Kimjapan / Others - Sapporo Snow
Apr 21st, 2007, 10:13 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,751
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Kimjapan / Others - Sapporo Snow
Posting on another message I have been reminded of my family 'promise' to do Japan when there is snow.
Now, how does a family do this on a budget, is it possible ? Flights are not a concern but main concern is travel from arrival airport to the places we should go and accommodation/eating once there, any ball-park ideas would be appreciated.
Although we never like ideas of packages there 'are' packages from Thailand agents that put everything together, in the case of Japan 'could it make sense' better than trying to arrange it all on our own.
We need the family tupe of trip, also when best to go.
I have promised this for years and I don't think I can get out of it 'this time'!!
Thanks.
Oh and of course anyone else please do give ideas.
Now, how does a family do this on a budget, is it possible ? Flights are not a concern but main concern is travel from arrival airport to the places we should go and accommodation/eating once there, any ball-park ideas would be appreciated.
Although we never like ideas of packages there 'are' packages from Thailand agents that put everything together, in the case of Japan 'could it make sense' better than trying to arrange it all on our own.
We need the family tupe of trip, also when best to go.
I have promised this for years and I don't think I can get out of it 'this time'!!
Thanks.
Oh and of course anyone else please do give ideas.
Apr 21st, 2007, 10:48 PM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 5,034
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I've not been to Hokkaido but have a good friend who is from Muroran. She says it is a great place. Other options are plenty, with Nagano being a nice mountain area, and of course Kanazawa and our nearby mountain areas. To be pretty sure of snow, it's best to plan your trip for late January/early February through March I think, but if you are going to Sapporo, avoid the Snow Festival time as it will be pricey.
It's possible to do Japan on a budget, though not as cheaply as southeast Asia. There are youth hostels that accept anyone, even families, minshuku, lodges. If you know where you want to go, I can look for you.
If you visit Kanazawa, we have plenty of room for guests in our house...great for the budget because it's free...in return we accept payment in the form of tamarind paste, lesser ginger, palm sugar, and Milo 3-in-1.
Travel around Japan is easy, though it is certainly not a "get a driver from the airport/hotel and go" kind of place. Sometimes there are good deals on rental cars, but because road maintenance in winter does not generally include good snow removal, I wouldn't recommend driving. JR Passes seem expensive only until you price out your itinerary as single journeys. Buses are about 1/2 the cost of trains...local trains are cheap but take forever to get any distance. We tend to drive everywhere we go though, as for 3 people it's cheaper in the car with gas and tolls than it is for 3 train tickets.
For accommodation, you could get hostel/lodge type places for under ¥10,000/night, but you will need to do some serious searching, mostly in Japanese (I can help you). I think you are 4 people? Most places will charge per person even if you are all in one room, and if the children are still in elementary school (under 12) there is a reasonable discount for them.
Food...breakfast is usually included, though if not, going to the bakery the night before is cheap...about ¥100 for each item, one or two is enough for each person. Lunch is also quite reasonable...I never spend more than ¥1000 per person for lunch unless we eat a fancy lunch set or buffet in a hotel or upscale restaurant...not the norm, though. Dinner, for the 3 of us, we seem to spend between ¥4000 - ¥5000 on average, more if we eat in a good hotel restaurant. Plenty of choice in that range and a bit cheaper, or there is always noodles for under ¥1000 per bowl.
It's possible to do Japan on a budget, though not as cheaply as southeast Asia. There are youth hostels that accept anyone, even families, minshuku, lodges. If you know where you want to go, I can look for you.
If you visit Kanazawa, we have plenty of room for guests in our house...great for the budget because it's free...in return we accept payment in the form of tamarind paste, lesser ginger, palm sugar, and Milo 3-in-1.
Travel around Japan is easy, though it is certainly not a "get a driver from the airport/hotel and go" kind of place. Sometimes there are good deals on rental cars, but because road maintenance in winter does not generally include good snow removal, I wouldn't recommend driving. JR Passes seem expensive only until you price out your itinerary as single journeys. Buses are about 1/2 the cost of trains...local trains are cheap but take forever to get any distance. We tend to drive everywhere we go though, as for 3 people it's cheaper in the car with gas and tolls than it is for 3 train tickets.
For accommodation, you could get hostel/lodge type places for under ¥10,000/night, but you will need to do some serious searching, mostly in Japanese (I can help you). I think you are 4 people? Most places will charge per person even if you are all in one room, and if the children are still in elementary school (under 12) there is a reasonable discount for them.
Food...breakfast is usually included, though if not, going to the bakery the night before is cheap...about ¥100 for each item, one or two is enough for each person. Lunch is also quite reasonable...I never spend more than ¥1000 per person for lunch unless we eat a fancy lunch set or buffet in a hotel or upscale restaurant...not the norm, though. Dinner, for the 3 of us, we seem to spend between ¥4000 - ¥5000 on average, more if we eat in a good hotel restaurant. Plenty of choice in that range and a bit cheaper, or there is always noodles for under ¥1000 per bowl.
Apr 21st, 2007, 10:50 PM
#3
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 5,034
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I just also saw you had HK Disney on your list. If you were in Japan, you could go to Tokyo Disney...and no need to dread it. Even my Disney-hating husband enjoyed it. It's also cheaper than US Disney...go figure.
Apr 22nd, 2007, 10:14 AM
#4
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 6,369
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Aloha JamesA
Kim gives great advise!
There are also lots of ski areas also in the Nagano and Akita regions Tohoku so if you want to stick closer to Disney and the Tokyo area it also is possible.
Check out this site for some info on skiing areas and their amounts of snow per winter season
http://www.skijapanguide.com/index.php
In my latest trip report I cover an area that is very popular for skiers, Tazawako. I noticed numerous places to stay in the Nyuto Onsen area that were not too expensive. I write about Tsurunoyu Onsen which does have family rooms and also boarding only where you just pay for the room. We booked through Japanese Guesthouses website
http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/index.htm
This is another website helpful with info in Japan
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/index.html
This particular page if you access will give you some travel info for Hokkaido and the Northern Tohoku region of Japan. Check out the Kakunodate and Lake Tazawa areas for info related to that region.
Cruise through the rest of their website as it gives good info on Japan travel
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/
We also went to HK disney this time around and have been to Tokyo Disney. The TD is by far larger and nicer in terms of design and space. The HKD only has three lands, Fantasy, Adventure and Tomorrowland but virtually no lines so we just cruised thru every ride with max wait time of 5 minutes while in Tokyo its a different story. Also in HKD they have the English option on rides where in Japan its all in Japanese.
Just a start....will think of more later
Aloha!
Kim gives great advise!
There are also lots of ski areas also in the Nagano and Akita regions Tohoku so if you want to stick closer to Disney and the Tokyo area it also is possible.
Check out this site for some info on skiing areas and their amounts of snow per winter season
http://www.skijapanguide.com/index.php
In my latest trip report I cover an area that is very popular for skiers, Tazawako. I noticed numerous places to stay in the Nyuto Onsen area that were not too expensive. I write about Tsurunoyu Onsen which does have family rooms and also boarding only where you just pay for the room. We booked through Japanese Guesthouses website
http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/index.htm
This is another website helpful with info in Japan
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/index.html
This particular page if you access will give you some travel info for Hokkaido and the Northern Tohoku region of Japan. Check out the Kakunodate and Lake Tazawa areas for info related to that region.
Cruise through the rest of their website as it gives good info on Japan travel
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/
We also went to HK disney this time around and have been to Tokyo Disney. The TD is by far larger and nicer in terms of design and space. The HKD only has three lands, Fantasy, Adventure and Tomorrowland but virtually no lines so we just cruised thru every ride with max wait time of 5 minutes while in Tokyo its a different story. Also in HKD they have the English option on rides where in Japan its all in Japanese.
Just a start....will think of more later
Aloha!
May 5th, 2007, 03:45 PM
#5
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi there
There is snow in Hokkaido usually December to April....the season is getting shorter.
Many people come here to ski, but if you are not into that just come and enjoy the snow...Xmas decorations in Hakodate/Sapporo/Otaru from early December...hot springs...steaming bowls of ramen...great suhsi...crab...ice skating...ice fishing...
Snow Festival - early Feb - IS the main time to come and if you make hotel reservations early (by August the previous year) you can get Y5,000 a night per person ok.
If you have Japan rail Pass you can get up to Hokkaido from Tokyo or Osaka in a long night's trip - sleeping on the train...or fly direct into Hokkiado.
come on up here!!
Amanda
There is snow in Hokkaido usually December to April....the season is getting shorter.
Many people come here to ski, but if you are not into that just come and enjoy the snow...Xmas decorations in Hakodate/Sapporo/Otaru from early December...hot springs...steaming bowls of ramen...great suhsi...crab...ice skating...ice fishing...
Snow Festival - early Feb - IS the main time to come and if you make hotel reservations early (by August the previous year) you can get Y5,000 a night per person ok.
If you have Japan rail Pass you can get up to Hokkaido from Tokyo or Osaka in a long night's trip - sleeping on the train...or fly direct into Hokkiado.
come on up here!!
Amanda
May 6th, 2007, 10:07 AM
#6
There was snow on the ground and big fluffy flakes falling at the Toyama airport when I arrived there from Seoul on an Asiana flight.
Took the bus into the city and there was a couple of inches of snow/slush. Train to Kanazawa where, IIRC, it was clear of snow and the locals are friendly.
From Kanazawa I took the train to Takaoka and then a bus to Shirakawago. The bus trip was a long ride, 90 minutes or more for about 35 stops. I think that there is a road open from Kanazawa to Shirakawago that has a much shorter trip but the bus route was not running.
The village of Shirakawago had "only" about 4 feet of snow on the ground. I think it snowed on the day that I arrived and it was snowing the next morning.
I stayed overnight at the Koemon minshuku as the only guest of the family. They had quite a few pairs of snow boots available for guests, couple of dozen I think, and a pair actually fit me. Pretty sure they had child sized boots. The boots were essential.
Took the bus into the city and there was a couple of inches of snow/slush. Train to Kanazawa where, IIRC, it was clear of snow and the locals are friendly.
From Kanazawa I took the train to Takaoka and then a bus to Shirakawago. The bus trip was a long ride, 90 minutes or more for about 35 stops. I think that there is a road open from Kanazawa to Shirakawago that has a much shorter trip but the bus route was not running.
The village of Shirakawago had "only" about 4 feet of snow on the ground. I think it snowed on the day that I arrived and it was snowing the next morning.
I stayed overnight at the Koemon minshuku as the only guest of the family. They had quite a few pairs of snow boots available for guests, couple of dozen I think, and a pair actually fit me. Pretty sure they had child sized boots. The boots were essential.
