Japan 2011- 2012 Trip Plans/Thoughts/Reviews Thread
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Here's some pics with a mixture if inbound, outbound, safe and unsafe terrain.
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I also just want to make a small plug for damian and his business which delivers the AST 1. Spent the last couple of days in a group being taught the AST 1 by damian and it was excellent. 1 day in the class and 1 in the hills just learning a lot about staying safe in avalanche terrain. You can tell damian is passionate about the mountains and put time into delivering a great course. Thanks damian and hopefully I now have a good grounding upon which to build on with some experience. Definitely going to try and get out and hike some simple terrain above Tsugaike before I leave.Great way to end a good holiday..... Have had my Snowboard boots stolen out of the hotels secure drying room.
Scum.
Sad to hear that Flohrie - whereabouts are/were you? Will they be covered by travel insurance?
No worries Sara777 - have fun
Which is which Smitty?
Last edited by a moderator:Myoko_Guy said:
In the Wadano region..... Have filed a police report so yes Travel Insurance should cover them thank fully!Last edited by a moderator:
We had a day in Tokyo on Sunday looking for something different to do.
Some hints for those spending some time there:
- 8yo's get bored easily in Akihabara
- The Watami chain is always great izakaya food. There's one near the bottom of Ameyoko in Ueno if you can't find one elsewhere.
- The monorail day pass (700 yen) is good value if you want to escape Haneda. It also offers discounts like a cheap Tokyo Bay cruise and only 100 yen for the WTC building next to Hamamatsucho Station. You get a great view of Fuji-san and Tokyo.
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Yep, that one is finished and there's a debate about whether to keep Tokyo Tower which is being starved of tourists.
Air Asia have just put flights on sale to KIX and HND between Sep and Jan. Might be worth checking out. Book by 19 Feb.
Looks like you can get a return fare via KL for about A$600-$800
It's hard taking action shots with a "point and shoot" camera, but here is one of Donza buried at Seaside Valley. Was a fun day today. Seaside Valley is a small resort, close to the coast, about a 30min drive from the main areas of Hakuba...oh and there was a maximum of 20 people on the hill today (no lie).
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Will wait for the photo Smittybut what did you think of Seaside? That was my local ski-jo for a couple of years but hardly ever went there. Usually skied Myoko because that was where my mates went (even though Hakuba was easier access).
Edit: Can see it now. Didn't show up on my work computer - sweet shot!Last edited by a moderator:
Seaside was a lot of fun. Hard to get to because you need a car, but I think a lot on here would enjoy it. It prob needs a few more folk going there during the week to stop it from going broke.
Pimpin' Hakuba
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This is what last year was like in Japan. The craziness starts about 1:40 or so but it's worth your time to watch the entire thing. The yellow line shows the total number of quakes. Also, some of the more specific charts at the end are worth looking at.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKp5cA2sM28Last edited by a moderator:
^ sorry, I knew that.... I was just being sarcastic...
I'm completely stumped. Have priced Japan and Canada and can afford to go either place for March. I just can't decide which one to book. <img src="https://www.ski.com.au/xf/styles/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="\:\/" title="smirk" height="15" width="15" />Last edited by a moderator:
Myoko was no different. My kids skied for a while and then came home to help me dig the front door out, again! Snowed at least 6 inches while we dug out the door.
Today is beautiful sunshine but things have conspired against us. The hot water heater failed, the door handle broke and we were all stuck in one room and then we could not open the front door for a while. At that point we decided to stay home in case anything else happened. Nice day to get lots of other stuff done tho.Was up at Norikura/Cortina Thurs-Sun with a few lads and scored some pretty good conditions. ~30cm for Friday and ~65cm for Saturday, was still plenty of fresh left for Sunday too... A few pics from the phone.
Friday turns
The car Saturday morning (was driven Friday arvo...)
Running a ridge - Saturday
About to drop in - Saturday
Finished off with a Bluebird Sunday
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Short video of 2 of my runs down Happo north face with fattwins and paedde. Probably one of the most enjoyable days snowboarding I have ever had. Thanks to fattwins for the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QKxajv7qicLast edited by a moderator:
Hey guys im heading to hokaido tomorrow! just booked a flight! and im plannign to spend 7-10 days skiing, and iv never been to hokkaido befor, iv been to hakuba and myoko.
I want powder. what is my best bet in hokkaido for resonable quiet and enough terrain to keep me occupied for a week(ish) if there is no new snow.
obviously i need to sort somthing out fast!
id also love a recommendation for accomodations, i'd prefer a smaller lodge in a convinient location. i wasnt planning to hire a car, but is that nececary in hokaido?
nice pics and vid smitty - those smaller resorts sound awesome. Did you get a chance to go to Charmant?
Ppk - I would suggest Rusutsu.
During the week its pretty quiet and even on weekends when the locals flock in they tend to stick to the groomers leaving the pow to the rest of us... Last Saturday it was bluebird with plenty of ppl on the mountain yet I didn't wait anymore than 3mins in a lift line. Terrain is pretty awesome, plenty of valleys with easy run outs to main runs so hard to get yourself in any trouble.
Access is easy, plenty of buses that run from the airport. There are also buses that run to and from Niseko each day if you wanted to check out something else. Niseko is much quieter this season than last so don't be afraid of all the hype about crowds. Same goes for Kiroro Snow World, there is a bus that runs from Rusutsu / Niseko / Kiroro / Otaru return each day. Check out http://www.access-n.jp/winter2011/english/ski_bus/ for more info.
Kiroro is a fun resort if you know where to go off piste - I just stalked a few j-crews who looked pretty confident in there knowledge of the mountain/terrain.
Have a good tripLast edited by a moderator:Ppk said:
You are heading there tomorrow and don't have any idea where to go? No research at all?
Without a car the obvious choices would be Niseko or Furano. Buses to both from Chitose airport. Rusutsu also an option but not for a whole week.
Niseko is well documented - don't need to say much - guessing it is somewhat quiter now.
Furano may be the best option - quiet village - nice town - good size mountain definately worth a few days and a number of other resorts nearby (Tomamu, Asahidake, Kamui) that can be accessed by bus. Several smaller hotels, pensions in Kitanomine village not far from the lifts or from a shuttle bus.Last edited by a moderator:No, no reasearch untill today... but I've been skiing in hakuba a few times and myoko, so im not worried.I decided on niseko, it looks like its pretty quiet about now and still a fair bit of snow and i should be able to get over to rusutsu quite easily from there. anyone stayed at blowhard? Its pretty close to chair lifts.
Spontaneous. Get up and just go. Bugger the planning. I quite like that idea Ppk!
Last edited by a moderator:I thought i couldn't go, but in the end i could! And after i foudn flights the rest seemed like a piece of cake, I mean its really as far from peak season as is possible. and as heinz said, niseko is pretty well documented.
BTW anyone still in Niseko? Im wondering what the vibe is like, im assuming is pretty quite but wheres good to eat or get a drink?
You can stay at the travel lodge which is opposite the south wing (near the tram that goes to the tower), or across the street near the seicomart there are a few pensions. Other than that you need to head into the actual town which is a 2 min drive.Ppk said:Last edited by a moderator:There is also powder lodge next to 7-11.
lilla huset pension is probably your best bet at such short notice.
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Revi...n_Hokkaido.htmlLast edited by a moderator:
Could be anywhere (in Japan). Stayed in many rooms just like that.
The rice paper screens, the futon cupboard, the low table, the tea set,the towel rack, tatami floor, even the room key...Last edited by a moderator:Japanese Tea Green.
Room key ring: well spotted, and true!
It is always happy to be comfortably settled into a nice Japanese lodge with a simple room and good food coming.Thanks for a great night at karaoke Toto, Mrs Toto sure can bang out a tune , but I think you need a few singing lessons
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