Nagano luggage storage

You could probably leave your bag next to the lockers and it would unlikely be stolen in Japan.

The Nagano train station has recently installed some large lockers so you can now store your skis and snowboard bags securely whilst you go and explore the city center. The lockers are located on the upper concourse just opposite and left as you come out of the shinkansen (bullet train) ticket check. There are also some smaller lockers at the bottom of the stairs on the street level of the west (Zenkoji) exit. The largest ones cost 600 yen for the day.  6 x 100 yen coins.

Easy to use. The instructions are on the front of the lockers.

Hakuba ski photos

A spectacular Photo of Lauri Mantykoski by Kari Pakkanen somewhere in Hakuba

I see so many great photos throughout the season of everyone punching through the powder. With cameras getting better every year I am continually amazed by the quality of photography that I witness, especially after a powder day. Although the cameras can make it look easy, it takes a keen eye along with the knowledge of how to get the best out of the equipment that frames a shot that really stands out. Lighting, conditions, background and positioning of the camera and the subject all have a big part in that 0.1 of a second moment in time. I personally just ride with a point and shoot and hope to take enough photos that one of them may come out alright. Thanks to people like Kari Pakkanen from Finland for taking the time to learn the art.

Hanami – Cherry Blossom

Alps Park near Matsumoto is a great place to take in a Hanami celebration party.

Hanami is an annual celebration that has been enjoyed by the Japanese people for centuries. Literally it means “flower viewing” and it transports itself all over the country from Okinawa in February up to Hokkaido towards the end of May. It signifies the start of the rice planting season in Japan. In Hakuba it signifies the end of the snow season as well.  At this time of year the trees are in full bloom throughout the valley and you will see people sitting under them enjoying the sprinkling of petals with every tiny breeze. A Hanami party is a great way to finish off the winter season and all you need is some good friends, a blanket, a few bottles of sake and plenty of food. Most people have heard about the Cherry Blossoms in Japan and they really are an amazing site to see. The good thing is that because it starts down south well before the end of the snow season it is easy to put the 2 together into your trip to Japan.

Snow walls of Japan

This is what a 17 meter base looks like. This place closes in the winter due to too much snow.

The Tateyama – Kurobe Alpine route opened  this year on Tuesday (17th April) with just a measly 17 meter wall of snow – the highest wall being 22 meters high. Hakuba is a great place to base yourself and get your ski legs in before heading up from Omachi and the Kurobe Dam side of the tour. There are no ski lifts however there is a big ropeway tram that takes in a huge expanse of terrain which is available for experienced backcountry skiers and boarders. For less experienced there are some easy hikes closer to the hotel and campsite area at the top. This area is well worth visiting even if you aren’t into snow sports or want to take a day off the resorts here. The scenery is absolutely spectacular any time of the year but the current snow walls make it a special event for April. The trip includes electric buses through long tunnels, a walk across one of the biggest dams in Japan, a very steep tram ride and a ropeway. We can certainly recommend taking the time out of your springtime skiing to check it out for the day. The trip is suitable for children and elderly folk. The snowalls are only 25km away as the crow flys from the Hakuba resorts however it is certainly a full day trip to complete the return tour. It is worthwhile finishing the day in a relaxing onsen in Omachi before the 30 minute drive back to Hakuba.

Here is a link to the official english site and here is the Japanese site

For package deals including accommodation and transfers email  info@whitehorse-hakuba.com

Ski Lift ticket prices in Hakuba

Lift tickets in Hakuba would be cheap at twice the price, for what you get.

Lift tickets in Japan are cheap and with all the special deals available at many of the resorts it is good to do a little research to make some savings. In my experience it is better to buy your tickets on a daily basis. For the small saving you can make with the package deals you risk losing an even bigger saving with some of the resort specials. I have copied below the ticket prices for Hakuba 47 this season.  For 4900 yen you can get a day pass and 1000 yen voucher to be spent at the restaurants and bars on the mountain. There are also some good family pass deals and some free days for the kids. I also observe that many people who come here on holidays believe they will ski all day everyday however in reality I see most people who come here for a week will take a day or at least a half day off. That’s a wasted ticket if you have pre-purchased. Senior prices start at 50 years old too which is much younger than most other countries.

Ticket & Pass

2011-2012 Ticket & Pass

	KIDS 5 yrs	JUNIOR 6-11 yrs	YOUTH 12-17 yrs	ADULT 18-49 yrs	SENIORS 50-69 yrs	SENIORS 70+ yrs
Single Day	FREE	2,500 yen	3,800 yen	4,800 yen	3,800 yen	3,000 yen
Single Day (Special Offer) From Open to Dec 12th From April 1st, 2011		2,000 yen	3,800 yen			3,000 yen
2-Day Tickets (Consecutive Days)		4,500 yen	7,300 yen	8,500 yen	7,300 yen	5,800 yen
3-Day Tickets (Consecutive Days)		6,500 yen	10,600 yen	12,000 yen	10,600 yen	8,600 yen
Half Day (AM or PM)		2,000 yen	-	3,800 yen	-	-
Family Ticket (Family Ticket)		an adult + a junior 5,500 yen
5 Weekday Pass (any 5 weekdays during the season)		-	16,500 yen			-
Physically handicapped person (Single Day)		2,000 yen	3,500 yen
a book of 11 lift rides (Kaisuken) Gondola ride will chage 2 lift rides.		2,000 yen	3,800 yen
a ticket for the gondola		380 yen	750 yen
a ticket for a lift		200 yen	380 yen
2-Day Hakuba All Mountain Tickets (All Mountain)		4,900 yen	8,700 yen
3-Day Hakuba All Mountain Tickets (All Mountain)		7,200 yen	12,500 yen

Half Day for the morning is vaild between 8:00 and 13:00,
for the afternoon, between 12:00 and 16:00.

A 2/3-Day Hakuba All Mountain Ticket is valid for 2 out of 3 days or 3 out of 5 days at any of the 6 resorts in Hakuba with the limitaion of one resort per day.
(Hakuba47,Goryu,Happo,Tsugaike,Iwatake,Sanosaka)

Special offer

◆ Children under 5 ski free every day.

◆ Kids’ Day

All elementary school children ski free on the third Sunday of each month (December 19, January 16, February 20, March 20, April 17 and May5).

◆ Family Pass

One day pass for one adult and one junior is 5,500yen.

◆ Early Season and Spring Season Discounts

Early season discount goes until December 12 and spring season discount starts from April 1.

The “Enjoy Coupon”

For only 4,900yen, you receive a One-day adult lift pass (value 4,800yen) and a 1,000yen food & beverage voucher.
The Enjoy Coupon price for Juniors aged 6-11 years is 2,900yen.
This comes with discount tickets which can be used at Gas Stations andHot Springs in Hakuba village. Please download the coupon and bring a printout to our ticket window.

 Link to the 47 website.

Hakuba in April

The Invisible Rider

Another bluebird powder day in Hakuba

Totally awesome

What A day to be in Hakuba. The back country adventurers were out in force for what would have to be one of the best days of the season. There had been over a meter of snowfall over the past 3 days on the upper runs of the resorts. Even though there were still lots of fresh lines to be had inbounds I opted to head out BC with a couple of friends. Perfect conditions with a stable snowpack and not a breath of wind set the scene at the top lift of Happo. It made for a great vibe for the crew kitting up before either just dropping in or taking a hike to some of the bigger lines up the back. We decided to take the easy option first up and tackle the North Face just off the lifts. A bit of caution as there was some avi’s reported the day before however it all looked good on the first few turns. It was an awesome run down to the valley with only our lines in the snow for the whole 900 vertical meters. Wet feet on the walk across the dam wall and 200 meter walk out and then its an easy slide back to the bridge with smiles all round. A day to remember.

Thai Massage in Hakuba

Have a massage after your first day on the hill to reduce muscle fatigue.

Ski straight to the door, whip off your kit and jump straight onto the massage table. The thai massage clinic is situated on the Nakiyama side of the Happo One resort. It’s a great way to finish off a day of skiing or snowboarding or to treat that little injury that holds you back from becoming the next downhill world champion. The girls are well trained and offer a number of treatments including

Traditional Thai Relaxation – 5900 Yen

Aroma Oil Treatment – 6900 Yen

Foot Reflexology – 5900 Yen

Herbal Ball Treatment – 6900 Yen

Hot Stone Healing – 7500 Yen

They are open from 1pm through to 9pm and bookings are required. You can ask your hotel staff to call them on 080 1021 9044.

Busy season in Hakuba

Another bluebird day in Hakuba

It’s been a busy season here in Hakuba for many of the locals including myself (hence the lack of blogging). I have however, been taking lots of photos and have lots more information on the area so I can start offering some more tips about the place. As usual,  March has been dishing up the goods with consistent weekly snowfalls to offer us our powder fix along with some perfect bluebird days in between. There is still plenty of snow around with top to bottom skiing everywhere and the resorts will be open until the first week of May. Spring skiing is fantastic here so get out to Hakuba and enjoy the fresh mountain air.

Good restaurants in Hakuba

Great food just on the other side of the river

I’m still trying to eat my way around the village but it is difficult to move on from some of the gems out there. Azu is a perfect example. The rice omelette set is a great late lunch option after sliding around the mountain for most of the day. The antipasto plate features local produce and is a meal in itself.

This is just for starters.

Next they bring out a bowl of the best tomato soup I have ever tasted.

This place is well worth a visit just for this soup

The main is of course a rice omelette which just makes it a trilogy of taste sensations.

Last but not least. This will certainly fill you up.

To finish up you have a choice of drinks. The one thing that just completes this meal for me is the milk tea. It is the perfect cup of english tea and the owner really takes pride in what she offers. All this for 1420 yen is great value for money. Check it out on the main highway in a log cabin just over the Matsukawa river. If you really want to make an afternoon of it try the Garden No Yu onsen next door too.

Best Day Ever on the snow

Felix Brännlund got lost in the White Room at Cortina. Many people got lost in there today

We hear it every year from people who have done seasons all around the globe. They come back from a day in the Hakuba Pow claiming, “that was my best day ever on the snow”. I heard it a lot last night and I would have to say it gives me a good feeling inside. I spend a lot of time promoting the place and I do it confidently knowing that Hakuba can offer an experience that will blow you away. It’s the reason people keep coming back.  It’s also the reason why a lot of us move here, to this little country town in the middle of this beautiful but obscure country. These days my best days ever get a little lost amongst themselves. I now pool them into one of the top 10 days or to say that was “As Good As It Gets”. I know that I am blessed to have had so many great days on the mountain.

Yesterday was as good as it gets. Today will be for many snowboarders and skiers in Hakuba “the best day ever” too.

Rider: Felix Brännlund Photographer: Andreas Arnesson – Guests of the White Horse Hotels.