Hi Guys,
Looking at doing my first skiing/snowboarding trip abroad to Japan next year and this is kind of a spur of the moment thing.
Just wondering if anyone has any tips or suggestions on where to stay and places to visit whilst in Hakuba as we plan to spend 6-7 days on the slopes and then finish the trip off in Tokyo.
Looking at a few tour companies and they all seem to be a bit hit/miss so could really use some advice from people who've visited Japan.
hip flask with some yamazaki and dark chocolate
Is there a reason you are looking at tour companies, and not just doing the trip yourself?
not really happy to do it myself but just wouldn't have a clue where to go or what to organise.
Even now I'm being told on whirlpool that Hakuba during the end of February might not have the best snow due to the elevation compared to other regions.
Was hoping some people who have traveled Japan would be able to provide some tips
We're heading over at the end of Feb next year to Furano for about a week of snowboarding.
We were at Nozawa Onsen in early March this year and the snow was pretty amazing. Last year we went to Niseko in late November (just before "official" ski season) and snow conditions were pretty slushy/rainy so it was quite a bad experience.
If you're going in the middle of winter (December/Jan), then Hakuba might be ok (never been before so can't really comment). If you're heading over late Feb/early March, then your best bet is one of the ski fields in Hokkaido (north island) as it'll still be quite cold there and still have pretty good snow conditions. Apparently some places in Hokkaido have 5 month long ski seasons.
If it's your first time in Japan snowboarding/skiing, maybe Niseko might be a good start as there's heaps of Aussies there and is semi-commercialised meaning there's more restaurants, things to do etc. Our trip to Nozawa Onsen is less touristy so there were less options for food, things to do etc. and generally more expensive but was still a good overall experience. We aim to try a different area each year so we're looking forward to seeing what Furano has.
BTW, we ski'd for about 10 years before jumping ship to snowboarding and I personally probably wouldn't go back to ski's unless I was out in the slopes for a full season and wanted a change.
The general rule is skiing is easier to pick up but harder to get good at. Snowboarding is harder to pick up, but easier to get good but at the end of the day it's personal preference. Also, I'd highly recommend doing some training at an indoor ski/snowboarding place locally (I see you're in Sydney so maybe https://offpiste.com/ may be an option) to learn the fundamentals. It's less forgiving than real snow (meaning you'll probably fall a lot more) but if you can get a good grasp, then you'll save a lot of time on the mountain actually enjoying it rather than spending a day or two in lessons etc.
I've done Nozawa mid January for the fire festival, snow was great and no queues. I've also done Furano Mid Feb snow was excellent and no queues, stayed at Hotel Naturwald, walk across the road to the ski lifts, has an onsen, and included breakfasts were great.
I agree with Escusemay, depending on when in Feb you plan to ski, Hakuba may not be the best to guarantee good snow.
If you can fit it in, head to one of the Hokkaido resorts for good February snow, and you can also catch the Sapporo Snow Festival.
I went there in 2018 for 5 days and found it was great.
I went there for schoolies and the company that we stayed with was ozsnow and stayed at the gondola lodge. The staff were all awesome and super friendly. The bars around Hakuba really go off at night too so if you're into that you'll be able to stay out very late into the night with the only worry being stumbling up/down icy roads while drunk.
The 2 mountains I went to were 47 and Cortina. 47 was very steep and almost like ice after only midday. So if you don't have much snowboarding/skiing experience it might not be the easiest place to learn although there is a small hill near the chair lift to learn.
Cortina was my favourite as it had so many more routes and even allowed for some exploring so I could try out some cross country esque snowboarding. It has lines that go from beginner to expert and is much more friendly looking.
Check out this thread https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/thread/91qpmyx9