Hey Ville - compared to Finland, countryside and ski resort Japan is reasonably cheap. I seldom eat out and cant afford to party, but live really well on 1500 yen/$15 for food and a beer each day and a group all putting in 10 bucks each will be even better. I have been doing that for 8 months. I get by fine I need to eat a lot of fuel in winter as well. I also cook my own bc/touring food as I cant afford convenience store snacks each day. Alcohol is quite cheap, and if you just want to get pissed you can buy 4 litres of local liquor for about $30. A rice cooker will help you - but that depends on where you stay. When you arrive try and get someone to take you to the supermarket to give you the low-down what to buy and how to use it. It will work out cheaper than trying to cook like you cook at home, and the supermarket will be a bit confusing so like I did when I came here years ago for the first time - you end up just buying familiar stuff at a bad price. Dont get me wrong, it isn't that confusing: If you want to eat like shit, you can always just buy pasta and canned meat sauce. It would be cheap, but it would suck.

Lift tickets are cheap - $40 a day is the most you will pay, less if you buy longer term/combo tickets.

What not to do: don't be loud or aggro in Japan. Don't swear at the top of your voice (you wouldn't anyway, that's a Oz/US/Canadian habit). If you want to make friends with Japanese locals then talk less, be a quieter guy, breath and listen more (westerners talk too much in their opinion).

Bring beacon etc and pack for powder.

--db (Hohes on tgr)

We will be staying at Fattwins lodge for January and February. So I think we're set for cooking gear and stuff. Good to know that food will be cheap, i've used to eat cheap food. It's pretty hard to manage to get money for whole season and still do my studies. But I have done it 4 winters now, so getting pretty good at it But now that there's 3 of us, I think we can eat also something fresh, not just canned stuff.

For tickets I think we're taking Happo One season ticket, that will be probably cheapest way?

Sounds like we're going to get a long with locals just fine, since they have to talk more than we finns do

We're used to always carry avygear, since we don't have that kind inbounds policy as americans. I've understood that it's same in Happo One, you can ski where you want?

Happo One has quite liberal out of bounds policy that is more like Europe than like America.

Ville wrote:

Sounds like we're going to get a long with locals just fine, since they have to talk more than we finns do

The have met 2 Finns in my life both rarely spoke and almost never smiled, they were rippers though. I'm sure you will enjoy your time in Haks. It usually only disappoints the ignorant.

you pick-up line for the ladies:

Anata wa abazure on'na desu.

They'll melt in your lap.

or give you a nice slap

I prefer

yarashite

short and simple

Finns should do well in Japan. The ones I have met (all in Chamonix) have always been relaxed, honest and calm. Some Finns gave us a ride back in their van once (after a tour from Chamonix that leaves you a fair way from the start in Switzerland, with a bus ride to get home). They were decent people.

Ok, this sounds good It's going to be a great trip. We just booked flights, we'll be on Japan ground 11th of January and head back 10th of March. Pretty stoked. We'll be flying to Osaka, any tips for travelling from Osaka to Hakuba?

And I just bought Salomon X-Wing Lab's to mount up with Dukes I think I will do just fine there with these and my Praxis Powders? Damn airline weight regulations won't allow me to take my monoski with me.

I am surprised the airline will even let you take 2 skis. If you can get x-wing's and powders on board with no charge you will be sorted.

From Osaka, take the Sanyo Shinkansen to Nagoya. At Nagoya, take the Chuo limited express. This train goes direct to Hakuba Station and takes approximately four and a half hours.

Dude...you are sooo gonna love japan. If you dont,then there is something really,really wrong with you...

The was few "observations" from a few week trip to hakuba couple of winters ago. I take no responsibility of the correctness of the said statements...

That sounds so good Although you're leaving there too early, well you need to come to ski at Riksgränsen in spring.

So where we can get that "transport services for your bags (ta kubing?)"? Do we need to make some kind of reservation before or just walk some place and tell them that we need to get our stuff to hakuba?

Ville - its called Takkyubin, or "black cat", which is the logo to look for (black cat in a yellow oval).  When you collect you bags and leave customs, look for the parcel baggage services, there are several counters lined up.  Make sure you have your address with you and get Yen cash before you leave home, dont wait till you get to the airport in Japan - it can be a hassle.  The delivery service is reliable and despite language problems they will totally understand what you want to do.  You wont be the first foreigner to want his ski gear delivered to hakuba in winter.

Kuro neko is black cat and is just one of many takyubin companies (Yamato Transport).  There is also the pelican and the kagaroo (Nippon Express and Seino Transport).