Skiing and boarding in Japan??

[hannahhanj]

Hi,

I'm looking to go skiing and boarding in japan, and I was wondering if anyone had any advice, specifically on:
1/ Cheap airline to get to japan
2/ Internal flights to North Island
3/ Good resorts (advanced skiing and boarding)
4/ Possibility of travelling between resorts - do you need a hire car etc?
5/ Accomodation over there
6/ Package tours from Singapore to ski in japan - would this work out cheaper? can anyone recommend any operators?

Any other info would be great.
Thanks!

[AngryAngMo]

I was in Japan just recently but havent gone there for skiing yet (although its definately on my list since the snow is supposed to have wonderful quality).
I guess Hokkaido is the most famous place and if you google you should find many information (try for example http://www.skijapanguide.com/)

I usually fly over with SIA and get my tickets around 1000SD return, i think thats reasonable but you have to book in advance.

[jpatokal]

I usually fly over with SIA and get my tickets around 1000SD return, i think thats reasonable but you have to book in advance.

Northwest usually has the cheapest prices to Japan, return flights to Tokyo are often under $500... plus taxes, the pain of getting up at 4 AM, crappy planes and high likelihood of random delays or cancellations.

[wino]

Was about to post with pretty much exactly the same request for advice! When are you planning on going, Hannahhanj? My husband and I are planning on going around 12th Feb if we're not too late to book. Coldplay are playing in Tokyo on 11th! Let me know if you find out anything. Hotels look extortionate!!!

[fujiyama]

I used to live in Japan before being transferred here. Actually, there're many places in the Kanto area for skiing/snowboarding - it's not necessary to travel so far to Hokkaido for that.

One place I'd recommend is Zao in Yamagata prefecture:
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regi ... /zaou.html

Yamagata is 2.5 hours by bullet train from Tokyo. From there you can take a bus to Zao Onsen. This place is not only famous for skiing, but also for onsen (especially outdoor ones) and "snow monsters" (ie. clusters of ice-covered coniferous trees) on the top of the mountain. The sight of these "monsters" is breathtaking (trust me) if you go there on a clear day.

You can probably book the bullet train tickets and hotel for Yamagata with JTB (Japan Travel Bureau) here or in Japan.

[wino]

Hi Fujiyama

Thanks very much for that advice. We've now booked in Hokkaido because we heard from a few sources that it was the best place for skiing but will maybe consider Yamagata next year!

[jpatokal]

FYI for Japan-bound travelers: Thai Airways has dirt-cheap prices for sale now, return flights from Singapore to Tokyo via Bangkok start from S$430 before taxes (~S$700 all in).

[wino]

Thanks for that info! We have booked our Japan flights but one is paid for by my husband's business and one from airmiles so we haven't done too badly!

If anyone else is reading this thread, we were told by a travel agent that there are no budget airlines flying between Tokyo and Chitose but we subsequently found one. Can't remember the name of it and it doesn't go from the main airport in Tokyo but I could find out if anyone is interested!

[jpatokal]

If anyone else is reading this thread, we were told by a travel agent that there are no budget airlines flying between Tokyo and Chitose but we subsequently found one. Can't remember the name of it and it doesn't go from the main airport in Tokyo but I could find out if anyone is interested!

Air Do (Hokkaido Airlines), by any chance? They're an ANA subsidiary these days, and they fly from Haneda like everybody else, with pretty much the same prices as the majors too.

[wino]

I think they're called Skymark but will remember that other one for future trips - thanks!

[welda]

Went to Niseko in Jan 09 and it was awesome, thinking of branching out to try someplace new. Does anyone have advice on the quality of the resorts and accommodation suggestions for the following:

1. Nagano
2. Furano
3. Rusutsu

Cheers!

[QRM]

Just got back from Niseko in Hokkaido very nice we stayed at the Hilton, which was great the only complaint is that its just one hotel in the middle of nowhere, so if you are looking for a village high street to walk down you wont get it. Which also means you are forced to eat the hotell food which was surprisingly good but your wallet takes a hammering.
Hirafu the main town is 20min drive away, which to be honest felt like some over grown arctic weather station, lots of porta-cabin type structure everywhere.

Anyway liked it so much we are going back in Feb.

You can take the train up from Tokyo, theres a fancy one called Cassiopeia you get your own living room etc. but it takes 17 hours.

When you arrive at Chitose airport leg it to the front as the Q at immigration stretches back to the planes door.

[Andrew Pink]

Hi Hannahhanj,

You might want to consider Hakuba, which is a little easier to get to if you have to go through Tokyo's Narita airport. Hakuba, site of the winter Olympics 98, is about 4 hours by train and local bus transfer.

I part own a hotel here, so will be bias, but if you like things a little steeper and your mountains a little more varied, you might want to considerate it as an alternative to Niseko. If you're interested you can find more details on our webiste www.doubleblackhotel.com It gives details on how to get here, reviews of restaurants, bars, onsens etc. not just the basic of the hotel.

We've produced a review video of the hotel and the local area that gives you a really good feel for the place www.doubleblackhotel.com/hotel/tour

You might want to check out www.Hakubaconnect.com website which gives a really good review of the area.

We have a great product to offer, so no apologies for the blatant commercial push here

Andrew

[ak901]

how did this go?