Hakuba

Indifferent skiing in japan

Skied 3 areas, Happo 1, Hakuba 47 & Ioweteka.  . good snow depth ,limited new snow. Resorts had a mixture of old & new lifts but overall too many old ,slow 2 seaters. After skiing mainly Colorado over 25 years, with our favourites being Snowmass & Vail, can''t recommend these areas.  

Second week was at Shiga Kogen. Better accommodation & lifts. However on day 2 had a slow speed unexplained fall on right side & fractured femur, First major injury i n 62 years  of skiing. Excellent hospital care. Praying I will be skiing next year!  

Our Hakuba/Travelplan experience

Abigail from Travelplan provided us with all the knowledge that we needed for s wonderful week at Hakuba.We found the terrain challenging and enjoyed every minute. Our Hotel was outstanding--there was never a moments hesitation when we sought advice--a phone call to reserve atable was made before we could blink.

The Japanese are kind, thoughtful and helpful in a way that makes us realise what''s missing elsewhere.

Thank you Travelplan for a well executed ski holiday.

Hakuba Hana

Hana Hakuba was a great place to stay and highly recommend. Hakuba a bit disappointing compared to other japanese skiing. Village quite spread out, scruffy and lacking atmosphere. Local shuttle not very regular or convenient...ended up walking a lot.

Hakuba - something good, something not

Spent 8 days in Hakuba in late Jan 2010 after skiing a variety of other Japanese resorts over recent years. Hakuba is actually a town in the valley, from which ascend a number of resorts available on 1 ticket. 

Most accommodation is near the foot of Happo One, the biggest (area) resort as well as the most vertical. Worth also trying 3 other resorts in the valley Goryu / Hakuba 47, Tsugaike and Cortina. Patrollers are strict except for Cortina, so it''s hard to get freshies without going out of bounds.

Getting around Hakuba is a pain. Restaurants and bars are spread out so you'll have to walk or take shuttle (which costs).  Shuttle is slow and routes confusing.

Happy as Larry

The Villa Hakuba is great but the language barrier and lack of western food can be a hinderance to some. Depending on the exchange rate it can be more expensive than usual and at its cheapest it is still quite pricey. Hakuba is an amazing place however and i recommend going there for sure!

Stay At Hakuba

Enjoyed the mountain, no lift lines, good snow and big hills. Quiet nights but suited our holiday.

A good time at Hakuba

The variety of terrain is excellent - although ski partol can be strict on off piste - go with a guide or back country tour. We had fresh snow 3 out of 6 days. A little heavy/wet on 1 day but still fun. Snow is coastal (like Whistler) so heavier than Hokkaido. Happo One and Hakuba 47/Goryu the best/biggest resorts, but try Iwatake (we had fun there on a powder day - less crowds more fresh tracks especially on the backside) etc.

Resort shuttle buses can be very crowded and probably the worst aspect of trip. Lift lines pretty much non-existent except on weekends. We stayed at Hotel De Laile - service was outstanding (the receptionist came to work at 5.30am just to say goodbye to us), hotel small so quiet (good), free onsen for guests, brekky OK, great view from our window, room OK size for Japan. The hotel is in the Wadano area - nice location in the forest (we saw Japanese giant flying squirrels!), easy to walk to various restuarants and the visitor/adventure centre, walk to Happo one lifts (5 mins) and shuttle buses (2 mins).

Great mix of snow and Japanese cultural experience (more culture than Niseko or Rusutsu).

Will go again.

Hakuba

Hakuba isn't bad. Slight prefence to Niseko. Plenty of ski resorts around the area. We liked Tsugaike. At Hakuba, the restaurants are further from the hotel than Niseko so you often need to take a bus,as well as to get to a supermarket or ATM. Snow, while good, might not be quite as good as Niseko as it's further south. Weather better though. Great onsen at the hotel.

Hakuba Hana Hotel a great place to stay

Hakuba was a pleasant surpise. Better terrain and more interesting, larger village than Niseko which we travelled to two years earlier.

Hana Hotel is aussie owned, beautifully renovated and the customer service was exceptional. The owners and staff readily drove us around for supermarket shopping etc, good cooked breakfasts provided each morning.

One recommendation for them would be to provide hair dryers in rooms. Be prepared to walk 200m+ to the ski slopes but most places in Japan are the same.

No onsen but one conveniently located in the hotel across the road.

Lots of restaurants within walking distance.

Sushi and Skiing the White Horse

Hakuba, or ''White Horse'' in Japanese, is the epitome of Japanese skiing.

Seven powdery ski resorts line the Hakuba Valley, with the monster Happo One rearing above the rest. Long runs, mogal bowls, excellent freestyle parks and spectacular views typify this ski area, making Hakuba Nagano the obvious choice for the 1998 winter olympics.

Not only is the piste experience world class, fine Japanese cuisine and hot springs await after a big day on the hill. With a charming rural train connecting each of the resorts, fresh tracks are almost guaranteed at the White Horse.