Japan - Nagano, Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort

[starlight1968sg]

I have been to the Snow Monkey Park in Nagano only.

For skiing, perhaps you may want to consider Niseko in Hokkaido. My Japanese friends highly recommend it though I have yet to been there too.

[celeste.08399chua]

hi iluvjr2, I just came back from Nagano. We went skiing last week


But not to Nozawa Onsen - we went to nearby Hakuba instead. We considered Nozawa too, but decided on Hakuba because:
1. It's a shorter commute from Tokyo
2. Hakuba Valley offers 7 ski resorts, which kept us entertained for four days.
3. We studied the trail maps of the various resorts, and Hakuba's ski runs look more accessible for my family - we are beginners, and this is only our second ski trip.

Have a look at the trail maps from these links:
Nozawa - http://www.nozawaski.com/winter/en/pdf/areamap2012.pdf
(We skied at three resorts in Hakuba)
Hakuba 47 - http://www.hakuba47.co.jp/winter/en/mou ... g/mapl.jpg (our fave)
Hakuba Happo One - http://www.happo-one.jp/info/pdf/course_guide.pdf (the biggest in the area)
Tsugaike - http://www.tsugaike.gr.jp/img/townguide ... de-map.pdf (really suited for beginners with wide, gentle slopes).

Hope this helps and I'd love to hear from you about Nozawa if you do go!

best, Celeste

[EatNonStop]

celeste.chua:

hi iluvjr2, I just came back from Nagano. We went skiing last week


But not to Nozawa Onsen - we went to nearby Hakuba instead. We considered Nozawa too, but decided on Hakuba because:
1. It's a shorter commute from Tokyo
2. Hakuba Valley offers 7 ski resorts, which kept us entertained for four days.
3. We studied the trail maps of the various resorts, and Hakuba's ski runs look more accessible for my family - we are beginners, and this is only our second ski trip.

Have a look at the trail maps from these links:
Nozawa - http://www.nozawaski.com/winter/en/pdf/areamap2012.pdf
(We skied at three resorts in Hakuba)
Hakuba 47 - http://www.hakuba47.co.jp/winter/en/mou ... g/mapl.jpg (our fave)
Hakuba Happo One - http://www.happo-one.jp/info/pdf/course_guide.pdf (the biggest in the area)
Tsugaike - http://www.tsugaike.gr.jp/img/townguide ... de-map.pdf (really suited for beginners with wide, gentle slopes).

Hope this helps and I'd love to hear from you about Nozawa if you do go!

best, Celeste

Am thinking of Ski trip to Japan this year end..Is Niseko better for family trip or Nagano...May I know est expenditure for each pax on accomodation + airticket? 2.5k??

[celeste.08399chua]

EatNonStop:

Am thinking of Ski trip to Japan this year end..Is Niseko better for family trip or Nagano...May I know est expenditure for each pax on accomodation + airticket? 2.5k??

Hi there!

Personally, I think it depends on whether you wanna check out other sights, other than skiing?

Our Niseko trip was part of a larger loop around Hokkaido, where we checked out Hakodate, Yoshii (i think, it's where the whiskey distillery is), Otaru as well as Sapporo. For Hakuba, we could have included side trips to visit the snow monkeys or the temples in the prefecture, spend some time in Tokyu etc if we had wanted to.

Purely for skiing: I think Hakuba's slopes are great for beginners. The green slopes are of a consistent, gentle drop. At Niseko, I struggled a bit even with the easy green slopes as there tend to be segments that are steeper / narrower, ie, advance green (to me). Both are beautiful.

Hirafu (at Niseko) was, to me, an easier town to get around, touristic. Many eateries / shops are seasonal and do not open till mid-Dec, when the travellers arrive, and close by early April, when the skiers leave. Hakuba, on the other hand, is a real working town.

As for budget.. flying to tokyo (for hakuba) would be cheaper than flying to Sapporo.

Hope this helps a little!

[EatNonStop]

celeste.chua:

EatNonStop:

Am thinking of Ski trip to Japan this year end..Is Niseko better for family trip or Nagano...May I know est expenditure for each pax on accomodation + airticket? 2.5k??

Hi there!

Personally, I think it depends on whether you wanna check out other sights, other than skiing?

Our Niseko trip was part of a larger loop around Hokkaido, where we checked out Hakodate, Yoshii (i think, it's where the whiskey distillery is), Otaru as well as Sapporo. For Hakuba, we could have included side trips to visit the snow monkeys or the temples in the prefecture, spend some time in Tokyu etc if we had wanted to.

Purely for skiing: I think Hakuba's slopes are great for beginners. The green slopes are of a consistent, gentle drop. At Niseko, I struggled a bit even with the easy green slopes as there tend to be segments that are steeper / narrower, ie, advance green (to me). Both are beautiful.

Hirafu (at Niseko) was, to me, an easier town to get around, touristic. Many eateries / shops are seasonal and do not open till mid-Dec, when the travellers arrive, and close by early April, when the skiers leave. Hakuba, on the other hand, is a real working town.

As for budget.. flying to tokyo (for hakuba) would be cheaper than flying to Sapporo.

Hope this helps a little!

Thanks

DH has set target on Niseko so now sourcing for more information for planning. We plan for around 10-12 days trip at Hokkaido covering Sapporo / Niseko (4 days skiing) / Otaru / Lake Toya for the 1st 7-8 days then to Tokyo / Osaka / Kyoto for another 3-4 days...any recommedation for a better route itinerary? Is it better to stay in Niseko village or Hirafu? Any recommend accomodation? Both DH & me know how to ski (causual skiiing to intermediate level) but it will be 1st time for my kids age 8 and 11..which ski lesson/school is recommended? Should I get the Niseko Universe ski pass for 4 days or Grand Hirafu? Did u have problem in getting around with the shuttle bus between villages ? Sorry for so many questions..

[celeste.08399chua]

EatNonStop:

Thanks

DH has set target on Niseko so now sourcing for more information for planning. We plan for around 10-12 days trip at Hokkaido covering Sapporo / Niseko (4 days skiing) / Otaru / Lake Toya for the 1st 7-8 days then to Tokyo / Osaka / Kyoto for another 3-4 days...any recommedation for a better route itinerary? Is it better to stay in Niseko village or Hirafu? Any recommend accomodation? Both DH & me know how to ski (causual skiiing to intermediate level) but it will be 1st time for my kids age 8 and 11..which ski lesson/school is recommended? Should I get the Niseko Universe ski pass for 4 days or Grand Hirafu? Did u have problem in getting around with the shuttle bus between villages ? Sorry for so many questions..

hi there, will send you a PM yah to cover the points

[bbsin]

Celeste, can send me too.. Happened to saw this post. We planning to go too.

celeste.chua:

EatNonStop:

Thanks

DH has set target on Niseko so now sourcing for more information for planning. We plan for around 10-12 days trip at Hokkaido covering Sapporo / Niseko (4 days skiing) / Otaru / Lake Toya for the 1st 7-8 days then to Tokyo / Osaka / Kyoto for another 3-4 days...any recommedation for a better route itinerary? Is it better to stay in Niseko village or Hirafu? Any recommend accomodation? Both DH & me know how to ski (causual skiiing to intermediate level) but it will be 1st time for my kids age 8 and 11..which ski lesson/school is recommended? Should I get the Niseko Universe ski pass for 4 days or Grand Hirafu? Did u have problem in getting around with the shuttle bus between villages ? Sorry for so many questions..

hi there, will send you a PM yah to cover the points

[celeste.08399chua]

bbsin:

Celeste, can send me too.. Happened to saw this post. We planning to go too.

Sure bbsin! Do you want info on skiing in Nagano or skiing in Niseko?

[bbsin]

Thank, yes, I would like to have the ski info in Niseko.

celeste.chua:

bbsin:

Celeste, can send me too.. Happened to saw this post. We planning to go too.

Sure bbsin! Do you want info on skiing in Nagano or skiing in Niseko?