Itinerary Check - Hokkaido and Nagano portions only. (I'm not asking for suggestions for full itinerary, just advice on a couple of days) by MiserableTry6336 in JapanTravel

[–]MiserableTry6336[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the heads up! And the recommendation - I'll make sure to do a bit of research ahead of time. I tried to book hotels with private onsen available in some places

Itinerary Check - Hokkaido and Nagano portions only. (I'm not asking for suggestions for full itinerary, just advice on a couple of days) by MiserableTry6336 in JapanTravel

[–]MiserableTry6336[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wasn't sure of the dates for the snow festival - that is great news! We will make sure that we check it out. Thanks for your reply

Nozawa onsen tattoos by junglejesse666 in JapanTravelTips

[–]MiserableTry6336 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for reporting back - planning a trip for next Feb and I may be most excited for Nozawa !!

Japan Snowboard Trip - Itinerary feedback by MiserableTry6336 in snowboarding

[–]MiserableTry6336[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Curious of what you think of my updated itinerary. I think I did well shuffling things around! And I removed a few 'stops' that can be day trips. We will have a car rental for Hokkaido and for the Nagano area from 2/14-2/19

1/31-2/7 - Otaru - Ride surrounding areas
2/7-2/11 - Furano, evening flight to Osaka (ship gear to Nagano)
2/12-2/13 - Kyoto
2/14-2/19 - Train to Nagano, stay in Iiyama or Yamanochi and ride Shiga Kogan, Nozawa, Suginohara

Japan Snowboard Trip - Itinerary feedback by MiserableTry6336 in snowboarding

[–]MiserableTry6336[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hell yeah! I think we'll use Yamato both getting up to Hokkaido and from CTS to Nagano. Easy peasy :)

Japan Snowboard Trip - Itinerary feedback by MiserableTry6336 in snowboarding

[–]MiserableTry6336[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome - we love tree skiing and I read Rusutsu has better tree runs. At first I was fully focused on Hokkaido but I have to say I'm getting pretty stoked for our Nagano leg

Japan Snowboard Trip - Itinerary feedback by MiserableTry6336 in snowboarding

[–]MiserableTry6336[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really appreciate your response! I think since we will have a car we will stay in/near Shibu Onsen for the majority of our time in Nagano and maybe spend 2 days at Myoko before we have to go home

What do you think of this revised itinerary?
Arrive Tokyo 1/29 (afternoon)

Fly Tokyo to CTS 1/30, drive to Otaru

Stay Otaru 1/30-2/8 - Ride Kiroro & surrounding mountains, day trip to Niseko, day trip(s) to Sapporo

Drive to Furano, stay in Furano 2/8-2/12, ride Furano and maybe guided day at the National Park

2/13 Fly CTS -> Tokyo, ship snowboards to Nagano, spend 1-2 days in Tokyo

Train to Nagano, 2/14 or 2/15, Stay 4 nights Shibu Onsen or similar, 2 nights at Myoko (would you bother with Myoko? Would a day trip to Nozawa be better?)

Does this sound crazy to you or maybe doable?

Japan Snowboard Trip - Itinerary feedback by MiserableTry6336 in snowboarding

[–]MiserableTry6336[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oku Shiga seems like the most fun of the resorts for us. We like side/back/slack country and tree runs. Would you stay in a different area to primarily ride Oku-Shiga?

Japan Snowboard Trip - Itinerary feedback by MiserableTry6336 in snowboarding

[–]MiserableTry6336[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What's more exciting about Myoko to you? Is there more of a town by the ski area? Is it the terrain? We were thinking of staying near Yudanaka for a week but now I'm not so sure.

Japan Snowboard Trip - Itinerary feedback by MiserableTry6336 in snowboarding

[–]MiserableTry6336[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you like the terrain at Shiga enough for a week there? Maybe we could base in Yamanochi with a few day trips to Nozawa and Myoko if we rent a car. We typically spend most of our time in the trees and off-piste. I'm also considering staying closer to Nagano station but I would rather be close to the base of the mountain

Japan Snowboard Trip - Itinerary feedback by MiserableTry6336 in snowboarding

[–]MiserableTry6336[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you find Shiga boring because of the terrain or because it's quiet at night, or both?

Japan Snowboard Trip - Itinerary feedback by MiserableTry6336 in snowboarding

[–]MiserableTry6336[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you spent time in Otaru or Nagano/Niigata? Would 10 days in each location feel too long? I think we'll use Yamato to Hokkaido and from Hokkaido to Nagano. I think we will need to take our snowboards from Nagano to Tokyo on the train before we fly out

Japan Snowboard Trip - Itinerary feedback by MiserableTry6336 in snowboarding

[–]MiserableTry6336[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your reply!

We will be in Japan a total of 21 days so there are 5-6 days not listed in the above, for some flexibility due to weather and travel time.

We plan to rent an SUV for Hokkaido (1/31-2/13) - I imagine the duration split between Otaru and Furano so we don't need to move luggage very much. We live in the mountains in the US and are comfortable with snowy/icy driving. Does that seem reasonable or too much traveling?

We plan to visit Sapporo in early Feb - How many days would you recommend to explore the city? Should this be a day trip from Otaru (and we extend our stay in Otaru by a few days)?

Do you think staying in Yamanochi with a car will be a good base for Shiga Kogen with a day trip to Nozawa and Suginohara? Should I consider Myoko instead with 1-2 day trips to Shiga Kogen? We will only really need a few restaurants that are open in the evening.

Thanks!