Nagano Prefecture skiing - advice please?

[Xena]

So, researching Nagano. I am thinking Hakuba/Happo, Nozawa Onsen and Shiga Kogen look the go. Thoughts?? Advice?? Pearlers of info??Are all three do-able in one 2 week trip? Places to stay? Eat? Is early March a good time??

[Boardingbuny]

Hey X,

Let me dig back into my past and get some info on Nozawa.. Was beautiful there. We also did Myoko Kogen, which was even better 5 resorts in 1 ticket :)

[2nd String QB]

One more vote for Myoko Kogen. It's not far at all from Nagano (45 mins on the local 'slow' train) so you could do a couple of those resorts plus Myoko on a 14 day trip. 3 or 4 days then a rest/travel day would see you squeeze in several of them.

Early March should still be fine in terms of weather, there will be more than enough snow accumulated but whether fresh snow falls or not is all up to old Mother Nature...

I can recommend places to stay and eat in Akakura, the small village at the foot of Mt Myoko. Haven't been to Hakuba for years so don't know what it's like these days. Just thinking about it makes me want to pack a bag and book a ticket for tomorrow. Have fun Xena.

[blutek]

Xena, just some ideas:
Is a trip to the snow monkey park and nearby Shibu Onsen village of interest, as that could help with decisions.
Hotel, ryokan or pension?
You could do 5 days at Hakuba, 4 days at Shiga (or MyokoKogen), and 4 days at Noz (times include a half day minimum transfer times). Itinerary order may depend on transport options.
Also, you could do a one night Tokyo stopover on return - a night in Shinjuku and a visit to Ski Town & lots of other Tokyo sights. Hotel will mind luggage after checkout until afternoon departure. Alternatively, may be able to use Takkyubin to send some luggage from Noz to Narita, if enough time.
Chuo taxi may be also be an option depending on flight times.
Another travel alternative is the JR East 4 day rail pass is 20,000 yen and includes Narita express, shinkansen, & JR local trains for any 4 days of travel.

Lots of information on resorts & accommodation here:
http://www.snowlove.net/japan/contents/hakuba_ski.html

[Xena]

Hotel, ryokan or pension?

I don't know - what's the diff???? I assume pension is the most budget?

Great link btw - thanks.

[blutek]

... & there's also lodges too.
OK, going back a step, western bed or futon on tatami flooring (ie: Japanese room).
Note that some of the lower end are more backpacker type.

Try this Happo hotel site & see room pix's.
http://www.hakuba-yamanohotel.com/english/e_index.html

(single beds & semi doubles are common in Japan)

[Jahoota]

Ive been to shiga and hakuba.

Out of those 2...

* hakuba has a better village for eating out etc - important if the tribes in tow!
* shiga is bigger and better interconnected lifts
* more steeps at habuka
* seems to be less people at shiga (may be a function of being more spread out)

Im not sure i'd bother with either again after going to hokkadio last trip.

I havent been to nozawa onsen but it was one I was considering with the kids as it seemed a bit more "traditional". Probably bogan free as well!

I know if I go to honshu again I'd be looking at nozawa onsen, zao and myoko. Out of habuka and shiga, i'd probably pick hakuba over shiga.

[blutek]

Maybe start with only two resorts until you work out what you want, within budget.
Most places offer Breakfast/Dinner packages.

[Xena]

Ive been to shiga and hakuba.

Out of those 2...

* hakuba has a better village for eating out etc - important if the tribes in tow!
* shiga is bigger and better interconnected lifts
* more steeps at habuka
* seems to be less people at shiga (may be a function of being more spread out)

Im not sure i'd bother with either again after going to hokkadio last trip.

I havent been to nozawa onsen but it was one I was considering with the kids as it seemed a bit more "traditional". Probably bogan free as well!

I know if I go to honshu again I'd be looking at nozawa onsen, zao and myoko. Out of habuka and shiga, i'd probably pick hakuba over shiga.


So, you preferred the Hokkaido snow?

[Polaris]

So, you preferred the Hokkaido snow?

Fark yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

[Xena]

So Niseko is far better for snow quality?? Please give me a long answer.

[Jahoota]

So, you preferred the Hokkaido snow?

yesssssssss.

I skied the lightest, driest pow Ive ever skied in at rusutsu. Shiga snow in 2010 was pretty decent but hakuba in 2009 was ordinary (varied between rain and powder but it was a weird season for honshu from memory). People's pics from this year at hakuba, shiga and myoko look much much better than my experiances on honshu.

However, next trip to hokkiado (whenever that turns out to be....) will be rusutsu (4/5 days and furano 4/5 days). Cant say I want to hang out with a zillion aussies in Niskeo - Lets face it, you can do that at home....

[blutek]

Niseko is the number one commercial ski resort in Japan for Powder Skiing. It gets up to 18 metres of snow a year up top (but not this year).
That means it attracts a large number of visitors from Aust, Singapore & Hong Kong, with lesser numbers from US, Canada & Europe.
In December, January & up to mid Feb (school hols + Chinese New Year), Niseko does get very crowded from beginners to powderhounds. If you go in March there would be no crowd problems and the snow should be better than in Honshu (which will be still OK).
There are 10's of thousands of Aussie visitors, with many attracted because it can be done very cheaply & has a some nightlife/bars, unlike everywhere else in Japan except Hakuba & Furano.
Sometimes some of the Aussies behave badly or don't have respect. At a nearby resort, we had some daytripers (about 8) jumping from a chairlift - set off quiet a bounce for all the chairs.
English is understood there. It's also one resort where you can hire clothes & boots in large western sizes.
There are also many apartment options, including the very expensive, which are not found in other resorts (but usually owned by aussie or asian investors not local japanese).
Niseko is unlike US skiing - you don't go to ski long steep perfectly groomed pistes (not that I have been to US to know).
Niseko is about skiing the offpiste, the tree runs & the boot-top to waiste deep powder when it happens (much less frequent in March).
For high end skiers & boarders the main attraction is the Out of Bounds offpiste. There is a system of managed gates to the Out of Bounds where bottomless powder can sometimes be found, but not without usual OOB safety risks. For intermediates there are offpiste trees to play around in within bounds.
Many people love all that, and consistently return to Niseko every year but I prefer to go elsewhere in Hokkaido. This season it was Rusutsu, Tomamu, Furano, Kamui and Kurodake.
It doesn't matter where you go, just as long as you do it.

[Xena]

http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/MSN_Emoticons/MSN-Emoticon-032.gif

So grateful for the very long response - very helpful!!!!

[Xena]

Question re $$ exchange - is it better when the AUD - JPY is let's say 1AUD = 83 yen or 1AUD = 75 yen or 1AUD = 88 yen??? It seems to me it's best for us when 1AUD = 88yen, right? Today's news said the yen took a dive, but it went from $1 = 83 yen to $1 = 82yen? This is not a dive, right? It got worse for us to exchange, yes? Am I missing something? Blonde moment?

BTW, earthquake/tsunami very bad, just awful.

[Dr D]

Short answer. The more yen you get for your dollar the better.

[John Deere]

In my experience the snow on Honshu can be just as good as Hokkaido, and when warm hits Honshu, it will hit Hokkaido too, but depending on the severity Hokkaido might not get rain, just wetter snow.

If you want powder, and powder only, regardless of terrain, Hokkaido it is. If you want to find something a bit steeper then Honshu wins.

Each area has advantage and disadvantage.

[Xena]

Thanks JD, well explained.

[ausi ski bum]

I have skied many Japanese resorts now, Niseko, Rusutsu, Moiawa, Furano, Tommamu, Sahoro and Shiga Kogen plus a heap of small ones we stopped at on our travels, I even skied Niseko Iowana overlooking the ocean.

Each has its pro's and cons depending on the type of holiday you want, for a pure skiing holiday Shiga Kogen really takes some beating but for an intro to Japan Niseko is a safe and easy bet. I loved Tommamu, the best ski in ski out resort in Hokkaido and if you can afford it the luxury towers are amazing.

In 2011/12 I am planning a trip back to Shiga with the family but I will stay at two locations at opposite ends of the resort, I am planning staying a few nights at the hotel at the top of the 2350 metre mountain (its name escapes me for now) then8 - 10 nights at the Prince South.

For an easy and low cost trip in Hokkaido Sahorro can be good and if you have a car driving to Furano and Tommamu for day trips is doable, they are all pretty close. If you have a car in Niseko you can easily drive to Rusutsu and Moiawa and a day trip to Mt Usu the volcano and the lake near by or Sapporo for the day.

Oh my advice for Niseko, get a car walking around town and using the shuttle sux. You can rent a cheap one from Black Diamond Lodge for about half the cost of the hire car firms but you need an international licence which you get from the NRMA before you leave.
I found you don't need a car at Shigga, nowhere to go really.

[Xena]

Wow - thanks asb!!!

BTW anyone - what is going on with the yen - it's getting stronger, not weaker! What does it take for their yen to crash (in our favour for exchange) if an 8.9 earthquake can't???

[2nd String QB]

The short story with the yen is: there's going to be a lot of things that need rebuilding and to pay for them, Japanese companies, residents and insurance companies are going to be bringing a lot of their savings back from overseas.
So they're selling their USD, AUD and whatever else and buying JPY.

That's the thinking anyway. Whether it makes sense or not doesn't matter to the FX market.

[Boardingbuny]

X,

This is where we stayed in Myoko, lovely place, traditional japanese rooms, you can get them with your own bathroom, or you can use the general areas

Im actually awaiting our quote for Jan :)

http://www.myoko-kougakuro.jp/english/

Email or speak with Mieko, lovely lady, drinks JD with us. Tell her I sent you :)

[Charles]

Niseko gets tracked out very quickly and on some wind hold days there are less options unless you know the spots. The powder at Niseko was fantastic and very dry during my trip in 2008 but 2009 was a little average and firmer due to bad timing I guess. Hakuba in 2010 was fantastic, quieter and a little more challenging with a lot of options to ski for whatever conditions applied for the day. What would I recommend? Both choices are cool though I will give Niseko the thumbs up for night snow, just amazing. My choice though will have to be Hakuba though due to monkeys and choice of mountain but seriously, you can't go wrong.

P.S. Powder in Hakuba is a little heavier than Niseko but still deep and sweet. Powder in Niseko though is fluffy and amazing.

Your choice :)