Last winter, we were able to enjoy winter sports twice, both at Hakuba Sanosaka resort located at Hakuba town (白馬村) in Nagano prefecture (長野県). The drive to this ski resort town normally takes around 4-5 hours, but like we do every year, we got the tour packages departing from metropolitan Tokyo via Orion Tours (オリオンツアー) bus.
Our first trip, a morning bus same-day return (朝発バス日帰り) package, cost us 6,300円 each, while the second one, a night bus same-day return (夜発バス日帰り) package, was 8,400円/pax. These packages include a round trip bus ticket, 1-day lift ticket, snowboard/ski and snow wear (including gloves and goggles) rentals.
For the morning bus, we departed at 6:10 and arrived at the resort around 11:30. For the night bus, departure and arrival time were 21:50 on the day before and 6:10, respectively. The return trips departed at around 17:30, and we arrived at Tokyo/Yokohama area around 22:30.
Like Madarao Kogen Ski Resort, the main building houses the rental area and a restaurant. For the rentals, height, shoe size, skill level among other pieces of information are needed. Of course, there are locker rentals that require 100円 coins, so be sure to bring some. When we took the morning bus, it was already around lunch when we started, and that's the main reason we went back to this resort for a second time. When we took the night bus, we came very early that the rentals and the restaurant are still closed.
We were supposed to eat in a restaurant in the middle of the resort for lunch, but we didn't like the menu, so we went back to the main building. But before that, we made sure that we went up the the lake view point, where you can see the nearby Lake Aoki (青木湖).
After eating, we felt the fatigue, and after just 2 more rounds, we called it a day. That was for the second trip, because during our first trip, even if we still wanted to climb up, we ran out of time, so I think it's really better to take midnight buses when going to ski resorts just to maximize the whole day. Also, you can have more time to buy souvenirs and be able to relax and enjoy the sights.
Orion Ski and Snowboarding Tours
Hakuba Sanosaka official website
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