Niigata anyone been?
Has anyone been to any of the ski resorts at Niigata Japan. I’ve decided I’m doing a season in Japan next year and I want to go somewhere with minimal foreigners so I can study/practice the language :D
Awesome Ash!! Would love to do that myself sometime.
I went to some resorts around Myoko last year which are a little to the south of Niigata and they are not real popular with foreigners but their reputations are emerging cause it seems a lot of peeps are keen to get away from the ‘usually overun’ resorts. There are definitely some foreigners in Myoko Kogen/Akakura but the villages are very local orientated as most store owners don’t speak English so we found it a great cultural experience there.
The resorts there were super fun and really quiet even on the weekends. Huge areas to explore. The only slight downside being limited extended steep runs but that seems to fairly much the norm around the main japan island.
Wicked!! Thanks for that I’ll look to those areas too! It will be good to have a few people who speak English around too because I’m a n00b haha.
I have been to Hakuba and I went to Niseko/Rusutsu this year. The snow was great but Niseko as I’m sure we all know is pretty much Japanese Australia. It wasn’t a challenge or cultural experience at all (aside from the onsen but even then that was full of Aussies drinking beer).
So yeah I want something opposite to that.
Interesting about the lack of steeps. I found that in Niseko too. I remember when I was in Hakuba having the impression that there were a lot of long steep runs but I was still pretty much beginner then so not sure if that’s actually the case 
I went to some resorts around Myoko last year
I loved Myoko I’d definitely go back again in the future. If I was doing a season over there (I’d imagine there would be very little work though) I’d definitely want a car as the village is small and very quiet and the resorts are spread out. Nozawa, Hakuba and Shiga just down the road as well so you can follow the best conditions.
Sweet! Thanks for the advice DRC! Yeah I definitely need to look into where I can get work easily enough! Maybe Hakuba…
Starting to think I might settle in Hakuba at the end of this year.
My main goals are to learn the language, meet the locals and do what the locals do, snowboard obviously and just have a good time! I think Hakuba would be good because if I get stuck with the language I can survive on hand gestures and English there. Though I will be forcing myself to learn!
Has anyone done a season in Hakuba before? Did you apply for a job before you got there or did you wing it when you got there?
Best way to learn the language is to be forced to because there isn’t any other way to communicate.
Even if you feel you are pretty determined and motivated to learn anyway, you will learn way more if you are forced to, than if you aren’t.
You may already be doing it but I also advise doing as much groundwork in the language as you can before you leave. You’ll def be able to find online language course stuff, or download mp3s to listen to in the car etc. It helps heaps!
Get the Google Translate APP for ya phone too!!!!!
Yes true!! I guess the only thing I’m scared about with the resorts that are less set up for foreigners is that I won’t have enough Japanese to be considered for a job or even to be able to do the job itself.
I have been trying to study as much as possible, but by the time I get there I will only have had maybe 6 months under my belt.
Being forced to speak/read/listen the language is obviously the best way to learn which is why I’ve picked Japan over Canada for next season
I can read hiragana and katakana now and I’m slowly learning kanji haha and I try to study it or at least watch some anime or listen to some J-rock every day ^^
Sounds great Ash!
As you probably know Hakuba is Honshu’s tourist/Aussie central particularly around echoland/happo so if you want the more authentic Japanese experience I would avoid those areas. I also have a bad taste in my mouth after seeing the bogans that came in on the tour bus to the Nozawa fire festival from Hakuba they were pretty disgraceful.
Having said that as I found out the hard way all you have to do is jump over the other side of the main road and there is pretty much no English spoken (including the police station that I spent a few days in working purely off pointing and very limited Japanese skills) I did go to the most amazing authentic Izakaya in the little village near the police and that experience nearly made it worth it.
Once again I would highly recommend you get yourself a car so you aren’t restricted to the one area.
I’m pretty sure Andy did a season as an instructor at Happo a couple of years back. Think he got unlucky with the conditions but probably worth hitting him up for advice on work. Other than that I know that most Aussies get work over there doing jobs such as cleaning/cooking/driving for the hostels/pensions.
Sounds great Ash!
As you probably know Hakuba is Honshu’s tourist/Aussie central particularly around echoland/happo so if you want the more authentic Japanese experience I would avoid those areas. I also have a bad taste in my mouth after seeing the bogans that came in on the tour bus to the Nozawa fire festival from Hakuba they were pretty disgraceful.
Having said that as I found out the hard way all you have to do is jump over the other side of the main road and there is pretty much no English spoken (including the police station that I spent a few days in working purely off pointing and very limited Japanese skills) I did go to the most amazing authentic Izakaya in the little village near the police and that experience nearly made it worth it.
Once again I would highly recommend you get yourself a car so you aren’t restricted to the one area.
I’m pretty sure Andy did a season as an instructor at Happo a couple of years back. Think he got unlucky with the conditions but probably worth hitting him up for advice on work. Other than that I know that most Aussies get work over there doing jobs such as cleaning/cooking/driving for the hostels/pensions.
Hmmm! Good point DRC! When were you in Nozawa? I went to Hakuba in 2011 and had an awesome time. I mainly spent my time around Happo One but I remember when I went to Iwatake I bumped into quite a few Aussies from a certain tour group I won’t mention and they were disgraceful. Rude, loud, asking for Happo ‘1’ etc (mind you I probably mispronounce plenty of things but at least learn the proper pronunciation of the resort you’re going to). They just bothered me and I would not want to spend time with them.
Thanks for all the advice!
Hmmm! Good point DRC! When were you in Nozawa? I went to Hakuba in 2011 and had an awesome time. I mainly spent my time around Happo One but I remember when I went to Iwatake I bumped into quite a few Aussies from a certain tour group I won’t mention and they were disgraceful. Rude, loud, asking for Happo ‘1’ etc (mind you I probably mispronounce plenty of things but at least learn the proper pronunciation of the resort you’re going to). They just bothered me and I would not want to spend time with them.
Thanks for all the advice!
No worries!
I was in Nozawa Onsen in January 2013. I’d come from 7 nights in Myoko and initially found arriving in Nozawa Onsen very jarring. It seemed terribly loud and commercial. I’d gone from basically not speaking English for a week to being part of a communal dinner with all the other tourists staying at the lodge, straight into the fire festival that night which was spoilt by the bogan element. Having said that I ended up loving Nozawa as well the village/onsens were lovely and the Aussies I hung out with we’re fantastic blokes with a grat respect for the culture.
Haha good old Happo 1. Hakuba may still be the best fit (especially if you are looking for a seasons work) I just think if one of your goals is an authentic traditional Japanese experience you may need to be picky about where you base yourself when there. Echoland would obviously be the least traditional spot (although I still fondly remember walking the quiet streets in the early morning/night and had some great feeds) but from what I saw of the tour bus I don’t think the clientelle is improving.
I still think you could get a really traditional experience by basing yourself a little bit out of town or even finding work/accommodation in a Japanese owned/run pension whilst avoiding any internationally owned places. With a car you are also never far from a different ski field/village/cultural experience.