there’s an international ATM at the airport for when u land. HSBC bank ATM’s work fine. International ATM’s at the post offices. some of the ATM’s at the conveni’s work, some don’t.
What Jerrysk8 said. Although there are 7/11’s on almost every corner and these have ATMs (and I never had a problem with them). Make sure you let both your c/card and ATM card people know that you are going o’seas. Otherwise there could be hassles…
I did tend to carry a lot of cash and never felt threatened or unsafe. Japanese are so honest and trusting that they even play group scissors/paper/rock on the street to win ski’s… weird and utterly amazing to join in, but a true story.
Agreed. On one trip my mate left his passport/plane tickets/all travel documents in a train and another left her handbag on the little bus out to Jigokudani. In both cases they were handed in to the local police station fully intact and recovered by us the same day. Awesome.
Yep, every 7/11 I went into had an international ATM. Plus Post Office, HSBC and Citibank ATMs will work, which are around in the cities but maybe not at the ski fields so much.
And I also carried tons of cash with me and never worried about losing it.
Crime in Tokyo? I’d carry bricks of gold in my backpack without worrying. Street stalls are roped up at night for fucks sake (Which I honestly believe is to keep the weather out, not for security).
Its incredibly safe
Get into it and spread the GNAR!!!
Im off to Japan on Wednesday!! YEEEEW… seeing vids like this gets me pumped. Event though its not Japan… SNOOOOOOW
YouTube - GoPro HD: Snowboard X Games 15 - Slopestyle with Eric Willett
I’m also heading to Hakuba in a couple of weeks. My tips:
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For skiing travel insurance I’ve had good experience with travelinsurancedirect.com.au. They’re really cheap, medical expenses are covered even for skiing accidents (you should double check this yourself, don’t take my word for it), and they repaid my claim last year when my bag got stolen without any probs.
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I agree with earlier posters about not wearing cotton on the hill. It gets wet easily and then freezes, and it doesn’t keep you warm. I’m a big fan of icebreaker.com from new zealand - very warm and you can wear it for several days before it gets smelly.
I’m off to Hakuba on Thur the 17th as well with a week in Tokoyo as well can’t wait…
Have had a good experience with Ninja tours so far.
Any fixed must see spots???
pro-tip for travellers, look for either these symbols on your card and on atms anywhere in the world. you can use them if the logos match up.
Hey,
Just got back from Vail last week. Love the snow.
Went to Niseko in the north of Japan a few years ago and have been back to actually see a bit of the place since. Japan is RAD.
I love the whackiness of the Japanese. I didn’t make it to a Maid Cafe but they are meant to be good fun/funny. All the staff dress as maids and call you sir and cut up your food for you and feed it to you and stuff like that. It is a bit wrong but friends that have been have said that it is harmless and not dodgy like it may sound in my shitty description.
In Tokyo check out the Tsukuji fish markets. That place is really cool and worth a look. I think it’s in lonely planet/rough guide if you want to find out more.
Japan is GREAT! I would move to Japan in a heartbeat.
DC
Mt Baker in all its glory. snow wasn’t great but who gives a shit when the weather’s this good??
blue bird days rule btw
Just booked nz for two weeks Aug cant wait.
Can’t believe I haven’t seen this thread until now!
I started skiing when I turned 18, as I never got taken when I was a kid. I was in Rovers (older scouts, yeah call me a nerd I dare you!) and was a poor student and so I did a lot of backcountry skiing in Victoria, mostly staying in huts and one particular Chalet that is owned and operated by Scouts about 10km out of Falls Creek. No need for expensive lift passes or accommodation that way, and you get fit as fuck doing it. That Scout Chalet is where I really learnt to ski as we would spend a week there at a time and everyday do some big arse tour around the Bogong High Plains which are spectacular in winter. We’d go there in the summer to stock it with food and do maintenance.
I learnt to ski telemark right from the get go and so when I first tried downhill skis I nearly tore my knee apart because they felt so strange. After a few years I went to Europe to volunteer at the International Scout Center which is in a little Swiss Village called Kandersteg. Think one of those postcards or snowdomes of Swiss mountains and chalets and you’re about halfway there. The place was beautiful! Spent 3 months there skiing and helping run all manner of things at the center. My highlight was a day tour up to the top of a mountain called Hockenhorn. We skied to the base and then dropped skis and ice axed our way up to the summit. Then descended and made our way over a couple of glaciers and down a few valleys. In the one day we descended 3500m in total. Here are a couple of photos:
My friend Katie who is married to the photographer, that’s me in the background.
Katie rounding the base of Hockenhorn, I’m behind her out of view. You can see the Matterhorn in the distance.
I have skied pretty much every resort and bit of backcountry in Australia (except for Tassie), but since moving to Brisbane I haven’t done much. I went to Nozawa Onsen where Dave got married last season, and agree with everything Dave said. Powder like I’d never experienced and the Onsens were the best thing for tired muscles!
I look at skiing and cycling with a similar lens, both can be as cheap or expensive as you want them to be. You can spend $1000+ on gear in either, but there are cheap entry points for both. Back country skiing is a great way to seek out fresh snow and get away from the crowds, it is also way cheaper than resort skiing. A bit of knowledge helps though as there are risks associated with it. I enjoy resort skiing from time-to-time as it’s the best way to get heaps of runs in and improve technique, but to be honest my heart is in exploring the ungroomed stuff!
Yeah back country powder is where its at, I crashed one day in whistler off piste and spent an hour and a half looking for my ski it was so deep.
Also have had some amazing trips to Big white but have triathlete freinds in Switzerland i want to visit real bad.
i’ve never skiied due to fear of blowing out my left knee, but from what i’ve heard, telemarking is legit as fuck!! it sure as hell looks hard on the quads!
nice one 
It’s the fixed gear of the snow world. 
Well I am back from Japan… had so much fun riding some awesome off piste powder. I pretty much had to learn to ride again as it is so different to what I am used to. I will throw some pics up for you all.
The rest of Japan was awesome, the language barrier was a problem at times with not many people being able to speak english. I did learn a few phrases and the essentials, but that can only get you so far. I missed my cereal and fruit and vegies though! Managed to loose 5kg over there from not eating well + walking around Tokyo and Kyoto.
Here are the pics…
The size of the doors in the hotel we were staying at in Tokyo.
Shibuya Crossing as seen from Starbucks
We came across some parade in a park in Harijuku. No idea what it was for, I tried to ask some locals… none could tell me. I did notice some of the guys were covered in Tattoo’s… possible Yakuza?
Okay… found out what it was: Kigensai: National Foundation Day festival
Kigensai is a ritual ceremony commemorating the foundation of Japan. It is said that Emperor Jinmu, the first Emperor of Japan, was enthroned at Kashihara-no-miya in Nara prefecture on this day more than 2600 years ago. During Kigensai, Shinto priests in festive attire offer food and recite prayers, and shrine maidens perform a sacred dance. There will also be a parade of many Mikoshi (portable shrines) on Omotesando towards Meiji Jingu, and the brass band of the “Association of Celebrating the Establishment of Japan” will play in honour of the deities.
Just trying on a hat.
On our way to Cortina, Hakuba. A local said he hadn’t seen this much snow for this season. We got to Cortina and half of the resort was closed due to avalanche danger. Pretty bummed as I had heard so many good things about Cortina.
Up the very top of Happo1. The start of the mens olympic downhill course that was for the Nagano olympics was only 20m from this pic.
Walking through a bamboo grove in Kyoto.
This dog was not a toy dog.
Collectors toy shop in Kyoto
Karaoke in Tokyo.
