Originally Posted by
theassassin
Many thanks all for your suggestions. I guess one of my earlier posts was unclear we fly into HND on the 5th and take the train to Nozawa Onsen on the 9th.
Also, I know it will be cold but you need it to be cold so that it snows so you can ski... Our four
days in Tokyo is a break for the legs between skiing in Niseko and Nozawa Onsen.
An Australian going to Japan in January is a dead giveaway.
I am the car guy here and travel frequently to Nagano. With four people save yourself some aggravation and rent a car especially if you have ski equipment. It's nice having a car to get around. You could even go to another mountain for the day. I don't think Nozawa is a great mountain for skiing more than one day.
The shinkansen is 1 hr 50 min from Tokyo to Nagano eki. My carport to the Nagano motorway exit I can do in 2 hr 15 min.
p.s. I am reminded of a Simpson's episode that I happened to catch many years ago. Homer wins a trip to Japan (or something). They arrive at their hotel and the family makes do with the tiny space for their stay. On the day of departure, Bart opens a screen door showing a large suite and they were staying the entryway.