Japan 23/24 Season

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Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian

Curious about your last minute accommodations. I still haven't ruled out a last minute trip. I too have Ikon (base) so I get the 5 days at Niseko.

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Only started looking at accommodation in late December and nothing reasonable was available in Niseko, most stuff was well over a grand per night at that point. So I planned to divide the trip in 2 with 3 days in Furano where I was able to find stuff within an hour drive, but that still sucked. So in the last week I started seeing new offering on Booking.com in the middle of the night (3am ET) only to have them disappear in the morning. What I think was happening is people who booked months ago with cancelation policies has started balking and cancelled only to have their booking reappear on the sight. As for reasonable, I booked for 320 CAD/night in a huge room, in a very well rated hotel that is ski in ( not out :( ) has on site onsens and includes breakfast. Not particularly cheep but Much better than my “Love bug” hotel at the base of Yotei that I had initially found for the second three days of my trip in Niseko. At about 200/night the former love hotel came equipped with stink bugs in every room and no food or onsen. I’m happy to have paid a little more for my upgraded accommodations, and my wife couldn’t be happier to avoid the love bug hotel:)

From the sublime to the ridiculous 🤦♂️
http://youzeSR1iToJL8

Next refill hurry up please 🙏

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Originally Posted by bobinch

From the sublime to the ridiculous 🤦♂️
http://youzeSR1iToJL8

Next refill hurry up please 🙏

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Be careful what you wish for 😳

« Furano is in the midst of an extreme snow storm at the moment. Extremely strong winds are blowing around base area and it is snowing heavily. The snow is coming in sideways and visibility is limited even around the village. It is a mild -3c and the high will go to +2c. The forecast is for snow to continue through the day. 42cm of new snow has accumulated noting that this is strongly wind affected and will be more and less in places.The resort has not put out a report of lift operation at the time of writing this report - you will need check with resort directly for latest information. »
https://www.snowjapan.com/japan-dail...rts/Furano-Now

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Originally Posted by M_R

Only started looking at accommodation in late December and nothing reasonable was available in Niseko, most stuff was well over a grand per night at that point. So I planned to divide the trip in 2 with 3 days in Furano where I was able to find stuff within an hour drive, but that still sucked. So in the last week I started seeing new offering on Booking.com in the middle of the night (3am ET) only to have them disappear in the morning. What I think was happening is people who booked months ago with cancelation policies has started balking and cancelled only to have their booking reappear on the sight. As for reasonable, I booked for 320 CAD/night in a huge room, in a very well rated hotel that is ski in ( not out :( ) has on site onsens and includes breakfast. Not particularly cheep but Much better than my “Love bug” hotel at the base of Yotei that I had initially found for the second three days of my trip in Niseko. At about 200/night the former love hotel came equipped with stink bugs in every room and no food or onsen. I’m happy to have paid a little more for my upgraded accommodations, and my wife couldn’t be happier to avoid the love bug hotel:)

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I saw yesterday booking.com has a 1.5 rating with over 4k reviews - https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/booking.com

You trust it? Have you used it ever? I booked my rental car through them and now I'm worried the car won't exist when I get to Hokkaido.

Currently in Japan, have used Booking.com for all of the accommodations and have not had any issues. Have also used Booking.com in Europe without issue. I think it is the main website for accommodations outside of the US.

I've used booking.com a bunch of times - both in the US and out of the US. Huge business - they also own Agoda, Priceline, Kayak, OpenTable, and some others.

I bet most of the negative reviews are people who don't realize they've booked through an aggregator and then ran into a problem.

Good to hear, thanks!

I’d read the fine print on your car rental agreement. I’ve been fine using booking.com for accommodations. However, for our rental car…

We couldn’t make our flight to Hokkaido (delayed arrival) and wouldn’t be able to get our car until the following day. No problem I thought… I contacted Booking.com when I knew our flight was going to be delayed (12hrs before pickup). They could not get a hold of the company with the car and they could not alter the pickup date. They could not cancel and rebook as they had no other cars available.

Bottom line, the agreement says if you don’t pickup your car at the specified time, you forfeit the car and the money. They charged me 3-days rental (out of 7) and no car as a ‘courtesy’. I didn’t lose all my money but a good chunk.

I was able to find a car through Times. It was a very pleasant experience and no money was given at the time of reservation.

YMMV but I absolutely would never use them again for hiring a car.

Love this place. We’ve sacked off the resorts now and all touring. From competing for dust on crust with packs of local snowboarders and Aussies to deserted powder fields and wildlife…
http://youVXpjRcWOaHE

Any thoughts or suggestions on making a trip in mid-late February? Mostly curious about conditions that time of year

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Originally Posted by alect47

Any thoughts or suggestions on making a trip in mid-late February? Mostly curious about conditions that time of year

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I live in Yamagata. I always say the same thing-- Late Feb/Through March is peak season. I understand completely that people flock to Japan for Japanuary... that early season pow to get their legs under their feet. And if your goal is to float blower, thigh-to-waist deep snow and wear a snorkel and hop around rolly-polly Mario Land, then yes, January is for you.

But if you want to shred the forest apart-- late season is mind-blowing. The underbrush is not only covered, but the terrain rollies are flattened out. It's GS season through forests. It's as open as the High Alpine but a bit more stable with the undergrowth anchoring the snowpack. And, it's a few degrees warmer = faster snow. Less static. More water.

Then, later at the end of March/early April the big lines become safer around Hakuba with decreasing avalanche hazards.

As a snow-snob living here, I honestly never pay to travel in January because I can get the exact same conditions at any mom/pop resort anywhere in Japan. It's just thigh-deep, staticky, blower under grey skies dodging undergrowth. Absolutely fun, anywhere.

But as I always say to people who "want to experience Japan" You're missing out on the actual forest lines if you're coming in January. In March we GS those entire faces apart at ridiculous speeds. We call it Tree Tronning.

All that said-- people who typically spend money to travel/ski in March/April are probably looking at Canada/AK. So, I get it. JP isn't really a "Line" destination late season. The conditions are fucking rad, though. Highly preferable on my end.

Edited to add-- this is a low/warm snow year. Our forests are only just opening in Tohoku now at the end of January. This isn't rare. We do have mild seasons. Rare is skiing the forest in early January. In a big year, March forests will actually be scary due to avalanche danger as the undergrowth is so buried, it's no longer an anchor layer. That's when all of JP is skiing like all of the high alpine.

Thanks gaijin, that is super helpful!

Japow at 200m altitude
http://younWmHNlB9NNk

Finally we get to see Asahidake
Attachment 484636

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Originally Posted by alect47

Any thoughts or suggestions on making a trip in mid-late February? Mostly curious about conditions that time of year

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The simple answer is that mid to late February is solid on a normal snow year. Usually that 2 week period is the best of the season but the days are quickly getting longer and spring is approaching quickly. Every year I've been here the best storm of the season rolls in during the last week of February. However, early March is like a door slamming shut and suddenly winter is over.

This isn't a normal snow year so if you're planning a trip then focus on Hokkaido and stay north. The plum tree in our garden is already blooming and the sakura buds are already forming; it'll be a really early spring this year.

I disagree with the assessment that late season is best, at least in the Nagano/Niigata/Gunma region. Once you hit March 1 you're looking at rapidly diminishing returns. The jetstream weakens and begins to push further north, allowing for warm air from the Philippines to move up into Japan. It's rare to see heavy snowfall in March and there's a lot of rain. Obviously the further north you go the less rain you'll experience.

The frequent rain in the springtime in Japan means that it's hard to get good corn cycles. It's still fun to ski when the weather clears but there aren't the long windows of freeze/thaw necessary to get the right conditions for corn; I have yet to have found it great in Japan and usually settle for just kind of good.

Look at it this way-- if you give me ten days in Japan and I can choose between January or March. It'll be January in Hokkaido or March in Tohoku. Blower vs Descents. Mid Feb? Depends on your goals. Pow, or Lines. Both are worthy of their own trip. Pow up north, Lines in Hakuba.

We're staying in Sapporo for a week - have a few buses booked to go resort skiing, but wondering if it might be easier to just cancel those and rent a car so we can go where / when we want. Looks like I can rent a Subaru wagon for $400 for the week - worth it or will it be a headache?

Not worried about driving in the snow, more worried about resort parking and if it's a wreck the way it is in the US.

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Originally Posted by Pinned

We're staying in Sapporo for a week - have a few buses booked to go resort skiing, but wondering if it might be easier to just cancel those and rent a car so we can go where / when we want. Looks like I can rent a Subaru wagon for $400 for the week - worth it or will it be a headache?

Not worried about driving in the snow, more worried about resort parking and if it's a wreck the way it is in the US.

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Check you’ve got parking in Sapporo. It was difficult in the centre on the Saturday night when we were there (maybe a weekend thing?). The resorts are easy. I’d get the car if you have parking in Sapporo. Makes it much easier to change plans as necessary. I rented a practically brand new Nissan Note 4WD from Nissan Rentacar which was 10k per day and was great in the snow. Would easily take 2 people with skis. 3 at a push. The X-Trail we had before had more space but was twice as expensive

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Originally Posted by Pinned

We're staying in Sapporo for a week - have a few buses booked to go resort skiing, but wondering if it might be easier to just cancel those and rent a car so we can go where / when we want. Looks like I can rent a Subaru wagon for $400 for the week - worth it or will it be a headache?

Not worried about driving in the snow, more worried about resort parking and if it's a wreck the way it is in the US.

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Which company is offering a Subaru wagon for $400/week? That seems really cheap. From Shin Chitose airport?

Anyone know the best website/app to track weather on Hokkaido? Or are they all iffy? Last time I went I remember there wasn’t a great way. Thanks!

https://www.snow-forecast.com/ isn't terrible. I think the specific numbers aren't super reliable, but it gives you a decent idea of when and where storms are coming. Or windy.com

I'm not sure about this, but I think both just use GFS/ECMWF models and not a whole lot of human inputs, so they vary, but...

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Originally Posted by bobinch

Check you’ve got parking in Sapporo. It was difficult in the centre on the Saturday night when we were there (maybe a weekend thing?). The resorts are easy. I’d get the car if you have parking in Sapporo. Makes it much easier to change plans as necessary. I rented a practically brand new Nissan Note 4WD from Nissan Rentacar which was 10k per day and was great in the snow. Would easily take 2 people with skis. 3 at a push. The X-Trail we had before had more space but was twice as expensive

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Awesome - the hotel has parking so it should be good.

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Originally Posted by CascadeCrudSkier

Which company is offering a Subaru wagon for $400/week? That seems really cheap. From Shin Chitose airport?

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Nippon from Sapporo Station. It's more like $650 from Shin Chitose, but that was with an extra day. Seemed like a very good rate - not sure if it had snow tires though.

I would be surprised if you can get a rental car in Hokkaido without snow tires. Does anyone know if that is even a thing? Our tiny AWD Toyota rental had them.

Ours had snow tires too and we even had a manual subaru rental once

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Originally Posted by ehausman

Anyone know the best website/app to track weather on Hokkaido? Or are they all iffy? Last time I went I remember there wasn’t a great way. Thanks!

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https://www.windy.com/

Seeing as a lot of japans dumps originate from cold winds running from siberia across the sea of japan, i find that windy.com provides a pretty good visual of what to expect and where to expect it.