Skiing Hakuba

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As this trip is a past trip I'll make this brief. Skiing in Japan for the first time was amazing! Having been brought up in Australian conditions it was like I'd died and gone to skiing heaven. The snow was beautiful, the runs were wonderful and lift queues haven't been invented in Japan yet, even when it gets busy! We stayed for 9 nights at Pension Hayaokidori just down from Hakuba Goryu terminal. We skied for 8 days and loved every minute of it. We skied, Hakuba Goryu and 47, SunAlpina tri-peaks, Happo-o-ne and Iwatake. They were all magnificent! Prices just cannot be compared to Australia. The fact that we were able to catch a train practically from the airport to our pension was so great, the luggage courier service was prompt and efficient, our host - Masaki Bono - at the pension was courteous and the best host you could ask for. He spoke near fluent English and was helpful in everyway possible. The lift passes were half of what you pay in Australia and we were able to get discounts by going to certain resorts on certain days or by using coupons printed from the internet which included lunch vouchers. The snow was just incredible, there was only one day where we got wet (and I mean really wet) and one terribly cold day. But we surivived and skied onwards. There was plenty of variety and having so many ski fields (we didn't go to all of them) in such close proximity meant we could ski one resort one day, another the next and pick and choose as we pleased. Night skiing was available and proliferate, much wider than in Australia. Language didn't seem to be much of a problem, I spoke Japanese passably so it got us through a lot easier, but I'm sure even the most foreign gaijin could get by. If you get a chance, have a think about skipping the foreign-filled Hokkaido for something a bit more Japanese and indulge yourself in the culture, try mainland Japan in Nagano or even further north in Akita, Aomori or any Niigata. All worth the effort. Suberio!

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