Japan 2011- info

yeah i just had a look at roppongi, looks pretty crazy, i think we might have to spend atleast one night there..

i think i'll have to hold you to ageha though, just the few names you threw out makes it look pretty decent, although we're only going to be there monday-thursday so i don't know how much luck we'll have getting big nights/names at there.

I spose we'll just have to fumble our way around like everyone else does first time round..

i was thinking about heading to osaka too.. hopefully someone from my group is keen to or else i might have to give it a miss..

cheers again!!
:)

Ippy's pretty spot on.
I don't like Roppongi personally but that's probably because I lived in japan for so long and i must admit i did love it when i first went there... It is probably the easiest place to go out in and you can walk in and out of free clubs pretty easily and do the night on the cheap.
Having said that, expect to pay to get into any club half decent and there are also ok places in roppongi which of course you pay to get into. Meet some nice girls and I'm sure they can tell you all about it
Have a walk around Shibuya at night for sure, pretty cool.
Sat night is best to be out. For me I would head to an izakaya (japanese style pub) where you can get food and also an all you can drink plan (depending on venue) to get my drink on and then hit the clubs around 11ish. like ippy said be sure to head to harajuku on sunday to watch all the kids dress up like you have never seen before.
Also, if timing works out Tsuji fish market is pretty special so if you can wake up really early (be there by at least 8 if i remember correctly) you can check out all the action and eat some of the freshest seafood in the world.
3 days is more than enough, Tokyo never sleeps so you will be hard pressed to be bored but too long there and it will all be a bit repetitive.

thanks koji i try my best :) But my tokyo knowledge is way less than my osaka knowledge... actually my osaka knowledge is pretty much restricted to wandering around the triangle all day and all night because frankly its the best place outside of a ski field in japan. :)

As for your question. if you want a bit longer stay and you're on your own you might be better at the alps (hakuba backpackers), not least because you will feel more connected to the central social life in goryu since troy and sakiko run tracks bar. But much as i love them to bits, yeah K's does have a few more creature comforts and is a hell of a lot brighter and cheerier :) Plus the guys running it were just so kind it also makes you embarrassed to have them running around doing stuff to help you out :) Love both places, but for different reasons.

As for the best mountain to play on, goryu 47 is going to blow your mind. Happo1 is bigger, but goryu/47 is WAY better if you ask me.

Now heres a tip for beginners, DO NOT ride toomi (you wont know what that is until you get there), not because its bad, its actually AWESOME for beginners, (in fact theres probably not a better run outside of maybe ikenotaira at myoko), the trouble with it is that people are inherently lazy, so they ride that nice big lift to the top and sit on that run all day. Instead go the 50 yards to your skiers left and youll see a run just as wide as toomi called iimori. Only NO ONE bothers sliding on it except people coming down through the red runs :) So youll more than likely have an entire run to you and the other 4 people with the brains to avoid the massive crowd on toomi :)

Oh, and your whole objective is to get good enough in those three days to do the big long green run that comes down the skiers left hand side of the map. Its a big long path, and paths are kinda scary, so dont go on it until youre okay with turning and stopping. It does have some drops in places, but i promise you, once youre able to control the board a bit, the view of the mountains at that side is going to blow your mind.

(facebook photos never quite do it justice :))

A bit of scale:


Yamas:




Park Rats:


Hakupow:


Anyways, theres some idea of the view. Im kinda glad it doesnt do it justice though, because when you're there your jaw will hit the floor :)

Heres the trail run. Its the big green looping trail on the right hand side of the map as you look at it (though skiers left if youre at the top of the mountain looking down). Its called the panorama course if i remember right :)



I always slate hakuba partly because its funny, but mainly because its almost home so im allowed to. But honestly, if its yoru first time there youre going to have a freaking blast! id be jealous, but im going here instead:

I'm planning on staying in Niseko for 7 days... after reading a bit about Furano, any opinions on whether or not I should take a couple days and do Furano?  Furano is a lot smaller than Niseko?   I have never been to either, just wondering if it's worth the extra travel time or just stay in Niseko.

on furano i really wouldnt bother. Unless youre the type of person that just needs to see lots of different places, theres really nothing you can do there that you wont be able to do at niseko (except maybe avoid bogans).

If you need a different experience, just head to rusutsu, its much closer and you wont feel like youre wasting part of your time travelling there and back.

As for the second question, i wish i had an answer on that, but i lived near myoko so never bothered finding accomodation. I remember some place called canada house or something like that which i think was the only english speaking place i came across at the time.

canadian house

I remember it being a bit out of the way though and looking at the site now it seems to have shot up a bit in price.

Myoko Hotels

snow japans list

rakutens crap english list

trip advisor list

Best i can do at the minute. A good is to head to snowjapan and see what people recommend. I remember ikenotaira main center having rooms, but not 100% sure on that.

^^ Yes, totally agreed on the African guys. They are getting pretty bad recently. They're always hassling foreigners walking around to get them to come to their clubs. Not only outside the clubs, but I've had friends harassed inside the club by them. I have no idea why the clubs hire these guys... do they think foreigners will go to a club just cus a black guy pretending to be from Brooklyn(hahaha, yes one obviously African guy was saying he was born in Brooklyn) is pushing them into a club?

Oh and never use credit cards in clubs in Japan. Just use cash. Japan is pretty safe for muggings and pickpockets so it's fine to bring a little more cash than you usually would. Don't go nuts and bring  $1000 or anything but a hundred or a few hundred is fine imo.

roppongi, as the article said is a "dangerous place" in tokyo. But its your number one destination for meeting people. Izakaya are great, but they package you off a lot into your groups which can be a pain if youre wanting to meet lots of people. And in the middle of winter its not like youll be getting drunk outside and randomly meeting folk. Roppongi on the other hand has more stuff catering towards serendipity and the western way of doing things (big crowded bars and clubs).

Gas panic is the worst fekkin place on planet earth though. It does howvere HAVE to be seen to be believed. I went there ONCE. Only once, and only for thirty minutes. And it was only thirty minutes because it took me that long to get the hell back out of the place. Ive never seen such a death trap waiting to happen. Im not entirely anal, but the only words going through my head was "this place is a serious fire risk".

I am also confused how a place where you literally cant move is so damn popular as a meat market? Gaijin are fekkin weird if you ask me... And they dont get any weirder in japan than a roppongi gaijin.

Anyone who has lived in japan goes there maybe once or twice, but then avoids it :) Still, as i say, if youre only here for a few days, just because you may feel a little uncomfortable with the more japanese approach to a night out (you and your mates in a nice little izakaya booth, then you and your mates in a nice little karaoke booth, then you and your mates shouting HARRO at me in the street before heading to a nice ramen bar then hitting a taxi and heading home). Its pretty atomised. But its also awesome if youve got a good group of mates with you.

Nomihodai (which youll get in an izakaya) is the best thing in the universe!!!
It means all you can drink for a set time. EVERYONE has to do it or no one does it. Japanese people, i have been led to believe, dont exploit it like we do :) But so long as you keep ordering food (and izakaya food is the best! (but expensive))
no will give a crap.

If you do find an izakaya try and find one with a more open seating plan. If its pretty dark at the entrance, inside it'll often be booths which kinda sucks if you want to meet people. If you can see from the entrance lots of tables then its a bit more fun :) Japanese people are pretty friendly so likely if you look like youre having a bit of fun, theyll probably start chatting away to you :)

Ah, all the cultural stereotyping is coming out now :)

Basically roppongi more bars that youre going to be used to, but also assholes, ridiculous prices, and kinda dodgy cant quite put your finger on it volatile atmosphere.

Shibuya has much nicer more japanese night life. Lots of izakaya, lots of karaoke, and lots of clubs. Oh and lots of late night ramen bars :p
Oh, and also lots of young 20 something japanese people.

Basically so long as you go to ANYWHERE in tokyo except roppongi or kabukicho (a small sukebe (pervert) district in shinjuku) it'll be all japanese style.   

this is so confusing, theres so many different opinions on roppongi, guess we'll just have to check it out and make our own mind up!

oh and koji3, i'm there from the 7th -14th too, i spoke to dave from mt hakuba backpackers and the hakbus is meant to leave around 8ish but will wait around if your flights delayed. judging by some of the prices ive seen for the bullet train, its much cheaper/easier using the bus because theres no messing around with changing trains/buses etc and it drops you right on the doorstep which is really what you want at 1am in the middle of winter..

Originally posted by ippollite on furano i really wouldnt bother. Unless youre the type of person that just needs to see lots of different places, theres really nothing you can do there that you wont be able to do at niseko (except maybe avoid bogans). If you need a different experience, just head to rusutsu, its much closer and you wont feel like youre wasting part of your time travelling there and back. As for the second question, i wish i had an answer on that, but i lived near myoko so never bothered finding accomodation. I remember some place called canada house or something like that which i think was the only english speaking place i came across at the time. canadian house I remember it being a bit out of the way though and looking at the site now it seems to have shot up a bit in price. Myoko Hotels snow japans list rakutens crap english list trip advisor list Best i can do at the minute. A good is to head to snowjapan and see what people recommend. I remember ikenotaira main center having rooms, but not 100% sure on that.

Originally posted by ippollite im pretty sure theres a bus that goes there so it shouldnt be too much bother.

Originally posted by will_mcc1 Originally posted by mech9t5 Originally posted by ippollite im pretty sure theres a bus that goes there so it shouldnt be too much bother. thanks.  I think I will just go to niseko and figure it out when I am there. I figure it is pretty close so I could do a day trip if it is convenient. About 45 mins each way. Very easy to do

hey mech9t5,

i'm just starting my 2nd season in niseko, it is easy to get to rusutsu. Last year one of the bus companies ran a day trip deal that included your lift pass. with pass + transfers it is only a bit more than the pass would cost anyway. I think it was Big Runs buses. search on the web once the season starts or ask whoever you are staying with here. if i notice it around i'll try to get back on here to update.

it is definitely worth heading over there, especially if there has been a good dump, or if it is a bit busy at niseko. At rusutsu you'll still find untouched powder until well into the afternoon

Ok, So just a quick update, 

Thanks heaps Ippy :D 

nah, i hate hakuba :) Its too small anyway to have any 'favourite' runs. I guess if youre one of the last people on the mountain, the green run that curves all the way from the top of the mountain down to the bottom of 47 is stunningly pretty (panorama course).

The absolute worst run is the double black that just comes off the main toomi area (champion expert). I finally got to ride it this year and it was all really deep HARD pack moguls. Its damn steep as well... i reckon i almost broke my ankle on a particularly heavy tumble. :)

The ungroomed run (adventure course) is fun. But the gate isnt always open, and even if it is, chances are youll ski right past it trying to find the damn thing. It is literally a small break in the fence. :)

I guess R-1 is fun. Its a serious bomb run. Youll get some incredible speed on that course, BUT the place tends to get wind blasted a bit more, so a lot of it is solid ice. It took me to last year to run it without falling on it :)

As for park, the best park in all of hakuba is at 47. Another park that looks like fun though is yanaba which is a short train ride away. Its just one course thats a park. Thats it. Its cheap, and its a great nighta (unlike happo or hakuba - both their night skiing sucks).

I've read that the legal drinking age in Japan is 20. Me and my friend are 19... You think that most of the store employees will check ID? 

Originally posted by gofeman Originally posted by koji3 I've read that the legal drinking age in Japan is 20. Me and my friend are 19... You think that most of the store employees will check ID?  I can live without it but a bit of booze won't harm my trip. :D My dad has been to Japan and says that he's seen 16 yearolds at bars....

doop de doop de doop.

3 more weeks. tum te tum. On the 7th January i, ippy inutil, will be flying to tokyo at 9ish in the evening. Then stuck at tokyo from 11 to 6am, then flying tokyo to sapporo arriving around 10am on the 8th.

Then i will be staying in niseko for 5 days with my mate at niseko powder lodge, then on the 11th and 12th its an avi course. Then after that i only have 3 and a half more weeks to er plan and organise accommodatyion for and im all set.

I really shouldnt leave this stuff to the last minute. If i score cheap accommodation on day 1 of niseko, ill go with my niseko plan. If i dont, then im off to furano for the next few weeks :)

Now just to decide which board to leave behind (bear in mind im carrying thsi crap).

164 charlie slasher (is coming, no question! I bought it for hokk pow of course im bringing it).

So really its two of these three:

155 Bataleon Airobic
156 Sierrascope
157 Quiver killer.

Im think of leaving behind the sierrascope in truth.
I rode it last year on niseko and though its great fun for everything i have to remember i bought the quiver killer PRECISELY because i wanted something less loose and can handle a bit of pow at the same time. Plus i really want to see how that airobic feels just messing around in the park.

^^ You can go from Narita Airport (toyko) and catch a shuttle to Hakuba, overnight. Leaves at like 8pm or something and arrives at 10am or something in hakuba next day. Cost was like 130 or something, (might be way more).

how the sierrascope handle pow ? got the 156 mysefl and it's my 1st RC board so barely got used to it as is, rode 2-3 days in aus.

but i think i'll take my 159 ride dh as well, it's a lot more stiff, less playful but rather try just use my scope

Heading up from 10 - 25 of feb i can't wait :):):) anyone else up around this time?

Not many places take credit card in japan ... it's best if you carry cash, but of course you have to be very careful too carrying so much cash ...

Originally posted by sheepz how the sierrascope handle pow ? got the 156 mysefl and it's my 1st RC board so barely got used to it as is, rode 2-3 days in aus. but i think i'll take my 159 ride dh as well, it's a lot more stiff, less playful but rather try just use my scope Heading up from 10 - 25 of feb i can't wait :):):) anyone else up around this time?

Originally posted by mech9t5 Originally posted by ippollite BRING CASH. Japan and modern banking dont mix, its really a very very cash based culture. Its also very safe, but obviously take standard precautions. I did find an ATM though at hirafu and was successful at taking cash out so that was nice, but in general keep the cards for emergencies but mainly bring cash. I thought most places would have ATMs??  I plan on putting a positive balance on my credit card and withdrawing cash from the credit card.  The exchange on a credit card is only 2.5% + $5 fee.  Better than carrying around heaps of cash.  Of course, in order to do that, there has to be an ATM around. also, if you find a place that takes credit cards, you can ask them to charge your card and give you cash.  I do that at Mcdonalds when I travel cause they are usually ok with it.  That way you avoid the $5 fee and only pay the 2.5% exchange.

Originally posted by ippollite 7/11 is usually okayish for getting out cash (though theres some weird times of day restrictions that i never got my head around), but no, its not a card culture. Shopping at a store with a credit card usually involves people crossing their arms at you like your 5 years old. :) Cash cash cash. Not to mention the ATMs that close when the bank does and the ATMs that arent open on holidays because evidently even computers need a vacation. ______________________________________________________ Oh, and on a slightly unrelated point. I have never ONCE got a good deal exchanging money to japanese yen INSIDE japan. I get great deals in korea and the UK, but get absolutely terrible GOD AWFUL deals in japan. Im not just talking a few bucks here either.

Originally posted by mech9t5 Originally posted by sheepz how the sierrascope handle pow ? got the 156 mysefl and it's my 1st RC board so barely got used to it as is, rode 2-3 days in aus. but i think i'll take my 159 ride dh as well, it's a lot more stiff, less playful but rather try just use my scope Heading up from 10 - 25 of feb i can't wait :):):) anyone else up around this time? i will be in Japan Feb 13-26.  Niseko Feb 13-20, then Myoko 21-23.  then a couple days in tokyo

Will be in niseko on 6-17 Feb
then tokyo until 19th

Re: Atms
you need to find either a citibank or post office to find atms that accept aussie cards
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2208.html