Skiing
 

Will be in Tokyo end of Feb. Would like to ski around Nagano for 4 days or so. I know there have been threads here so if any one has a link that would be great. If not has anybody been out this year, and are there any suggestions
on accommodations traditional, or western or discounts on or near the slopes.
Hostels are fine since they are a great way to meet people.
I think I will bring just my boots and rent skis in Japan.

Not sure where you are planning to go in Nagano, but Hakuba is nice. I have been there a number of times with groups. I am not a great skier, but have gone with others who are and they like it. Here is a link I used in the past for getting some general information.

http://www.hakubahotels.com/index.asp

Hope it is helpful.

Did you use someone there to book the trip. Trying to do it piecemeal from YYZ is a bit of a challenge. Maybe there is a packager, some one in Japan has used.

Greetings, folks. I'll be in TYO next week and was considering the possibility of doing a day trip from the city to someplace to ski. Is that feasible / realistic given travel times? I'm also working under the presumption that there is currently snow on the mountains and the runs are open, etc.

Any skiers in Tokyo with an opinion on the topic? Thanks!

I think you be sadly disappointed.... Friday was the first day that I would characterize as cold in Tokyo.

Here's the best English site to stay updated:
http://www.snowjapan.com/e/daily/hakuba-now.php

It's quite feasible to reach slopes near the Joetsu and Nagano Shinkansen lines. However, most resorts in those areas aren't open right now and few of them have much in the way of snow. Snow conditions and opening dates are updated here:
http://tenki.jp/ski/

If you're interested in doing things in addition to skiing, then the Karuizawa Prince Hotel is your best bet for maximizing your fun.

http://www.princehotels.co.jp/ski/karuizawa-e/

Less than an hour from Tokyo station via Shinkansen. Tons of shopping, restaurants, and other tourist things to do nearby.

Plus you can use the new JR Kanto pass to get there and back at a discount:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ferrerid=14479

Excellent information!

Thanks for all the replies and links, folks. Judging by what's mentioned in terms of snow levels, I'm a bit early to the season. Perhaps this will wait until another trip in Jan or Feb.

Catch the 7:00 AM Shinkansen arrive Yuzawa 8:13. From there it's twenty minutes by bus or taxi to Kagura. I used to keep a car in the Yuzawa station. Lot of vertical, lot of runs, lot of snow. Not as much steep as you would probably like, but darn good. Lot of off piste. Very easy day trip.

Shipping to Hokkaido ski resort from HND
 

Did anyone ship stuff from HND/NRT to Hokkaido last winter?

We're flying into HND, need to spend the first night in Tokyo, and are contemplating a ski trip up in Hokkaido to start a couple days after. I really need to just ship stuff off to Hokkaido from HND, because we'll have something like 3 suitcases and 2 boot bags.
I saw on Yamato's website that stuff from TYO will reach greater Tokyo by next day, and Hokkaido 2 days later if regular item or 3 days later if ski/golf set.
But I don't know if I can trust that info, because last Christmas Yamato told me at HND that they couldn't do next-day delivery to Yokohama because they were swamped.

We're flying in on Friday evening and would definitely need the stuff in Hokkaido by Monday morning. Our stuff is a suitcase and ski boot bags, so it's not skis per se. This is all around Xmas time. Anyone with firsthand experience from this past winter?