drc13’s Japan 2012 (Hakuba/Tokyo) Trip Report + Videos!
On the 16th January 2012 I began my first ever overseas trip. Being a beach bum and not a big history/art/religion fan I’ve always been very content with Australia and not found the need to travel.
This all changed in the 2011 winter when I discovered snowboarding. I became completely consumed by it and started reading about how much better northern hemisphere winters are. Japan quickly became my first choice.
If I was to summarise the trip I would say I had some fantastic highs and some pretty tough lows. I made a bunch of great friends, learnt a lot about myself and completely fell in love with the Japanese and their way of life. I’m definitely keen to head back there sometime soon!
Just a warning this Trip Report is looooong! I’ve included everything so I can read back and remember it one day. At times I will sound like I’m complaining a lot but it’s just how I felt at the time and as I mentioned earlier the overall result of the trip was definitely positive.
Day 1 - A ride on a big jet plane. Rating 7/10
So the big day arrives, after a sleepless night I’m up and out of bed by 4am. Arrive at Sydney Airport and fly to Coolangatta surrounded by 3 screaming babies. 3.5hr stopover so I check in at Gold coast lounge which is nice but before the security check so you need to time it well. Unfortunately one of my items got knocked back at for the tourist refund scheme which was a bummer.
I hopped on the plane and was seated next to a lovely American/Japanese girl named Lisa which is a hell of a lot better than the fat smelly guy I had imagined. I Arrive at Narita at 7pm say bye to Lisa and head towards the Hakuba Snow Shuttle. I then sit on bus until 9pm waiting for another group to arrive. We finally leave before stopping at a truck stop along the way. This is my first real Japanese experience and it proves to be quite an eye opener. I only have two big notes so I head towards the counter to exchange the money. I greet the lady with a Konichiwa ask my question and receive an enthusiastic “Hai” (means yes in Japanese but I’d failed to learn this before hand) from the lady. I figured she was being polite and saying “Hi” so I repeated Konichiwa to which she replied “Hai” this went on a few times with laughing in between and the money eventually got exchanged but now I feel like a bit of a goose
I decided to have a go at one of the many brightly lit vending machines from outside. I select a hot chocolate and much to my surprise it shows me a video screen of every step of the drink making process up until the cup pops out. At this point I know I’m going to like this place.
Eventually I arrive at backpackers at 3am pleasantly surprised by empty room which is lucky as it is tiny.
The first of many Vending Machines
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View from my bed
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Day 2 – First time on Japanese snow with new friends at Goryu/Hakuba 47. Rating 7/10
Wake up early and decide on Goryu/Hakuba 47. I’m pointed towards the convenience store and have my first of many pork buns for breakfast. I meet up with two Aussies Glenn and Nic and we decide to ride together for the day. The snow wasn’t what I was expecting and was very “Australian” i.e Icy Groomers. It was fun to be back on a board again and the length/variety of the runs is definitely better than Australia.
After the snow I arrive back at room to find a red head guy on top bunk. I introduce myself, He responds by telling me he got kicked out of his accommodation. He then continues without prompting to mention that it was because of a bar fight which naturally wasn’t his fault. I smile and nod and decide now would be a good time to find somewhere else to hangout.
I meet up with Glenn and Nic again who suggest after getting to know each other during the day now would be the perfect time to take the next step and nude up together in an onson. I snap agree!
For something that might be considered a little strange in Australia it feels completely natural in Japan. Before you know it I’m squatting down on a little plastic stool soaping up in all my glory whilst having a chat with my new friend. The actual onson bath was very nice but also quite warm. I chose to spend the majority of my time in the outdoor one where the cold air keeps things under control. After the onson bath I have one final scrub and back to the backpackers for dinner. It’s about this stage my phone lights up with messages from Billy! I’d had a couple of Asahi’s by now and her directions weren’t making a whole lot of sense but by the end of the night we had agreed upon Tsugaike the next day.
I get back to my room to discover another new roomy this time an Argentinean girl who doesn’t say a word.
View from top of Goryu/Hakuba47
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Goryu/Hakuba47 Panorama
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Day 3 – Tsugaike with billy Rating 9/10
Up early again and I head off to Tsugaike. I can’t see any sign of Billy so take the long gondola ride (20mins) to the top of the mountain. I do one run down to the middle which was a fun run but once again unfortunately fairly icy groomed runs. I catch the gondola back up the top when I suddenly hear a guy yelling out my name and waving at me. I have no idea who he is when all of a sudden I notice Billy nearby. I’m quickly introduced to Jordan, Leanne, Pat and of course Billy. Within a couple of minutes I’m strapped in and we are all hurtling down the hill. No one had warned me that they were all very experience boarders so I did my best to keep up! We had a fantastic day exploring all the different runs. I provided some entertainment by following the group down double black moguls and even hit the park for a while. I had a fantastic cheer squad in Billy and Leanne as I hit my very first jumps and I even picked up a couple of tips from Jordan (who has worked as a snowboard coach)
I did give Jordan a hell of a scare when he witnessed me catching an edge on top of a kicker which resulted in me getting a fair bit of air before landing on my head. He said the sound was sickening. I can only say I’m lucky I was wearing a helmet and walked away with some whiplash. Pretty sure I’ve got some helmet cam footage of it to somewhere.
We called it a day and arranged for the group to come pick me up for Dinner. After another onson I settle in at the backpackers when I hear a couple of girls yelling out “oh Dave” through the building. I get up to find Leanne and Billy at the door. We headed off to Chanko Nabe where I met Cam for the first time and before I knew it we were chewing each other’s ear off. I had an absolutely great time and lovely meal cooked by an ex sumo wrestler. After a few photos and arranging to head off to Iwatake the next day we called it a night.
View from Tsusaike Gondola
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Dinner with a great bunch of people and a sumo
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Day 4 – Iwatake with billy and the beginning of the downhill slope. Rating 8/10
Up nice and early to meet the group at the bus stop. They weren’t there by the time the bus had arrived so I figured they’d kicked on the night before so headed off to Iwatake. Fortunately after a couple of runs I bumped into the group.
The five of us (Me, Billy, Cam, Jordan and Leanne) did a few runs. Cam called it an early day as his knee was playing up and sadly we had to say goodbye to Jordan and Leanne as they had to head home to Australia. For the rest of the day Billy and I tried a bunch of different stuff including my first time in powdery trees, after I’d damaged most of the little Japanese trees we called it a day.
A big night was ahead! I met up with everyone at The Lab. Straight away you could feel the friendly vibe. Andrew on the bar seemed to know everything about me when I arrived as it turns out Cam had filled him in on all my info. Not long after polishing off a steak it became obvious Billy was on a mission…. to get me billied! She did a pretty damned good job of it. We finished off at the lab and decided to walk to Master Braster, Of course we had a snowball fight on the way. Upon arriving at Master Braster I hung my favourite jacket on the hooks provided and had a few more drinks and generally having a great night with fantastic friends. It comes time to leave everyone grabs their jacket but I can’t see mine anywhere. We ask around and look everywhere but it’s nowhere to be found. This sobers me up very quickly! I call it a night and it definitely wasn’t the best way to end what had been a fantastic night with new friends. I have to give a special shout out to Aya from the Lab who very generously gave me the hoodie off her own back so I wouldn’t freeze on the way home.
Iwatake
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Iwatake Panorama
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Day 5 – I feel sorry for myself with a bunch of Snow Monkeys. Rating 2/10
After roughly 1-2hrs sleep I’m up to catch a taxi to the bus for my Snow Monkey Tour. I’m tired, hungover and really upset about having my jacket stolen. It then gets worse when I realise I had ~15000 yen, a pair of Gore-Tex gloves, an icebreaker merino beanie and some asthma/allergy medication in my jacket pockets!
I throw on a hoodie and jeans (big mistake) and hop in the taxi which is waiting for me at 7am. The taxi driver then proceeds to take me to the wrong stop (I don’t know this at the time) I pay the driver and hop out heading into the info centre. Fortunately I ask the lady on the desk where to wait for the bus to which she informs me I’m at the wrong place. I chase down the original taxi who was driving off and try to explain to him where I need to get. Eventually we set off again and arrive at the correct place where I once again have to pay the full taxi fair grrrr.
Eventually we get going on the bus and I was pretty keen to get some sleep. To his credit the tour guide on the microphone kept me awake but he was pretty interesting.
We arrive at the snow monkeys and it is actually snowing pretty heavy (wet kind of snow though) It’s about a 30 minute walk to the actual monkeys and it’s about now I realise that I’m seriously underdressed. I don’t think I’ve ever been so cold in my life as I was this entire day. This only made me filthier about not having my jacket/beanie/gloves.
I have to say the actual walk to and from the monkeys is beautiful especially as it was snowing. The monkeys themselves are very cute and any animal lover will enjoy it.
From the monkeys we were driven to another small town for a Japanese lunch. I was very cold and hungry and was looking forward to something like a big bowl of ramen. We arrived to an entree of cold lotus root. The main was beef and rice which was nice but very small. We finished off with a desert of sliced pear.
From the restaurant we headed to the Zenkoji temple. By now I was well and truly ready for a hot shower and bed. Not being particularly into history or religion the temple probably doesn’t have as much effect on me as it would on others. Architecturally it was quite impressive though so I took a bunch of photos and put that down as a cultural experience.
Finally we head back home, I have a hot shower which was heaven. I then went out and had dinner with the Argentinean girl who had suddenly got chatty.
Walk to the snow monkeys
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Walk to the snow monkeys
Nawwww
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Zenkoji Temple
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Day 6 – Cortina and getting to know new roommates. Rating 4/10
We had been warned that we had two new roommates arriving early in the morning which was fair enough as I had arrived at a similar time on Day 1. So at around 3 am the lights go on they make a bunch of noise and finally settle down, no worries back to sleep I go. Until at 4am they decide it would be an appropriate time to get jiggy with it in the bed no more than 50cm’s from mine. This made for an awkward/sleepless night.
I get up early and decide to head off to Cortina as I’d heard amazing things about it. Unfortunately the snow was pretty slushy and quickly chopped up. I also boarded like a first timer for some reason falling a whole lot. I decided that now I was on my own it would be a good time to test out the DriftHD as a Polecam only to discover that my pole/monopod had also mysteriously gone missing!
I had a look at the tshirts in the gift shop and picked out a black evolution of man style tshirt. Went up to purchase it but unfortunately they had sold out of my size
I called it a day and decided I needed to relax in an onson for a while. This proved to work quite nicely so I headed back to my room only to walk in on the new roomies exchanging bodily fluids again. They quickly shooed me out of the room and told me to come back later. So I stood around awkwardly in the lobby holding all my dirty washing fuming inside. It was then that Rick and Emmett walked past and asked me how my day was. I had briefly chatted with them a couple of days ago but didn’t know them real well. They invited me out to dinner with them so I agreed to meet up with them after I got back into my room to drop everything off.
Eventually I got back into my room put my stuff away and headed to the restaurant. I’d been a while so they’d already started eating so I decided to splurge and order my first ever Wagyu Steak. It was only tiny (160gm) but boy was it nice. I eat a lot of steak at home but this had to be up there as one of the best I’ve ever had. The 3 of us then headed the bar at the Lab for a couple of beers. It was nice to kick back with a couple of really good blokes.
I headed back home and had an awkward conversation with the new male roomy. He said it was out of line and promised it wouldn’t happen again. I was happy enough with that and called it a night.
Cortina
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Day 7 - Happo and the Police Station. Rating 6/10
I hadn’t been to Happo yet so figured I better check it out. I went straight to the very top lift of the mountain which had just been opened for the first time that season. I took some photos of the peak and admired the untouched snow in the backcountry. I then started the long ride down. The first few runs were actually pretty fun. As the day went on a lot of the runs started to get quite mogully so definitely get out there early at happo. I bumped into Pat on one of the lifts so we did a few runs together which was nice.
I had to call it an early day as I needed to get a report of the local police in the hope I could claim some travel insurance. It was a bloody long walk from Happo to the police station with boots on and board in hand. After what seemed like forever I arrived only to find nobody could speak a word of English. I eventually got across I’d had stuff stolen by pointing at a bunch pictures and in the end resorted to getting the police to call Dave at the backpackers who could speak both languages. After being there for a couple of hours they would not complete or give me any paper work as I didn’t speak Japanese they wanted Dave to be there. Generously Dave agreed to come down but he wouldn’t be able to until Midday the next day (which meant my last day of boarding would be a write off) I didn’t have much choice in the matter so we booked it in.I did the long walk back to the backpackers and thanked Dave for his help.
I then decided to check out some of my video camera footage only to discover that after the memory card had corrupted!!! By this stage I was like “meh whatever” and packed it away.
As I’d had a great time with them the night before I met up with Rick and Emmett and we headed off to a Korean BBQ for dinner. It was a nice experience.
Me at the peak of Happo
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A long ride down
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Day 8 – Final day at Hakuba. The Night begins with a police raid and ends with me making a hell of a mess. Rating 6/10
So today was my last day in Hakuba. At midday Dave and I headed off to the police station. After about 2hrs or talking backwards and forwards and after having my passport copied, fingerprints taken etc the police had a report written up only to tell me that the investigation could take weeks and they couldn’t give me a copy of the forms. I told them I didn’t need an investigation I just needed the paperwork so I could try to get some of my stuff back on insurance. They then informed me that they would need photos of the “crime scene” so we were to meet again at 8pm that night. After the police station I took Dave out to lunch at a local Japanese place he had suggested. We had a nice meal and good conversation. Once I got back to the backpackers I called the insurance company and explained to them the situation. They didn’t like my chances without a report but said they would note it down anyway. I went down and had one last onson and met up with the guys at the backpackers bar. I was pretty keen to have a nice meal traditional meal out but they settled in for beers and a burger so I did the same (I’m glad I only spent 500yen on this meal you’ll soon see why)
After a few too many beers 8pm rolls around and the police are knocking on the door asking for me. We walk up to Master Braster and it’s like a full on raid. It was pretty funny at the time but I felt so sorry for the confused owners but we eventually explain what was going on and they thought it was pretty funny. I had a whole bunch of photos taken by the police with me pointing at the coat rack and the outside of the building etc meanwhile everyone else around me is cracking up.
Once the police had taken their 100 photos and fingerprints they left and we decided to have ONE beer at Master Braster and a chat with the bar girls about what had just happened. Before we knew it we were drinking 11% beers and drinking shots/spirits by the pint. The cute Japanese bar girls certainly did a great job on suckering us in but they were also drinking straight from the tap!
After this point things get a bit blurry. All my roommates had now arrived and I remember Emmett having to leave but before he left he gave me a glass full of spirits and 4 Coronas. I’m not completely sure how I got home but what I next remember isn’t pretty. Everything I’d eaten and drank that night decided it no longer belonged in my stomach and quickly found its way out (first time ever from drinking!). Eventually I was rescued from the backpacker’s bathroom by my roommates. Apparently we all bonded really well that night!
It was definitely not the usual way I’d handle myself but considering the way things had been going it actually felt pretty good to let my hair down and was certainly ending the week in a big way!
Day 9 – A seedy morning before arriving in Tokyo! Rating 8/10
I woke up early the next morning as I had a bus to catch to Tokyo. I rushed around cleaning up the mess I’d made (the roommates were very understanding!) It was at this stage that I realised I’d managed to make a complete mess of the last jacket I had as well as the jeans I’d been wearing the night earlier. They certainly weren’t wearable without a good wash!
After saying our goodbyes I headed off for breakfast Bacon and Eggs at Sounds good cafe which was really nice. I hopped onto the bus to Tokyo and was really looking forward to a fresh start. I was under the impression I’d be dropped off somewhere in Shinjuku where I was staying but soon found out I’d be dropped off somewhere in the middle of Tokyo. I had to adjust very quickly and lugged all my gear into the closest subway station. I managed to find an office to buy a SUICA card loaded it up with credit and worked out the train system well enough to get me to Shinjuku and then walked to my hotel. I unpacked, showered then went exploring.
From this point on all I can say is WOW! I wandered around for hours in Shinjuku. It completely blew my mind, the bright lights, the shops, the food, and the interesting side streets. I absolutely loved them all. I had some Yoshinora for dinner and grabbed myself a pair of jeans from Uniqlo.
Begrudgingly I needed to find my way back to my hotel and call it a night but it was a bloody good start to Tokyo.
Breakfast of Champions…Hungover Champions
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Shinjuku
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Day 10 – I hit Tokyo on a mission. Rating 9/10
I start this day on a mission. I need a jacket and beanie as I’m sick of freezing. I soon discovered shops don’t open to around 11am in the morning so I wandered around Shinjuku and grabbed some breakfast. After a couple of hours shopping I finally walked out with a jacket (not as good as the one that was stolen) and a beanie.
Now that I was a bit warmer I caught the train out to Asakusa. This is considered a taste of the older style Japan. I walked down the Nakamise shopping street, and quickly looked at the Sensoji Temple for a few minute before deciding I was way more interested in wandering around the other streets. After checking out the Asahi headquarters and caught a train to Ginza to experience the glitzy area at night. It once again was brilliant. I walked around starry eyed for a couple of hours before heading to Shibuya. Once again Shibuya impressed me lots of bright lights and great food/stores. I hunted down an authentic sushi place for dinner as I wanted to try Horse. I walked in and soon discovered there was no English menu and you were required to order on a piece of paper in Japanese. This was proving to be difficult but I struck it really lucky and sat next to a lovely Japanese couple who could speak decent English. They kindly deciphered the menu for me and placed the order. He also complained to the manager saying how it was impossible for foreigners to eat there. I should say my experience with all the locals was absolutely lovely. I have so much time for the Japanese people, they are so polite and generous.
After dinner I hit the streets again but this time I must have stumbled upon the more “interesting” area. Within a few minutes I’d been offered a bunch of “favours” from very attractive Japanese girls. I was also approached by an older Japanese guy who nearly wore the skin off his finger he was slamming it in and out of his other hand so vigourously! Unfortunately due to the language barrier, negotiations fell through with him….
Nakamise Shopping St
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Lunch Yum!
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Asahi Anyone?
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Ginza
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Shibuya
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Neigh
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Day 11 – More Tokyo. Rating 7/10
I woke up today and figured I had to tick off some more tourist destinations. First stop was Tokyo Tower. Probably not something I would bother with again but at least I can say I’ve been there. From there I walked to the harbour and caught a boat to Odaiba. I’d been looking forward to this area as it was meant to be futuristic but it was really just more shops and a couple of showrooms. I headed to the Toyota centre and picked out a car to test drive got my ticket and paid my 300yen then waited 45mins for my allotted time. I was all ready to go when they informed me without an international license I wouldn’t be able to drive FAIL. At this point I called it off at Odaiba as I wanted to head back into the city. I caught a train to Akihabara (electric town) this is a gamers/manga fans paradise. It was interesting for a quick look around but I decided to then head to Roppongi for the night. Roppongi once again offered more bright lights. I grabbed some dinner walked around a bit then decided I really wanted to be back in Shinjuku for another night so headed back there for the rest of the night.
Tokyo Tower Glass Floor
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Odaiba
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Akihabara
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Yoshinora
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Day 12 – I don’t want to go home!!! Rating 8/10
My last day in Japan! Although I’d had a few things go wrong during the trip I had absolutely loved my time in Tokyo and wasn’t ready to leave. I decided to investigate Harajuku in the morning. I popped into Lotteria for breakfast and got their famous pork burger. I weird choice for breakfast but it tasted good! I then walked around Yoyogi Park and the Temple before walking back to Shibuya. It was at this point I discovered the memorials to Hachiko the dog at Shibuya station. For any dog lovers it’s a touching story. In the 1920’s a dog would meet his owner at the station the same time every day until one day the man suddenly died and didn’t return. Every day for the next 9 years Hachiko the dog would wait at the same station exit for the return of his owner. Shows the loyalty of man’s best friend!
I had a lovely lunch where you cook your own sliced steak on a hotplate and mix it with rice and sauce. I treated myself to a Beard Papa cream puff which I had smelt every day at the station and before I knew it it was time to catch the NEX back to the airport. One last Ramen for dinner then off to board the plane.
Unfortunately no cute American/Japanese seat partner this time but a guy who smelt like an ashtray and chowed down on pickled fish the whole flight! Eventually we arrived back in Cairns to a 4.5hr stopover/delay before eventually getting back to Sydney thoroughly exhausted.
Yoyogi Park
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Hachiko Man’s Best Friend
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Pepper Steak
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Shibuya Day
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Recent Days
Since being back I’ve certainly had to snap back into reality with lots of washing, cooking and work to do. I’ve also been quite sick since returning probably not helped by the lack of medication whilst over there and getting pretty cold.
I definitely already miss Japan. I would really recommend it to anyone. It proved to be tough at times for a first time traveller but I can’t blame any of this on Japan or its people. I have so many fond memories and miss the city and its bright lights, don’t get me started on the food boy do I miss that!
Unfortunately I never got to see any of the famous Japan powder as I got pretty unlucky with the snow/weather (apparently it’s been puking since the day I left)
I’ll definitely be back Japan you have thoroughly impressed me!
Videos
Snow Monkeys
Snowboarding!!
nice tr. hope u get some money back for your jacket!
nice tr. hope u get some money back for your jacket!
Thanks mate, appreciate it. I’m still envious of the bottomless pow in some of your vids but just have to accept I got a little bit unlucky with the conditions but you get that on snow trips. After seeing some of the gaps in the trees I have a lot of admiration for your riding skill as well!
Hey mate, just adjusted all your pictures to be 800 pix wide. If you post any more, upload/post them at 800 pixels wide. 
Havent had a read yet. Will do now!
thanks! you prob don’t want to hear this but it has been dumping hard all day. I think I heard 100cm forecast for the local mountains….and me with a day off tomorrow. hmmm, what shall I do?
but as good as powder is, snowboarding with friends is where it’s at, and it sounds like you made some good friends on your trip.
Hey mate, just adjusted all your pictures to be 800 pix wide. If you post any more, upload/post them at 800 pixels wide.
Havent had a read yet. Will do now!
No worries mate thanks for that. I think after typing and editing this post non stop for two day’s I got lazy and just linked straight into facebook pictures. Viewing on a 24” monitor so didn’t notice it was out of whack.
Hope you enjoy the read.
thanks! you prob don’t want to hear this but it has been dumping hard all day. I think I heard 100cm forecast for the local mountains….and me with a day off tomorrow. hmmm, what shall I do?
but as good as powder is, snowboarding with friends is where it’s at, and it sounds like you made some good friends on your trip.
Hah yep you would be right there *hands over ears not listening* Happy for you though mate and I’ll definitely be back for some Japan Pow sooner than later.
I certainly met and made some real great friends while away which was a bonus.
Awesome report mate! Looks like you were in room 1 same as me? To bad you had some shit things happen. Dave is a good bloke and good to see he helpd you out.
Japan rocks and I really miss it too!
Woop woop! Awesome trip report Dave!!!
Maaaaan - you were unlucky! There’s some pretty unfortunate stuff there… (glad my days rated highest! 
) I didn’t know you had all that stuff in your pockets! 
- and I can’t believe your roommates - I would have told them to get f@*ked!
Glad you went back to the lab Pat’s been making me jealous with all his waist deep pow comments! 
All in all it sounds like a grand adventure… Here’s to 2013!! 
Beautiful writeup Dave (its josh BTW)
I was talking to Richard about your trip, he said you had a bit of bad luck over there, but glad to see overall you had a mad time.
Looking forward to the Aussie season should be some mad days to come. Get them vids up, especially the one of you eating it on the kicker so i can feel a bit better about me coming up a gutsa on that one in perisher last year when i copped it from all you boys
Awesome report mate! Looks like you were in room 1 same as me? To bad you had some shit things happen. Dave is a good bloke and good to see he helpd you out.
Japan rocks and I really miss it too!
Thanks mate glad you enjoyed! haha yep room 1 next to the stairs and toilet. I was bottom left bed. Yeah at first I found dave really aloof and a few others had mentioned it. But we actually ended up making the most of the police trips and he got a really good laugh out of our photoshoot together.
Woop woop! Awesome trip report Dave!!!
Maaaaan - you were unlucky! There’s some pretty unfortunate stuff there… (glad my days rated highest!
Glad you went back to the lab
All in all it sounds like a grand adventure… Here’s to 2013!!
Billy!! and you we’re worried what I thought of you! As I mentioned on the mountain, it was funny that after a couple of quick conversations on this forum (half of which I thought you were a dude) we hit it off straight away when we actually met and along with your crew we all got on great. Having you all leave at once definitely didn’t help my low rated days!
Yeah I had a pretty bad run of luck for a few days and found it hard to get over it (looked into flights back home at one stage) but I got through it and Tokyo was worth it!
Now that I’ve knocked over this loooong TR I can get a start on the 8 page insurance claim 
Looking forward to catching up again in the near future i.e shred/japow 13