless you get an amazing powder day or you just want to run groomers with mates for a morning.

So may I ask you about car hire? Company, costs, type, size of your car, AWD etc?

THANKS!

Sounds like a great trip plan, very jealous! One thing is though from Hirafu you won't be able to ski Western Hokkaido without being away for at least a few days, places like Furano, Sahoro, Tomamu, Kamui, Asahi Dake, etc.

On the car hire front here is my details. Booked through these guys: KAKUYASU RENT-A-CAR HOKKAIDO who are an agent but with better prices than direct, the car hire was actually through ORIX. Incredibly helpful on the email front. Original booking was when we only had 3 people so went for a small 4 door car with 4WD including ski racks, english GPS, snow tyres and included insurance (nothing more required) for 13 days for 59,600 Yen (approx $50 a day). Kind of car would have been a Honda Fit (Jazz) 4WD and would have been fine with 3 people with our ski's on the roof and the rest of the gear inside.

Anyway, ended up having 2 more people join, so we now had 5 all with gear. The crazy thing is they only offer the ski racks on the smaller cars, so we couldn't even get away with a station wagon (Toyota Wish). So we ended up with a 7/8 seater van with all our gear inside, Nissan Serena it was or you could get the Stepwagon. Cost for the 13 days was 114,300 Yen (approx $92 a day). It was perfect. Fit all our gear which was a lot. It was 390 Yen (or something like that) for the ETC card for the whole rental (NOT per day!) which was great as then didn't need cash and could just go through the ETC lanes on the freeway. We then paid the bill when we returned the car which was about $70 for our express way use. They have an unlimited Hokkaido express way pass but that isn't really good value.

Those prices were all inclusive with a low excess, no need for any other insurance options. Snow tyres were great, no need for chains. Oh and all the above was pick up/drop off New Chitose Airport.

Any questions on driving in Hokkaido in the winter (or anything else skiing Hokkaido) just let me know.

 

[hummel]

Ok, I need some help/thoughts. I'm planning 15-16 season's trip, as I'm in the airport leaving my Japan 14-15 trip and will get very depressed that my next snow is 11 months away, otherwise.

So I think I need more time here. 2 months to be exact, followed by a week heli boarding in Alaska. Probably Jan-Mid March overall.

I prefer the Hokkaido powder to Honshu (drier, more floaty, can actually move through it after a deep dump...) but have a few questions and would appreciate other's thoughts on any and every aspect of my trip.

I have enough Hilton points to do at least 5 weeks at the Hilton Niseko Village, and will still have a stash through the year. I was probably going to find somewhere in Hirafu to stay first, then book the Hilton as a series of 5 night refundable stays, so that if I was to head to Honshu I could just cancel a part, fly down and then back up.

Flight is about to board now, so first thoughts appreciated.

Other issues- car hire, wifi hire, where to stay (upper Hirafu preferred, would like own bathroom or toilet and sink at least. Possibly with self cooking facilities.

Thanks!

I'm not much of a skier but I can appreciate a healthy points balance..

 

[Cynicor]

Sounds like a great trip plan, very jealous! One thing is though from Hirafu you won't be able to ski Western Hokkaido without being away for at least a few days, places like Furano, Sahoro, Tomamu, Kamui, Asahi Dake, etc.

On the car hire front here is my details. Booked through these guys: KAKUYASU RENT-A-CAR HOKKAIDO who are an agent but with better prices than direct, the car hire was actually through ORIX. Incredibly helpful on the email front. Original booking was when we only had 3 people so went for a small 4 door car with 4WD including ski racks, english GPS, snow tyres and included insurance (nothing more required) for 13 days for 59,600 Yen (approx $50 a day). Kind of car would have been a Honda Fit (Jazz) 4WD and would have been fine with 3 people with our ski's on the roof and the rest of the gear inside.

Anyway, ended up having 2 more people join, so we now had 5 all with gear. The crazy thing is they only offer the ski racks on the smaller cars, so we couldn't even get away with a station wagon (Toyota Wish). So we ended up with a 7/8 seater van with all our gear inside, Nissan Serena it was or you could get the Stepwagon. Cost for the 13 days was 114,300 Yen (approx $92 a day). It was perfect. Fit all our gear which was a lot. It was 390 Yen (or something like that) for the ETC card for the whole rental (NOT per day!) which was great as then didn't need cash and could just go through the ETC lanes on the freeway. We then paid the bill when we returned the car which was about $70 for our express way use. They have an unlimited Hokkaido express way pass but that isn't really good value.

Those prices were all inclusive with a low excess, no need for any other insurance options. Snow tyres were great, no need for chains. Oh and all the above was pick up/drop off New Chitose Airport.

Any questions on driving in Hokkaido in the winter (or anything else skiing Hokkaido) just let me know.

Great!

Thanks for the info. Any thoughts on where you would base yourself if wanting to do western hokkaido but trying not to move and check into a new place every 2-3 days? I could do 2ish weeks in the west or something to save driving and overnight trips to each resort. It's really all in the planning stages so i appreciate any tips, advice and thoughts. While I have been to Hokkaido the last 6 seasons, I haven't left the general Niseko areas apart from the nearby resorts, and have never driven myself.

I am a bit wary of driving but figure I'll just take it slow and only drive during the day, in decent conditions at the start. $50 a day is decent for the car, and should be more than enough for my plans. May have 1-2 people with me at times but that's about it.

Any thoughts on timing of Hirafu vs Western Hokkaido? I'm leaning towards starting in Hirafu early Jan, 2ish weeks, 2 weeks Western Hokkaido, 2 weeks back in Hirafu then the Hilton for the rest.

As the Hilton will be refundable (hopefully), I can possibly take 5-10 day trips to Honshu to ski somewhere there too. (Hooray for Yamato TAKKYUBIN hey?)

Thanks for all the help Travelislife.

 

[waimate01]

Just got back from Hakuba. Nice enough snow - fabulous compared to Oz/NZ, but compared to other places more like "serviceable". The shuttle bus was a real bugbear for us. An hour of awkward discomfort each morning and afternoon. Really quite unacceptable. They should at least have buses with racks on the outside so people don't have to climb over each other with all their gear. And run more frequently.

Ease of use issues aside, culturally a nice place.

 

[travelislife]

Great!

Thanks for the info. Any thoughts on where you would base yourself if wanting to do western hokkaido but trying not to move and check into a new place every 2-3 days? I could do 2ish weeks in the west or something to save driving and overnight trips to each resort. It's really all in the planning stages so i appreciate any tips, advice and thoughts. While I have been to Hokkaido the last 6 seasons, I haven't left the general Niseko areas apart from the nearby resorts, and have never driven myself.

I am a bit wary of driving but figure I'll just take it slow and only drive during the day, in decent conditions at the start. $50 a day is decent for the car, and should be more than enough for my plans. May have 1-2 people with me at times but that's about it.

Any thoughts on timing of Hirafu vs Western Hokkaido? I'm leaning towards starting in Hirafu early Jan, 2ish weeks, 2 weeks Western Hokkaido, 2 weeks back in Hirafu then the Hilton for the rest.

As the Hilton will be refundable (hopefully), I can possibly take 5-10 day trips to Honshu to ski somewhere there too. (Hooray for Yamato TAKKYUBIN hey?)

Thanks for all the help Travelislife.

For western Hokkaido Furano is a good base, a lot of places within an hour of there. I would go to Niseko first and Furano later, it definitely doesn't get as much snow so later in the season is a bit better.

Driving isn't too bad, you do have to drive slowly and take it easy with no sudden braking and turning but people on the roads are considerate and drive to the conditions.

Yeah the takkyubin is awesome, have made use of it a few times

I wish I could get that much time off to ski Japan!

 

[Cynicor]

For western Hokkaido Furano is a good base, a lot of places within an hour of there. I would go to Niseko first and Furano later, it definitely doesn't get as much snow so later in the season is a bit better.

Driving isn't too bad, you do have to drive slowly and take it easy with no sudden braking and turning but people on the roads are considerate and drive to the conditions.

Yeah the takkyubin is awesome, have made use of it a few times

I wish I could get that much time off to ski Japan!

Thanks, the plan is starting to form then. Hirafu ~3, Furano ~3 , Higashiyama ~4(Hilton) with some short trips to Honshu maybe.

I'm almost forced to take the time off as I have to leave my current employer in Jan and start a more outer metro stint, so its a good time to take a decent length holiday.

Next step is airfares!

 

[incumbent]

A ski bus has just crashed in Nagano killing at least 11 people... another reminder to make the most of every holiday.