The airports have a luggage shipping service and they can handle snowboards to your resort. I have the same bag and also 2 snowboards and shipping one way was about $20-$30 from airport to hotel. No need to haul your gear with you everywhere.
Thanks mate. Heading to Hakuba for the first time for last week of January/first week of February. Will be our fourth trip there, skied Sapporo last February and have been to Nozawa twice. Give Nozawa a try as it's just up the road from Hakuba. I've spoken to people that have skied both on trips - 3/4 days at Hakuba then 3/4 days at Nozawa. They have a fire festival in Nozawa on 15th of January so avoid that date as it gets really crowded and booked up - lot's of drunk Aussies 😂😂 Love Japan. Love the food. Love the people. Love the skiing. 👍👍👍
I think it really comes down to your fitness level since it’s a very intense sport. I did only a day and a half my very first time, my body was wrecked after constantly falling over but really wished I went for longer because it was just so much fun. If I were you l, I might assign 2.5 days, then if I feel like I’m done after the second day, I can always just leave early for the next destination.
Does a Hakuba valley pass cover all mountains? Can you buy it online ahead of time? What was the shuttle pass you were talking about? I’m booked for 2 weeks in Happo One, and I’m trying to get a 14 day pass. I also considered the bus to Hakuba, for the same reason, but I cant find the service online. I fly into Narita. My Japanese friend told me that Narita is better because you can take the Ueno Skyliner from Narita straight to Ueno and from there you get the Shinkansen to Nagano, and they go all the time up until 9pm. She said Ueno is way easier to deal with than Tokyo station. Again however, if there was a bus, and I didn’t have to mess around with switching trains, I’d just prefer that.
Does a Hakuba valley pass cover all mountains? Yes the pass covers all 10 resorts in Hakuba. Buying online? Yea, you can get it here: www.hakubavalley.com/en/ticket_en/onlinewebshop_en/ Shuttle pass: There are quite a few different shuttle buses running in Hakuba to help visitors to get around. Most of them are free, the paid one is Hakuba Valley shuttle bus. But if you hold a Hakuba valley pass, it’s free. Shuttle bus service: This was one of the shuttle that I used previously. I was going from Haneda airport directly to Hakuba: naganosnowshuttle.com/ Train or bus? Tokyo or Ueno? I guess it depends on your flight, since there aren’t that as many shuttle buses available, the Shinkansen train might be a better option. This time I’ll be taking the it from Tokyo station and then the shuttle bus from Nagano station. I chose Tokyo as there are more accommodations option (I’ll be staying there overnight before I leave for Hakuba), but it’s a massive station, so I’d assume it’s gonna be super chaotic for visitors who aren’t too familiar with the station. Hope that helps!
Hey mate, Thanks for the video-it was really helpful! I’m heading out during the Christmas and New Year's break, staying 7 days near Iwatake and planning to ski for about six days at different resorts nearby. Do you think it’s safe to rely on the shuttle buses, considering how busy the holiday season will be? I’m open to renting a car but wanted your advice since I’ve come across mixed reviews-some say it’s essential, while others say it’s not necessary. Thanks again for your help! Uira
Hi Uira, To be honest, I'm not sure. From what I've seen online, it's gonna be busy during Xmas and New Year. However, they usually have more than one shuttle bus during peak hours from what I can observe (early mornings, resort closing) Why I prefer shuttle bus personally: 1. Less expense 2. I've never really driven in a snowy condition, so safety reasons 3. I like convenience (living near bus terminal) And since I've never rented a car there, I can't really comment on that. Hope this helps!
Great video, did you get any breaks from using the snow shuttle? How many breaks did you get and how long was the break? Planning to go to Hakuba for the first time and just mainly skiing at Tsuigake. However I am unsure whether to stay in ski in and out or town as there are no convenience stores near the slopes
Hey Abdul, from memory there were 2 breaks. It was around 20 minutes each. I just did a quick google search and saw a convenience store not too far from the slope and few restaurants nearby. So it shouldn’t be a problem if there’s your concern. But if you want more options, staying near the bus terminal wouldn’t be a bad choice. It has a Lawson nearby. However it’s where everyone goes at the end of the day so can get quite busy and the food can run out. Hope this helps!
Hey, I do have 2 that I really like: 1. Tsumugi - maps.app.goo.gl/9LpjtUXpVzWwB2DQ7 They specialise in deep fried pork. Love the thick pork cutlets. Make sure you book ahead otherwise you might have to wait for a long time. 2. Ohyokkuri - maps.app.goo.gl/Ybtn71XxcHCRQCNPA Traditional Japanese cuisine, very homey vibe. Love the soup after a long day on the mountain. It's first come first serve, so get there as early as you can to avoid long waiting time. From memory the line forms 30 minutes prior opening.
Good day! Thank you for a very informative video. May I ask what is the best mode of transportation of we are coming from Nagano Station and going to Happo One? Are the prices mentioned at the end of the video the day passes per resort can be bought onsite or we should buy them in advance? 😊
Best way to get to Hakuba from Nagano would be the shuttle bus which you can purchase at Nagano Jr station. I’ve only bought it onsite or did it online the night before, that’s because I wasn’t sure which resorts I was gonna go during my stay. The other time I just bought the 5 days Hakuba valley pass because the price difference wasn’t that much after factoring in the bus fares and it just made it much more convenient for me not having to go to the ticket office every morning.
@@terryshiu_if you buy a Hakuba valley pass, does it cover all mountains? Can you buy that ahead of time? Or can you buy multiple day passes there so you don’t need to get in line everyday?
Did you have any issues travelling with your snowboard? I’m planning to go with Qantas but I can’t find info on where to purchase for bigger/oversized luggage
Hey Louis, It's actually my first time carrying my snowboard with me too, so I'm not too sure. But I found this reddit post which might be useful: www.reddit.com/r/QantasFrequentFlyer/comments/11ue1xp/qantas_oversized_baggage/
![Sunset and night skiing at Coronet Peak! | Queenstown, New Zealand [HD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nIaXXdUOGY0/mqdefault.jpg)
The airports have a luggage shipping service and they can handle snowboards to your resort. I have the same bag and also 2 snowboards and shipping one way was about $20-$30 from airport to hotel. No need to haul your gear with you everywhere.
How long does it take for you gear to arrive from the airport? If I landed at 4pm, would I have my gear by the following morning in Hakuba to ski?
Amazing video quality. Keep it up!!!
Thank you for your support William! 🙏
Thanks mate. Heading to Hakuba for the first time for last week of January/first week of February.
Will be our fourth trip there, skied Sapporo last February and have been to Nozawa twice.
Give Nozawa a try as it's just up the road from Hakuba. I've spoken to people that have skied both on trips - 3/4 days at Hakuba then 3/4 days at Nozawa.
They have a fire festival in Nozawa on 15th of January so avoid that date as it gets really crowded and booked up - lot's of drunk Aussies 😂😂
Love Japan. Love the food. Love the people. Love the skiing.
👍👍👍
Awesome! Hakuba is amazing, hope you enjoy it!
Cheers I’ll see if I can spend a day or two to check out Nozawa, thanks for the rec!
This has been so helpful! As a beginner, do you recommend doing 2, 2.5 or 3 full days of skiing?
I think it really comes down to your fitness level since it’s a very intense sport.
I did only a day and a half my very first time, my body was wrecked after constantly falling over but really wished I went for longer because it was just so much fun.
If I were you l, I might assign 2.5 days, then if I feel like I’m done after the second day, I can always just leave early for the next destination.
really helpful thanks
glad it helped! 🙌
Does a Hakuba valley pass cover all mountains? Can you buy it online ahead of time? What was the shuttle pass you were talking about? I’m booked for 2 weeks in Happo One, and I’m trying to get a 14 day pass. I also considered the bus to Hakuba, for the same reason, but I cant find the service online. I fly into Narita. My Japanese friend told me that Narita is better because you can take the Ueno Skyliner from Narita straight to Ueno and from there you get the Shinkansen to Nagano, and they go all the time up until 9pm. She said Ueno is way easier to deal with than Tokyo station. Again however, if there was a bus, and I didn’t have to mess around with switching trains, I’d just prefer that.
Does a Hakuba valley pass cover all mountains?
Yes the pass covers all 10 resorts in Hakuba.
Buying online?
Yea, you can get it here:
www.hakubavalley.com/en/ticket_en/onlinewebshop_en/
Shuttle pass:
There are quite a few different shuttle buses running in Hakuba to help visitors to get around. Most of them are free, the paid one is Hakuba Valley shuttle bus. But if you hold a Hakuba valley pass, it’s free.
Shuttle bus service:
This was one of the shuttle that I used previously. I was going from Haneda airport directly to Hakuba:
naganosnowshuttle.com/
Train or bus? Tokyo or Ueno?
I guess it depends on your flight, since there aren’t that as many shuttle buses available, the Shinkansen train might be a better option. This time I’ll be taking the it from Tokyo station and then the shuttle bus from Nagano station.
I chose Tokyo as there are more accommodations option (I’ll be staying there overnight before I leave for Hakuba), but it’s a massive station, so I’d assume it’s gonna be super chaotic for visitors who aren’t too familiar with the station.
Hope that helps!
Hey mate,
Thanks for the video-it was really helpful! I’m heading out during the Christmas and New Year's break, staying 7 days near Iwatake and planning to ski for about six days at different resorts nearby.
Do you think it’s safe to rely on the shuttle buses, considering how busy the holiday season will be? I’m open to renting a car but wanted your advice since I’ve come across mixed reviews-some say it’s essential, while others say it’s not necessary.
Thanks again for your help!
Uira
Hi Uira,
To be honest, I'm not sure.
From what I've seen online, it's gonna be busy during Xmas and New Year.
However, they usually have more than one shuttle bus during peak hours from what I can observe (early mornings, resort closing)
Why I prefer shuttle bus personally:
1. Less expense
2. I've never really driven in a snowy condition, so safety reasons
3. I like convenience (living near bus terminal)
And since I've never rented a car there, I can't really comment on that.
Hope this helps!
Great video, did you get any breaks from using the snow shuttle? How many breaks did you get and how long was the break?
Planning to go to Hakuba for the first time and just mainly skiing at Tsuigake. However I am unsure whether to stay in ski in and out or town as there are no convenience stores near the slopes
Hey Abdul, from memory there were 2 breaks. It was around 20 minutes each.
I just did a quick google search and saw a convenience store not too far from the slope and few restaurants nearby. So it shouldn’t be a problem if there’s your concern.
But if you want more options, staying near the bus terminal wouldn’t be a bad choice. It has a Lawson nearby. However it’s where everyone goes at the end of the day so can get quite busy and the food can run out.
Hope this helps!
Very useful vid! Do you have any restaurant recs?
Hey, I do have 2 that I really like:
1. Tsumugi - maps.app.goo.gl/9LpjtUXpVzWwB2DQ7
They specialise in deep fried pork. Love the thick pork cutlets.
Make sure you book ahead otherwise you might have to wait for a long time.
2. Ohyokkuri - maps.app.goo.gl/Ybtn71XxcHCRQCNPA
Traditional Japanese cuisine, very homey vibe. Love the soup after a long day on the mountain.
It's first come first serve, so get there as early as you can to avoid long waiting time.
From memory the line forms 30 minutes prior opening.
Good day! Thank you for a very informative video. May I ask what is the best mode of transportation of we are coming from Nagano Station and going to Happo One? Are the prices mentioned at the end of the video the day passes per resort can be bought onsite or we should buy them in advance? 😊
Best way to get to Hakuba from Nagano would be the shuttle bus which you can purchase at Nagano Jr station.
I’ve only bought it onsite or did it online the night before, that’s because I wasn’t sure which resorts I was gonna go during my stay.
The other time I just bought the 5 days Hakuba valley pass because the price difference wasn’t that much after factoring in the bus fares and it just made it much more convenient for me not having to go to the ticket office every morning.
@ thank you very much :)
We are so excited for the trip already 😊
All good mate, hope you have a great time!
@@terryshiu_if you buy a Hakuba valley pass, does it cover all mountains? Can you buy that ahead of time? Or can you buy multiple day passes there so you don’t need to get in line everyday?
Did you have any issues travelling with your snowboard? I’m planning to go with Qantas but I can’t find info on where to purchase for bigger/oversized luggage
Hey Louis,
It's actually my first time carrying my snowboard with me too, so I'm not too sure.
But I found this reddit post which might be useful:
www.reddit.com/r/QantasFrequentFlyer/comments/11ue1xp/qantas_oversized_baggage/
your background music is too loud. it's competing with your voice.
Cheers, thanks for the feedback🙏🏻
How much is the night skiing at Goryu?
It was 5000 yen a night if you already got a card, otherwise it'd be 5500 yen.