For anyone wanting to go to Happo One I thought I would outline some of the more specific details, how to get there, costs, shops etc.
How to get to Happo One.
If you fly into Narita you have 3 main options for getting to Happo.
1. Take a bus. The main problem with the bus is that you are majorly limited on times. You need to book in advance and that can easily be done online, but if your flight is delayed you are pretty stuck.
2. Take a car. There are numerous companies that can pick you up and take you directly and a couple of shared services. You need to book well in advance and this is definitely the best way if you have children. Some of the shared taxis limit your luggage. If you are taking your own board or skis you can't have a suitcase too.
3. Take a train. Hop on the metro and rock up to either Tokyo station to Nagano. You don't need to book the train ticket in advance. It is really easy to buy a ticket on the day. The train to Nagano takes less than two hours. The bus to Happo one leaves roughly 15-20minutes after the train from Tokyo arrives and takes just slightly over an hour to the information centre.
Echoland or Not.
There is a lot of accommodation in Echoland and there are some shuttle buses too. I'm not sure that I would personally stay in Echoland again though. There are less than 10 restaurant/bars and all the prices were quite high considering the quality. As is typical in Japan it is not easy for a Vegetarian to find food and so the choices were even more limited.
We tried going out for a drink in Echoland and there are even fewer places to go for a drink as food appears to be the priority. The aprés ski life was very dead. It was the start of the season, but having been in Niseko at the start of the season there is really no comparrison. If you do end up in Echoland though there are two venues that are really worth checking out. Sounds Like Cafe is open 8 - 5 which doesn't really work with snowboarding hours but has amazing food at reasonable prices. The other place to go would be Mocking Bird which is a very funkily decorated bar with cool music, furniture etc.
Lift Passes.
The lift passes can be purchased at the various lift stations, but sometimes you can end up standing in line for 30 minutes just to get your ticket. Try and find some accommodation that offers discounted lift passes. The discounts are not really anything special and there weren't really any bulk day deals on the lift passes. On our first day the gondola was closed due to bad weather and a large number of lifts weren't open in the first week of the season despite a huge amount of snow. I can only assume they had staffing issues.
The Mountain.
There are a wide variety of runs and plenty of maps available at the bottom. When heading down the mountain unfortunately there are no maps and a distinct lack of markers. Be careful if there is a white out.
I personally like to avoid "road" like Green runs and so often found myself on a Black mogul field to get to the bottom. It is really difficult to follow just one colour from top to bottom.
Snow Monkeys.
There are companies that offer trips to see the Snow Monkeys. These trips pick you up from your hotel and cost around 10,000 JPY per person. Alternatively you could go to Happo Information Centre and buy a 2 day bus ticket for 5,000 JPY per person. The pass includes the bus from Happo to Nagano, then all the buses from Nagano to anywhere you might wish to go. There are lots of ladies in pink coats that can help you find the bus stop that you need and plan your day.
We went to the Snow Monkeys on the first day of our pass and then stayed around Nagano on the second and went to the temple and did some shopping. You could purchase a train ticket to Obuse where there is a saké brewery or to Matsumoto. A great value ticket and your aren't stuck with a tour group.
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