Japan - Off the beaten track
My impression of Naeba, and the southern Gifu resorts is that they get quite busy since they are within reach of the big cities (Tokyo and Nagoya respectively). However, since you guys are coming for weeks at a time, they would certainly be empty during the weekdays and just busy on the weekends….so they could offer better riding than say, Niseko, where you’ll be seeing your fellow tourists every day.
every where in Japan is busy on the weekends.
During the week, boarding straight onto the lift is the norm.
not everywhere is busy on weekends!
most nagano, niigata, gifu resorts are busy on weekends due to the close proximity to the major cities…
Plus you can good deals you can get that includes accomadation/lift/shink from the cities.
Absolutely blew me away at Nozawa weekend crowds!!!!!
I’ve never seen sooooo many people on the groomers!!!!! Anywhere!!!!!
They were literally shoulder to shoulder and in rows that were only meters apart!!!!!
Complete opposite on weekdays though!!!!!
Talked to quite a few people, and most had driven from Tokyo for the weekend!!!!! Dedicated for sure!!!!! Although I’ve spoken to Tokyoites (Tokyoans?????) in Niseko before that have flown up for the weekend also!!!!!
I guess it’s just like here at home when we get the weekend crowds, just on a scale of 10:1!!!!! 
last time in Gifu, we decided not to hit any resorts on the weekend, and on the saturday morning driving to fukoi (to stay at a fugu resort), it was bumper to bumper for about 10 or 20 k’s not far from where the expressway turns from 2 lanes into one as it hits the mountains.
I’ve also boarded suginohara (myoko) on a saturday & the lines were worse than the V8 on a school holiday weekend.
Speaking to tokyoites there, they told me they got a return railway fares (shink & local) plus a full day lift pass for something like 100000 yen.
Leave Tokyo at about 7, on the slopes around 9, and get back to tokyo at about 8 at night.
just like your title suggests, on the weekends (at the busiest times and when the weather is sunny) you have to go off the beaten track 
weekends are for sightseeing…
Kagura snow angel (Thanks for posing Mrs Ojisan)
photo taken late in the day
Thinking of heading over to japow again feb ‘15
I’ve been to niseko but was thinking of heading somewhere less crammed with aussies, anyone got any tips?
Cheers in advance.
Thinking of heading over to japow again feb ‘15
I’ve been to niseko but was thinking of heading somewhere less crammed with aussies, anyone got any tips?
Cheers in advance.
This is not a dig on Niseko but the answer could be pretty much anywhere will likely have less Aussies than Niseko .
So how remote you want to go and what kind of experience are you after?
IMO of the other “big/known areas” in order of Aussies to Local ratios I would rank it Hakuba>Shiga>Nozawa>Myoko
As you can see in this thread though there are many many more options out there depending on what you are after.
Personally for me my next Japan trip will probably be a driving trip around Hokkaido visiting the big and not so big areas and the Japan trip after that will likely be a driving trip around Honshu probably the ring of mountains surrounding Nagano.
This is a great resource to use!!!!!
snow japan is also handy
snow japan is also handy
Yep, but I get lost in there sometimes due to the sheer amount of resorts and info they have!!!!!
Cheers for the info, i’ll check both those web pages out and let ya’s know how i go.
Yew