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Snowboarding Japan

20K views 124 replies 26 participants last post by  pjstyles 
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#1 ·
As the title states, has anyone been to Japan? which locations are the best? Also do you need to be speaking fluent Japanese if your there? I've heard the powder there is amazing but has anyone here experienced Japan first hand?
 
#34 ·
I'm definitely keeping this thread on my radar. I'm planning a trip with my (Japanese) girlfriend when the Olympics come to Van in 2010. We're going to do the tourist thing and the snowboarding thing, so it should be a pretty intense couple of weeks! I've already started boning up on my Japanese -- you can download great, free podcasts through the iTunes store to learn Japanese.
 
#43 ·
Japan

I've lived here for 6 years and learned to snowboard here. It's a big subject but here are a few tips.
Tokyo is a long way from all the resorts. You will need to travel. The easiest place to go is Niseko. Once at the resort, over half of the folks speak English, albeit with an Aussie accent. It has a significant night life (props to the Aussies for that) and a wonderful vibe. It has the second best powder I've ridden here.

Shiga Kogen is a bit more complicated to get to but once you're there, no problems with English. Very large resort with lots of terrain changes. When the powder comes, it's mindboggling.

Hakkoda is the best for powder. Chest high much of the season is normal. It is the hardest to get to and you need a guide...really. I recommend Simon's Hakkoda Powder Snow Tours for info. Simon's pretty cool and has taken me further than I thought possible. Don't think of going without a guide though or you'll be another statistic. People die there.

Lots of other places...Japan is awesome. Compared to Colorado - more powder, less steep. For Hokkaido and definitely Hakkoda, ride something a bit longer/wider than you might use on your home slope. Hakkoda also requires poles - yes for snowboarding. Almost everything is off piste and there are some short flat spots.
 
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#48 ·
Hey, just noticed this thread. Just wanted to mention that Nagano and Niseko are great, but there's more out there. Aside from the obvious Niseko, my favorite place is Takasu Snow Park in Gifu. It's better than any of the places I've been in Nagano so far. Better groomers, better parks, and they don't care if you go into the trees. If you're in the area, try it!

If anyone is going to be in Niseko next week, please send me a PM!
 
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#51 ·
Boarding in Japan

Planning on moving to Japan next year for school, in Sendai (about 2 hours north of Tokyo) but the options around look amazing. Can't wait to go there and see everything it has to offer. Anyone been up in that area? I will be talking to some friends who are over there and see what they say, but if any of you guys know anything let me know, but chances are I will be taking a vacation south to Nagano and have some fun there.

Some powder to the people there currently, how I wish I was there.

bokken
 
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#53 ·
It looks nice...good old Narita Airport...any equipment that you have found in Japan thats available only there, or cheaper there? For me and traveling, it would be slightly easier if I could buy there rather than bring with me (taking 3+ bags, including snowboard) for an entire year. But if its more expensive and the same thing, I would probably buy here and bring it with me.

Btw, your pics are pretty nice. The airport ones made me laugh.

bokken
 
#54 ·
Thanks. I've been here a little over 7 years. I learned to snowboard here...before that I was never on a mountain with snow.

Bring your gear with you. Good gear is cheaper in the States. I go on an annual pilgrimmage to Colorado and bring Japanese friends with me. They buy everything there...so much cheaper.

Good gear...h'mmm...flotation is important - it's not as steep here as the U.S...that's not always true but it often is.

I really like Lib Tech boards although I haven't ridden the banana technology yet. I also like Never Summer. If possible, bring a powder board and a smaller, ice board. I ride everything so I like to be prepared. Otherwise, go with something that works in both places...that's where the Lib Tech comes in. Travis Rice models work well for that.

Food here is excellent. People are friendly. Learn 50 to 100 words in Japanese. Once you start trying, folks here will try their English and the party's on.

It's very safe here...nice to know. BTW, we've had a great start to the year. I'll be doing an overnight trip to Shiga Kogen in 1 1/2 weeks and another in Hakuba at the end of the month.

Serious powder right now. My leg is already burning.
 
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#55 ·
It sounds so fun...What do you do in Japan? Or a native?

Thanks for that info. Even ridden the Cold Smoke by Atomic? I am going to see what deals are going on in a month or two and see if people are still selling it as I have gotten recommendations for that board across the board, but a second board (if I have the money) would be great.

I am nearly fluent in Japanese as it is (been studying for about 5 years now) but I will be entering Japan with a semester off of classes (none offered at my level) so I will just start working on it intensively when I get there. I have been a few times in the past and yeah, the food is amazing. I had to limit myself to around 40 dollars a day/meal of 150 yen sushi plates, or I just ate everyone's food around me...loved it.

Dude, so jealous. It sounds like such a blast. Wish I could switch places with you right now...When its winter next year I probably won't be on campus for a lot of the time...how are prices on lift tickets? But the powder sounds so nice right now. We have nothing around where I am. Hopefully, I will be able to get a few friends and head up to Tahoe late January or early February, but Japan sounds much better.
 
#56 ·
I work for the U.S. government and live on Yokota AB on the outskirts of Tokyo. It's a great gig!

With your Japanese skills, you will rock the house. Gaijins who speak Japanese get the best of all worlds...very nice.

I haven't ridden the Atomic boards...again, only a little over 5 years riding so somewhat limited experience. I bought my Lib Tech from eBay just to try out magnetraction cheaply. Wow...it's nice. I learned about the NS Summit on this site and have loved it. I'm not as fond of my first board, a Burton Canyon but it's a first board...what can you say.

Lift tickets run between 4 and 5,000 yen for all day tickets. What that is in dollars varies but usually it means between $35 and $55 dollars a day - cheaper than the U.S. by far.

Food at ski-jos is higher but lunch can still be had for under $15.

Tear it up. There are so many places and so much powder. The last 2 years were disappointing but this year looks good...everything goes in cycles. When all else fails, head north to Hokkaido...it's almost always good.
 
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#57 ·
Yeah, my first boards have pretty much been either rentals and borrowed boards from friends, so I would like my own board finally. But thats a pretty nice deal with the US Government. Yeah, thats what has happened to me in the past. I had a model calling me her boyfriend part way through my trip, I have one friend waiting for me to go back and I think she wants to marry me, and I had an entire school trying to catch glimpses of me as I walked down the hallways. Pretty funny...

What do you do for the government, if you can answer? Hoping I can get a position where I can live in Japan when I am out of college. but 4000-5000 tickets are pretty good prices...I can see where most of my money would go to...Hopefully the powder returns next year as well...
 
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#59 ·
Nice nice, I have heard from too many ex special ops to feel entirely safe asking what they did in the army, navy, special forces, or just black ops...my ex girlfriends dad was a green beret sniper that had the highest number of recoded kills for GW1 i believe...

For sure, sounds like a blast, can't wait to get to Japan!
 
#62 ·
Mine is a milk run. I always go to the same places for work. Korea, Okinawa, Guam, and back to Tokyo. It's not bad and you get to see stuff but it can get old.

The NY's party is called Shinnen Kai...or something close to that. All you can eat/drink for 2 hours is a typical setup, then folks go out on their own from there. There are similar things before NYs called Bonnen kai.

Do you call yourself Bokken because of a martial arts practice?
 
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#63 ·
Partly, there was also a funny joke involved which makes me grimace when remembering it...my teacher misheard me and thought I said "boki" instead of "bokken" and "boki" just happens to mean erection...go me...so I keep it bokken or bokin as a laugh and use other names for a few sites. But it did originate from martial arts as I used a bokken when training a long time ago.

But NY's parties sound fun...all you can eat...I wouldn't be talking too much I think...
 
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