Anyone successfully rented an RV, and used it to travel to ski areas throughout Hokkaido? Any suggestions or insights you want to share? Rental companies? Parking lot camping?

Thanks in advance!

Yo! I'm studying abroad in Tokyo at the moment and I'm trying to go up to the Snow Machine festival and looking to cut costs by rooming with some people while i'm up there! I don't ski or anything but I'm always down to get lit and am hella excited for the festival. DM me if you've got any info this is my first time going to a festival alone lol

Hi everyone, I was just wondering if there are any snowboarding groups for people living in Japan? I've been wanting to join one but I don't know where to look. Thanks!

I’ll be living in Niseko until February 16th. I’m looking for a touring partner who wants to go explore Yotei, Shiribetsu and Moiwa. I’m living in Japan for the entire winter and moved recently from the NYC area.

I'm a skier but I come in peace. I'll be in Sapporo skiing teine highlands, kiroro, kokusai etc from 1/24-1/30, and Furano Jan 30th-feb 7th. Looking for touring partners.

A bit about me: lived in Jackson hole, WY for about 7 years now. Wildland Firefighter/EMT in the summer, ski patroller/shop rat in the winter. Ski about 130 days per season, 40-60 of which are in the BC.

Have my avvy 1 and partner rescue, looking to take my avvy 2 this season if the timing works out. Overall I'm fit and a pretty strong partner.

Should've put it in the title I suppose, but I'm a 27 yr old male. Hit me up if ya wanna get out!

Hey There! My friend and i are in Hakuba for 2 weeks from the 6th to the 20th of Febuary. Originally we were 3 people but the third got injured and is not joining us in Hakuba. However we already booked a room for 3 people. So if anyone is interested we would be happy to find a roommate!:) We are 22yr old guy from Switzerland and a 23 yr old girl from Austria and we are very easy going and exited about the legendary japanese Pow:). the accomodation is about 87 euros per night for the whole room: so around 30 euros (33 usd) per person per night. As far as i can tell it's a small hostel/guesthouse. Please let me know if you are interested!:)

Does anyone know if any of the major sports shops in Tokyo sell P-Tex repair kits for a reasonable price? The cheapest I can find on Amazon is 5000 yen.

Thanks

Hey all, hoping someone can help.

Ive been riding a 155 instigator for 2 years and want to get a more intermediate - expert level board that is wider (big feet). I was hoping for a 151-154 warpig (coz it’s wider I should be able to ride smaller) but I keep finding 148 warpigs.

Anybody got experience with dropping board sizes a bit ?

Hey Reddit friends I'm looking to get some help on picking a spot after spending a week at Niseko. I'm looking at Rusutso or Tomamu as a secondary location and thought I'd ask if anyone has experience on both locations and had a recommendation. We're a couple who are pretty decent snowboarders and i'm looking for more off-piste (run) and glades, not so much park or anything crazy. Don't really care too much about whats around the hills and just focusing on the riding.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all, I have a work trip in Tokyo at the end of January. I have the Ikon Base Pass, so basically free lift tickets at Niseko. I am considering flying to Sapporro Friday night, staying the night at Niseko Friday night, snowboarding Saturday day, staying the night at Niseko Saturday night, and then flying home (US) Sunday day. Do you guys think it is worth the travel hassle to go to Niseko just for a day? How difficult is it to get back and forth from the Sapporo airport to Niseko?

How are the conditions, looking for insight from someone that has been recently or currently there.

I’ll be in Hakuba early Feb and looking for a snowboarding buddy/s for those powder tree runs etc. plan is to switch between both Happo One and Happo47 resorts.

As for experience this will be my second time snowboarding.

About me I’m a 38M from Australia with Asian background, I enjoy photography and riding motorcycles in my spare time.

Message me if you’d like to hit the slopes together 🤘

I’ll be living in Asahikawa for February and March. I’m looking for a touring partner who wants to go explore Tokachi, Asahidake, Furano and Kurodake. I’m living in Japan for the entire winter and moving from the NYC area.

Hi everyone,

I'm a total beginner at snowboarding (I've only started early this year and done it 3 times) but enjoyed it so much that I decided to head to Niseko this coming January for a month.

I will be working part-time in a restaurant in Grand Hirafu and plan to hit the slopes every day, so I believe buying my own gears would work out better than renting them. Since I'm still starting out and not doing anything hardcore, I want to keep my budget as low as possible.

My question is: Can I find any second-hand shops in Niseko with cheap snowboarding gears, or are they mainly catered to seasoned snowboarders, selling high-end equipment? I've done a quick search and found some second-hand ones on mercari (メルカリ local sell-buy app), ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 jpy. Again, I'm a noob so I think it would be better if I could pick them out at a shop, but what would you guys advice?

Thanks!!

Edit: Ps/ I'm currently living in Nagoya, so I also have the option to get my gears at a local shop.

After a slow start to the season, it looks like Asahidake ropeway will be opening on the 11th of December.

I'm hoping it will be opening for skiing/boarding, not just sight seeing. Does anybody know if this is the case??

I will be up there on the 11th, riding alone. So if anyone wants a buddy to ride with there, drop me a line here. Not the sort of place I'd look forward to riding by myself.

I have a trip planned in Japan for about 2 weeks in late January. I currently have a 2017(? Can’t remember when I got it) Lib Tech C2 BTX T Rice Pro with banana tech 164.5. And a pair of Burton Genesis bindings to match.

I‘be only ever rode on the east coast of the US in ice and light snow. Wondering if I should invest in a powder snowboard. I know mine is considered an “all mountain” board.

I am staying at the One Niseko Resort Towers which is on Moiwa but we want to ride the Niseko United Mountains because of the Ikon pass. There is a free shuttle from the resort to An' nuppuri and Hirafu but limited times. Does anyone have experience with traveling between these destinations? Is there another shuttle we could use as a backup.

Also how is Moiwa for riding? It seems a little smaller than the rest.

Hey guys,

I've had this trip and accommodation booked for 2 years now, but my best bud and riding partner went and injured himself this year and won't be joining me on the slopes.

I'm a fairly seasoned boarder, did two ski seasons in Whistler, Canada, just looking for someone experienced to tag along with me on the mountain as I'll be doing gated terrain and slightly more difficult stuff than the group I'm going with wants to do.

I've been to Niseko twice before and am very comfortable with the mountain and the trails.

Drop me a line if you are in Niseko in Jan 2020 and want a solid riding partner who knows the mountain and wants to shred hard.

What is your experience with staying in Niseko to ride with a group? Any good places to look at or cheap options that get the job done?

I am planning a trip with about 7 people. We aim to go from Tokyo to Sapporo and then to Niseko. Looking for any advice on traveling in these areas.

Planing a trip to Hakuba Valley in Feb ‘20. Anyone have recommendations on places to stay? Ideally looking for:

• private room
• private bath preferred (not a must)
• chill atmosphere
• close by shuttles to various valley resorts
• close to some night areas (food and drink) a plus
• nice but not “luxury”
• budget ~ 10,600 — 21,000 yen night

Thanks in advance!

Calling all snow-loving families of Canberra!

I found this unbelievably cheap flight deal for Canberra to Tokyo for $722 AUD return per person (flying full-service carriers Qantas and Japan Airlines) if you’re flying with 1 child under the under of 12. If its adults only it comes to $815 which is still very reasonable.

Check it out here - https://thelazysociety.com/cheap-flight-tokyo/

I'm looking to spend about 3 months in Hokkaido for the 2019/2020 ski season. Still early in my research but looking for advice across the board. Has anyone been out there for an extended amount of time in a season?

I'm not planning on working (taking a sabbatical from work here in the US) and I'll be traveling solo.

I'm an advance snowboarder and would be looking to spend most of my time touring or on slack country terrain. I'm also perfectly ok with deep not steep that Hokkaido is known for.

So here's what I think I need to sort out:

1. home base... I was just in Niseko area this January but seems too expensive and frankly over crowded. Am I wrong, could I find affordable housing in Kutchan or a similar smaller city? Also interested in using Asahikawa as home base and having all the surrounding areas as options. Is Sapporo tenable as a home base? Should I just plan to move around?
2. lodging... Hostels maybe the choice if I'm gonna move around. But is an apartment/flat an option?
3. community... As in I'm not dumb enough to head off piste on my own and as a solo traveler I'd need to make friends. Are there online communities of locals and/or expats/travelers to talk to? Anyone have any advise on how to meet locals that know the terrain? A couple guided tours would be great but can't afford to do that too often
4. transport... If I'm there a full three months, I was thinking of just buying a car. Any blockers to me as an American doing that?
5. food/lift tickets/etc... This it seems I can get sorted later.

Hi every one, I am coming to Niseko beginning of march with the plans to snowboard but yesterday my travel buddy and accommodations fell through. I was wondering anyone could point me in the right directions. I am looking for a place to stay that will give me access to meeting people to snowboard with. Anything you can suggest will be helpful.