Tohoku Storm Chaser 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 the Tohoku Storm Chaser.


Rental skis
AT skis and splitboards are available to rent for this trip! See all rental options here.

• Trip Arrival
• Trip Departure
• Pro Tips
• What to Bring
• Money

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Where to Meet

There are two options to meet the group:

Option #1: Meet at Morioka Station South Exit at 2:45pm

Most guests who join the Tohoku Storm Chaser take the bullet train. Morioka Station is a major train station located on a bullet train line which has direct access to Tokyo Station as well as direct access from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station in Hokkaido. ​

Morioka Station can be reached with a 2.5 hour high-speed train ride from Tokyo, reaching speeds of 360km/h in the process! Your guide will meet you at the South exit at 2:45 pm. If you arrive early, there is a waiting room where you can wait for your guide in a warmer setting. Pictures of the meeting point are to the right.

Trying to figure out what trains to take? Google maps works for Japan! Just set your destination to Morioka Station, select your arrival time and the transportation method of "public transportation" and you'll see the bullet train pop up!

Should you buy your train tickets in advance? It's always easiest to buy your train tickets after you've arrived in Japan. As long as you're not traveling on a weekend or holiday, there is usually no problem purchasing your train tickets the day before you travel.

If you want to book your train tickets in advance, you can do so in English through this booking system here. They don't make it easy to book online but for the strong willed, it can be done!

​Option #2: Meet the tour at our hotel

Meet in the lobby of the Hachimantai Mountain hotel at 4:00pm.

At the end of the trip, we'll arrange for you to be back at Tokyo's Narita Airport by 3:30pm so you shouldn't get a flight out earlier than 5:30pm. Since the return trip is via rail, the chances of a significant delay are very small.

If you intend to go back to Tokyo at the end of the tour, you can expect to be arriving in Tokyo Station by 2pm. If you're planning on staying in Tokyo for a few days, note that you can mail your ski bag straight to NRT airport for about ¥2,700 (approx US$18)--that way you won't have to lug it around while you sight-see or travel around other regions. 

Trying to figure out what trains to take? Use Google Maps' public transportation option to explore options!

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Mailing your luggage

If you're planning on staying in Tokyo before the trip, you can mail your big, clunky ski bag directly to the Hachimantai Mountain Hotel for only ¥2,700 (approx US$18). If you're spending an extra day or two in Japan after the trip, you can mail your ski bag directly to NRT or HND airports.  It only takes 48 hours from the time to mail your bag until the time it's delivered. 

For example:
Arrive into Tokyo two days before the trip at 6pm and mail your bag to the Hachimantai Mountain Hotel from the airport. Your baggage should arrive at the hotel before 9pm the next day. Before mailing your bag, be sure to confirm with them that it will be delivered by the night of the tour start date.  In Japan, if they promise a delivery time, it'll be there when they say. 

Just like that, if you mail your bag you won't have to lug it around Tokyo. It's a big life-saver, very reliable and incredibly reasonable. 

​For more information on mailing bags, checkout this great article about how it's done here. 

Pocket WiFi or Sim Card

Stay connected to friends and family with a pocket Wi-Fi or Sim Card. Whether you need to check in with work or upload to the Gram, we always recommend Sakura Mobile as our provider of choice.  With this service, order the item in advance then return it with prepaid postage from any post box in the country. Click here for Pocket Wi-Fi and here for Sim cards.

Ski related gear
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• A heavy duty Ski bag/ Snowboard bag with wheels. Unless you add 2 days to your trip at the beginning and end to allow time for mailing your big bags, you'll be hauling your ski bags on the trains once or twice. To be able to move through train stations with minimum hassle, ski bags with wheels are highly recommended. 
• Ski/Snowboard with touring capability. This is a type of ski and snow board that can be used to walk up-hill. This trip requires that you have a touring rig. If you don't have one or don't know what one is, you can rent a set here or during the checkout process.
  
• Boots, poles
• Shovel, beacon, probe if going off-piste; mandatory for joining guided off-piste tours (Available to rent at checkout) 
• Goggles, gloves, helmet
• Ski jacket, ski pants
• Long Johns top and bottom
• Ski socks
• Toe warmers (if you struggle with cold feet these are life changing)
• Mid-layer insulation (fleece, etc)

General gear​
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• Compact, compact, compact. Minimize the number of bags you have with a bag that compacts your ski gear. Since you're taking 2 train journeys on this trip (unless you mail your bags), you shouldn't have more than a rolly bag, a ski bag, and a backpack. Anything more (such as a boot bag, helmet bag, laptop bag, etc) will give you trouble as you board and exit trains. Alternatively, consider getting to Japan a day early and mailing your ski bags to our hotel. It only costs ¥2,700 (approx US$18) and is very reliable. At the end of the trip, leave room for two extra days in Tokyo and mail your bags directly from our hotel to the airport! It's a life saver! ​
  
• A day pack. Very useful to bring a change of clothes when we stop by an Onsen Hot Springs on our way back from a day of skiing.
• Winter coat. In the ski towns, you can  expect temperatures of -10c  with high humidity
• Pants/trousers, T-shirts
• Insulating fleece-type layers
• Underwear, toiletries, socks, sunglasses
• Call your bank before you leave and make sure they know you're going to be purchasing items in Japan using your debit/credit card abroad
• Money (more on this in adjacent tab)

The currency in Japan is the Japanese Yen which is denoted by "JPY" or as "¥". 
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Credit Cards

First, you should know that credit cards are still a recent phenomenon in this remote region. While they 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 tourist, 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 at the airport, or 2) use ATM's within Japan to withdraw your funds.

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A rough cost estimator to help calculate how much cash you'll need on your trip

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​What you can expect to spend

​Looking at the What's Included page is a good starting point to get an idea of what you'll need to spend money on. Other than that, 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 or electronics? 

Above is a cost estimate based on how much is spent daily on each item. Prices are in JPY. Over the 8-day trip, you can expect to spend ¥30,600 on the low end or ¥57,200 on the high end. Keep in mind that results will vary depending on your personal spending. ​

​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 in to 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!