22/23 Japan scene?

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Originally Posted by Ottime

My wife is going to be at Hodaigi in Gunma next week chaperoning a school trip. I've contacted the resort and they only rent beginner skis. I'm trying to locate another rental facility nearby, but have as yet had no luck.

Does anyone know anything about this area and where she might be able to get demo level skis and boots? Is there a service in Japan that you can book/rent skis delivered to your lodging? Hoping she does not need to spend the week on crap gear. The kids are in lessons all day long, so she is free to ski as she wishes all day long. The resort is small, but looks like it has a little bit of some steep tight trees to have fun in, as long as she is not on fully cambered FIS slalom sidecut noodles.

And dmn, this thread rocks.

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This was ChatGPT’s answer:

Hodaigi is a popular ski resort in Japan. There are several places where you can rent good skis near Hodaigi. Here are some options:

Hodaigi Ski Center: The ski center offers rental equipment for skiing and snowboarding, including skis, boots, and poles. You can rent from the center located near the ski lifts.
J-Station Hodaigi: J-Station Hodaigi is another rental shop that offers a wide range of skis for all levels, from beginner to advanced. They have a great selection of rental skis and knowledgeable staff that can help you choose the best equipment for your skill level.
Naeba Prince Hotel Ski Center: Located about 30 minutes away from Hodaigi, the Naeba Prince Hotel Ski Center offers high-quality ski equipment rentals for both adults and children.

I stayed at Tanigawadake Tenjindaira, which is not too far away and they had several high end Black Crow models in the rental shop

Another amazing trip in the books. Already making plans for next year.

Anyone have experience taking the train with a full set of gear from Tokyo up to Niseko/Furano and back? To me the flight to and from Sapporo and the long bus transfers are stressful and tedious, and I love the train. Not sure how much I'd love the train with a ski tube and a duffel though.

Tragic if after your trip you learn of the amazing delivery services available so you don't have to endeavor such train rides.

The 3 days to get anything from Tokyo to/from Hokkaido kinda ruins the appeal for me though. Spending an extra 2 nights in Tokyo on both ends isn't as enjoyable as it used to be now that I've done it a few times and life is busier back home. Would rather ski as much as possible.

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Originally Posted by eggsbenedict

Another amazing trip in the books. Already making plans for next year.

Anyone have experience taking the train with a full set of gear from Tokyo up to Niseko/Furano and back? To me the flight to and from Sapporo and the long bus transfers are stressful and tedious, and I love the train. Not sure how much I'd love the train with a ski tube and a duffel though.

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We went from Hakuba to Tokyo to Niseko in two days on the Shinkansen last week. It’s not bad but tights transfers are stressful. I’d do TA-Q-BIN/Yamato next time for the ski bag.

If you continue on the train past Hakodate you'll have enough time to black cat your ski bags even if you think you're getting to furano quickly :fmicon:

(we shinkansened north this past trip and were super happy we didn't have to lug big bags around tokyo subways/tokyo station/on the trains)

Do they charge an airport surplus when shipping a bag FROM the airport? Our shipping cost to skiing was double the cost back from skiing, and we shipped 1 more bag back than we did out.

I'm going to be staying right at the base of niseko grand hirafu with a group, but I'm planning to mainly go touring for the week. Problem is the place we rented doesn't come with parking. What's the public parking situation like around the area? Are there overnight street parking or public car parks in the area?

I did google maps this seemingly public car park: https://goo.gl/maps/XUaE43wNNm5P3oH27

but would love some local beta on this topic.

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Originally Posted by beer30

Just finished up a 17 day stretch in Niseko. Of the 4 times I’ve been over this was far and away the most consistent snow I’ve ever had. What a blast! I can’t wait for next year!

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This may be something already covered somewhere else on the forums, but the search isn't working (the Random Question, specifically)...but is there a forum post for first timers to Japan? My bros and I are trying to cross it off our bucket list, and it's pretty overwhelming to plan...

what is it that you would like to know that hasn't already been covered in this thread?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVjutZ0VR7w

Fabulous

Where was that last clip from please?

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Originally Posted by m2711c

what is it that you would like to know that hasn't already been covered in this thread?

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Lodging is what I'm having the toughest time getting a bead on. Kinda overwhelming. I saw the RV thread, and the Indy Pass, but none of us have the big passes right now.

Lodging was the crux for me in the 2x I've been. Almost everything filled up by like November, so staying flexible was hard. I decided that having a vehicle and sleeping in it was the only way I wanted to go.

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Originally Posted by m2711c

what is it that you would like to know that hasn't already been covered in this thread?

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I'm planning a trip too and have zero idea what region to start to look at. I'd like to avoid places crowded with Aussies and Americans with epic/ikon. Mainly want to do lift serviced or lift-assist backcountry with some touring - would be nice to have touring options for sure in case the people who don't tour bail on me and I'm not stuck in some tracked out ski area that has no BC access. I'm nixing Hokkaido because the trip may only have 7 days of skiing. Any ideas?

Also, what should i be looking for in a ski area - what should the base elevation or top elevation be, what's considered decent vert out there?

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Originally Posted by Mike Pow

Fabulous

Where was that last clip from please?

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it’s a mix of the Indy resorts of Tazawako, Geto Kogen, Okunakayama Kogen, Shimokura and Aomori Spring.

If you want to get away from other tourists and ski at places that are use by mostly Japanese folks, then the Tōhoku region has what you’re looking for.

base and top elevations don’t really matter. It snows pretty fucking hard no matter what your altitude.


total vertical isn’t really a good guide either. most of the ski areas have a decent overall vertical drop, but you won’t see a continuous drop. They’ll be lots of flat spots on the way down.

for lodging, if you're not gonna go the rv route, try using hotels.com.

My trips have all been touring. I went to google earth and looked for the most vert. Than I looked for the bed symbol. I then contacted the lodging directly. Some were on bookings and hotel.com others were not. everyplace you could tour out the door. Got some advice from Neckbeard and Mike Pow. Except for one night in 3 weeks we were the only skiers staying at those places. Some japanese skiers showed up. My kids did the RV thing. I enjoy the ryokan lifestyle.

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Originally Posted by m2711c

it’s a mix of the Indy resorts of Tazawako, Geto Kogen, Okunakayama Kogen, Shimokura and Aomori Spring.

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Thanks

Need to get down there

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Originally Posted by BBroSkiBro

Lodging is what I'm having the toughest time getting a bead on. Kinda overwhelming. I saw the RV thread, and the Indy Pass, but none of us have the big passes right now.

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In my opinion you're focusing on the wrong variables. If you're traveling to Japan you're spending several thousand dollar at least. In Japan your expenses are transportation (air and ground), lodging, lift tickets, and food. Transportation is high, lodging can be either high or low depending on where you go, and lift tickets and food will be very cheap compared to what you're used to paying. The most expensive lift ticket I've purchased in my 4 years here is around $50 and they are usually around $30/day to ski. The yen is currently falling again and most people think it's not going to bounce back anytime soon. Whether you have an Epic/Ikon/Indy pass shouldn't factor into where you decide to go or ski; in the big picture you're not saving much money by skiing for free that day; particularly if you're spending a lot of money to access those locations.

Here's a useful link on what you're looking for to figure out how to set up a trip to Japan; it's as close to a one stop shop as you can get.
https://www.powderhounds.com/Japan.aspx

Once you figure out where you want to go then see what lodging fits your budget. Booking.com is the best search engine for lodging in Japan, though you can also use airbnb if you're traveling with a group and trying to rent an entire accommodation out.

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Originally Posted by CascadeCrudSkier

In my opinion you're focusing on the wrong variables. If you're traveling to Japan you're spending several thousand dollar at least. In Japan your expenses are transportation (air and ground), lodging, lift tickets, and food. Transportation is high, lodging can be either high or low depending on where you go, and lift tickets and food will be very cheap compared to what you're used to paying. The most expensive lift ticket I've purchased in my 4 years here is around $50 and they are usually around $30/day to ski. The yen is currently falling again and most people think it's not going to bounce back anytime soon. Whether you have an Epic/Ikon/Indy pass shouldn't factor into where you decide to go or ski; in the big picture you're not saving much money by skiing for free that day; particularly if you're spending a lot of money to access those locations.

Here's a useful link on what you're looking for to figure out how to set up a trip to Japan; it's as close to a one stop shop as you can get.
https://www.powderhounds.com/Japan.aspx

Once you figure out where you want to go then see what lodging fits your budget. Booking.com is the best search engine for lodging in Japan, though you can also use airbnb if you're traveling with a group and trying to rent an entire accommodation out.

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100%

Pick an area
Don't be too ambitious with the number of resorts on your list
Visibility is often low so you'll need to spend 2-3 days at most areas to get the best out of them
With regular top ups that's not an issue

Get a vehicle
Being able to access less known areas and stay off mountain / out of resort will significantly reduce your accommodation bill
You can follow the snow

Everything else will fall in to place

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Originally Posted by m2711c

it’s a mix of the Indy resorts of Tazawako, Geto Kogen, Okunakayama Kogen, Shimokura and Aomori Spring.

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Originally Posted by Mike Pow

Thanks

Need to get down there

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I spent the better part of 3 years in Tohoku. 3 full winter seasons at AS; visited most of the Aomori and Iwate resorts, and one in Akita Prefecture. You can get a much-less liquidated version of Japan here than Niseko.

Time for an official W24 Japan thread, someone please giver

Thanks, all!

20 cms at base of Annupuri to mark the first snow day of W25