10-Day Hokkaido Indy Trip Logistics
Planning an international ski trip can be overwhelming; luckily, you have connections! This page is dedicated to where to meet, what flights to book, what to bring, and details about transportation and money on your ski trip.
Getting There
Where to meet
There are two spots where you can choose to meet the group on day 1 of your trip.
Option #1: Meet the group at CTS Airport @ 1pm (recommended option)
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Meet at CTS Airport at 1pm on the first day of your trip. We meet in front of the MOS Burger on the 1st floor of the domestic arrivals lobby, next to arrivals gate #2, as pictured to the right.
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Option #2: Meet at the OMO7 Hotel at Asahikawa at 4:30pm
If you're already in the area, meet us in the lobby of the OMO7 Hotel in Asahikawa at 4:30pm in front of the birch trees pictured below.
omo
omo
Meet at the birch trees in the hotel lobby
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Getting Back
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This trip ends with a drop off at Otaru train station at 4:00pm and Sapporo's CTS Airport at 5:30pm on the final day. This means you should not get a departing domestic flight that leaves earlier than 6:45pm or an international departing flight that leaves earlier than 7:45pm.
If flights at those times don't work for you, we recommend getting a hotel inside the airport or in the vicinity of the airport. Most hotels in the Chitose Station vicinity have free airport/hotel shuttles that will pick you up at the airport and take you to their hotel. The best and easiest hotel option for a hotel is the Air Terminal Hotel, located inside the airport but it's a bit pricey. Lower cost options with free airport shuttle buses are abundant and start at about ¥8,000 per night. Note that we are unable to do drop-offs in Sapporo or Chitose City area due to traffic problems. If you would like to get a hotel in Sapporo, you can take the train 40 minutes into town from the CTS Airport Train Station. There are departures every 15-30 minutes and the price is about ¥1,150/US$8. See the route on Google Maps here. |
Pro Tips
We're experts at running ski trips in Japan. Here are some recommendations that will make your life significantly easier!
We're experts at running ski trips in Japan. Here are some recommendations that will make your life significantly easier!
Pro Tip #1: Mail your ski bags
TLDR: This tip is useful if you're spending a day or two in Tokyo before or after your trip. Otherwise, don't worry about this pro tip.
If you're planning on spending a couple days in Tokyo before the trip, you can mail your big, clunky ski bag directly to the OMO7 Asahikawa hotel for only about $30. If you're spending an extra day or two in Japan after the trip, you can mail your ski bag directly from our hotel in Otaru or CTS Airport to Tokyo's NRT or HND airports. While it only takes 48 hours for your bag to be sent from the airport to the first hotel, 72 hours are required for mailing your bag the opposite way (from the last hotel to the airport).
For example:
Arrive in Tokyo two days before your trip and mail your bag to our starting point at OMO7 Asahikawa. Your baggage should arrive at the hotel two days later. Before mailing your bag, be sure to confirm with them that it will be delivered by the night of your tour start date. In Japan, if they promise a delivery time, it'll be there when they say.
For more information on mailing bags, check out this great article about how it's done here.
Discount flights
ANA offer special low-cost deals out of Tokyo's HND airport for foreign tourists (an airline version of the Japan Rail Pass) with deals starting from ¥10,910. In order to take advantage of this deal you must be visiting Japan on a tourist visa.
If you're planning on spending a couple days in Tokyo before the trip, you can mail your big, clunky ski bag directly to the OMO7 Asahikawa hotel for only about $30. If you're spending an extra day or two in Japan after the trip, you can mail your ski bag directly from our hotel in Otaru or CTS Airport to Tokyo's NRT or HND airports. While it only takes 48 hours for your bag to be sent from the airport to the first hotel, 72 hours are required for mailing your bag the opposite way (from the last hotel to the airport).
For example:
Arrive in Tokyo two days before your trip and mail your bag to our starting point at OMO7 Asahikawa. Your baggage should arrive at the hotel two days later. Before mailing your bag, be sure to confirm with them that it will be delivered by the night of your tour start date. In Japan, if they promise a delivery time, it'll be there when they say.
For more information on mailing bags, check out this great article about how it's done here.
Discount flights
ANA offer special low-cost deals out of Tokyo's HND airport for foreign tourists (an airline version of the Japan Rail Pass) with deals starting from ¥10,910. In order to take advantage of this deal you must be visiting Japan on a tourist visa.
Pro Tip #2:
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Pro Tip #3:
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Money
What you can expect to spend on this trip
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This trip includes accommodation, transportation, breakfast and 7 dinners but it doesn't cover your lunch, drinks, snacks, 2 dinners or non-Indy member lift tickets (or any lift tickets if you don't have an Indy Pass). So how much should you bring and how should you bring it?
The amount of money you spend in Japan largely depends on your preferences. Do you want to eat sushi every day? Are you going for the most expensive sake? Will you be buying lots of souvenirs? If you are traveling with the Indy Pass, lift tickets are free, other than two days spent at Tomamu and one discount day at Kiroro. If you are not an Indy Pass holder, you will need to budget an additional ¥75,000JPY for 9 days of lift tickets. Lift ticket prices are as of 24/25 season and are subject to change. |
How to spend in JPY
The currency in Japan is the Japanese Yen which is denoted by "JPY" or as "¥".
Credit cards
While credit cards are now accepted at the majority of establishments in Japan, you should expect some lunch vendors at the ski resorts we visit to only take cash.
Getting cash in Japan
As a visitor, there are two main ways of getting cash in Japan: 1) bring your home currency with you and exchange it at the currency exchange window, or 2) use ATM's within Japan to withdraw your funds. All major convenience stores will have ATM's that are compatible with foreign cards as long as your bank allows the transaction.
Currency exchange window
You can exchange your home currency into JPY after arriving in Japan. This is a very simple option as there is no bank to get in the way and decline your currency conversion. The simplicity has a price though because the exchange window doesn't give you the most advantageous rate.
Withdraw funds from ATM's
You should be able to withdraw funds from any Seven Eleven ATM in Japan. The conversion rate is great but sometimes banks have issues with Japanese ATM's which can cause them to block your transactions. Be sure to check with your bank before coming to see if they have a ATM withdrawal fee or currency conversion fee. If they do, it may be cheaper to just convert cash at a currency exchange window.
The best idea
Is to show up in Japan with a few hundred dollars of your own currency, convert it into JPY, then use ATM's after that. Be sure to call your bank and let them know you'll be making withdrawals from Japanese ATM's so they don't block your account!
