Ski trip to Japan
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HaydenWrong
Member
I skied Nozawa Onsen, small town not westernized like Hakuba Valley. That being said Hakuba valley was still cool to. I stayed in hostels Ks house in Hakuba, and Peanuts House in Nozawa. Only thing I'd do different is stay a day or two in Tokyo. Have fun be safe you don't know the snow pack over there. Be smart
xxACIDTRIPxx
Active member
I'm deciding between hakuba or niseko!
I was probably going to stay somewhere near Niskeo (using it as a base due to the amenities seemed like a good idea), checking it out for a couple days (possibly some sidecountry if I can find a cool local or maybe get a guide), and go explore Rusutsu the other days since its only 45 minutes away.
When are you going?
When are you going?
xxACIDTRIPxx
Active member
14048192:HaydenWrong said:
Any tips and cool things to do in hakuba? Best resort?
HaydenWrong
Member
14062287:_GHOST said:
Did a ton of side country touring off Tsugake. Hang out around a bc gate make new friends. Please don't ride solo, the terrain is very unique in japan.
chris.goodhue
Member
I went to Niseko last year and it was sick, but way to touristy for me.
We decided not to rent a car and regret it.
Given it was still an AMAZING trip and I'm super grateful for the experience, but literally feel like I experienced like zero Japanese culture while in Niseko. Just a bunch of drunk ausies
We decided not to rent a car and regret it.
Given it was still an AMAZING trip and I'm super grateful for the experience, but literally feel like I experienced like zero Japanese culture while in Niseko. Just a bunch of drunk ausies
14063552:chris.goodhue said:
That is one thing I was worried about home-basing in Niseko. How westernized is it? Is there still Japanese culture if you look around? Also, what would you have done if you had had a car? Was contemplating renting one to make it easier to visit Rusutsu, Lake Toya, Otaru, etc.
chris.goodhue
Member
14063775:druseph33 said:
Niseko is super Westernized, I'd say there's some but not really. We took a bus to Rusutsu and I enjoyed it alot. It's definitely a little further out so you feel like you more "away" from everything. Our best day was at Kiroro but that was ONLY because we had a local friend show us around, and I swear to god never would have found any good stuff if not for him.
I would look at resorts further north. I think it's hard because there's not a tun of lodging in places like Rusutsu and more rural places. but look at hostels and other hotels i'm sure you'll find something.
But seriously Niseko is nuts, I'd say it's good for like a day or two but seriously, it's like Vail.
If I were to do it again, I think I'd rent a little RV and ski the resorts for a day or two but the backcountry is really where you'll find the best snow. It snows a fucktun in Japan but in Niseko, it gets skied out quickly at the resorts. It's definitely not a secret anymore.
14063787:chris.goodhue said:
All very helpful info. Were you able to hit up any of the gates at Niseko? Were they still pretty tracked out if so? I definitely plan only only skiing a day or two there and checking out Rusutsu and/or some backcountry the other days if I decide on it.
I know you said it was too touristy: How crowded was it (both lift lines and food/bars)? When did you go?
xxACIDTRIPxx
Active member
14063820:tjshelley said:
I believe its international license
chris.goodhue
Member
14063796:druseph33 said:
We did hit gates a Grand Hirafu, Niseko and yes it got tracked out pretty quickly, comparable to any major resort in the US. The lines at Grand Hirafu, which is the major resort in Niseko, were bad, 20+ minutes on the first day, place was nuts. Although I did get my lift skiing at NIGHT at Grand Hirafu which was unreal...it snowed like 10 inches of super light snow in like 45 minutes and night skiing through the glades was sick! We went to a bar called Wild Bills on a friday night and the place was NUTS, too busy for me but if you like to rage it could be fun. There were some other cool bars and restaurants that cater to the traveling english speaking skier, which is cool and has a good vibe but wasn't that authentic Japanese culture I wanted to see. But like I said, if you want to party it's cool.
We didn't get amazing snow at Rusutsu but I see the lines not being as bad on Pow days up there, butt there's also zero nightlife so it's obviously a trade off. Most nights we were so beat from skiing we went to bed pretty early after an onsen sesh.
Mount Yotei in Niseko has really sick backcountry and even though it's crowded up there, it's beautiful and we had great skiing up there too.
It's all a give and take, the more rural resorts will have less fun things to do at night but will provide more culture and that home grown feel that I personally wanted to see. But Niseko, for the first time Japan trip, is easy and lots of people speak english, public transportation ect. But with the amount I spent, I think I would have done it differently.
HaydenWrong
Member
14063773:druseph33 said:
So cool and worth it imo. The town has hot springs ( onsens ) everywhere which is key after skiing all day. Also just a cool town with lots of history. Also the famous snow monkeys are near.
