Reporting in! My first day today the weather was not too bad when I started (around 3 deg), then it started to rain (the horror), but after lunch it changed to snow and has been snowing since then! Hoping that tha dump overnight/tomorrow pans out!

wew! that look so nice compared to the other resorts. I'll be travelling to Ishikawa tomorrow for the winter holiday and depending on the snow condition in the nearby resorts, might consider visiting shiga kogen on the 28th because shiga kogen seems to have the best snow overall

This post has been edited by quadcube: Dec 26 2025, 04:30 PM

Guys, is early March still good for skiing? If so, have any recommendation ski slope near Tokyo? Ayam beginner no experience

Can try Gala Yuzawa

or go a bit further to Nozawa Onsen or Myoko Kogen

So I finished my Shiga Kogen trip. Got really super lucky with lots of snow and low temperatures on the 1st-2nd ski days, before that the weather was crap.

I learned that Christmas to New Year’s Day is Japan super peak period for travel and skiing, certain timings the slopes were PACKED with ppl and gondola queues were like 30mins long, far cry from all the gaijin social media that Shiga Kogen is deserted.

I stayed at Prince Hotel (yakebitaiyama) which is ski in ski out and very good / convenient for skiing, but outside of that there is literally nothing to do at all. Pros and cons I guess. If you don’t rent car, there’s a shuttle between the villages but it is infrequent.

Here’s my kid’s ski video progression from 2 seasons ago to this one https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS5krnhSh/

wanna ask some veterans here. Is google pay commonly use in tokyo ？ Thought of setting up wise account. Tq

use it as credit card
tap using NFC after adding it into your wallet

wise is debit card ler.Inhave never used digital payment before in Japan.

debit and credit are the same thing these days
just that one has money inside and another doesn't, the terminal doesn't know it's credit or debit
just tap credit card as payment method and tap it/swipe it, just have to make sure there is money inside....better yet yen inside

most of the machine i saw has the option for credit card and QR code
only a few spot that i saw specifically writes "cash only" so do bring cash as well in the land of cash is still king

This post has been edited by MR_alien: Jan 17 2026, 08:35 PM

In Tokyo, cash is still the most reliable way to pay, especially in local markets and small shops. Cards and QR payments are accepted, but not as widely as in Seoul. Think of it as similar to Seoul’s traditional markets, but with even fewer cashless options. If you want convenience, load up a Suica or Pasmo card — it works for transport, convenience stores, and some cafés. But always carry cash, because you’ll need it more often than in Seoul. To summarise, it depends on your shopping style and preferences. If you only eat or shop at chain restaurants or convenient stores (or even Donki), then you get to use cashless payments almost all the way. However, if you frequently visit local markets or plan to spend a lot of your time in rural or suburban areas, cash is more reliable. Even in ramen restaurants, cash is almost always preferred over credit/debit cards and QR payments. You can count with the fingers on your hands the number of ramen joints that accept cashless payments, really.

Thanks for the heads up.

If you consider Suica/pasmo as digital payment then in major cities there is almost no need for cash if you really want to use digital. My last 3 visits to Japan, 2a1c, 2 weeks, I could have gotten by with ~20k¥ cash usage total for each of them.

Three caveats:
1. I am iPhone user so digital Suica self top up is much more convenient for me than android user
2. It is fairly common for shops to accept chip credit card but NOT to accept paywave / touch.
3. The more you step into rural territory the more likely you will need cash. One example, in Kutchan (Hokkaido) the JR station there doesn’t even accept Suica/pasmo lol.

This post has been edited by deodorant: Jan 19 2026, 12:25 PM

Wondering if anyone here used ANA Self-Service Kiosks at KLIA before? Is it recommended and user friendly?

will only do tokyo, mount fuji and kamakura .10 days trip so will be easy going one. lol. Coz i read that wise can do cash withdrawal in Japan. Also their currency conversion rate is very attractive.

last month i withdrawal 10k yen at japan atm, fee 110yen

Are the atm machine easily available in most shopping areas?

i using 711 atm, got 711 logo

If you only plan to withdraw small amounts of JPY below rm1,000 to be used the fees are very low but if you withdraw more than during your trip the fees can quickly add up. Based on today's Wise conversion rate JPY1,000 = rm25.62 and the rate at money exchanger JPY1,000 = rm25.55, if you use less than JPY50,056, Wise gives you the better rate, but if you use more than that amount, then exchanging cash at the local money exchanger here will give you better rates.

Thanks for the heads up bro.

Hi. Has anyone using airport transfer service like Nearme?
This time im traveling with my relative who has 2 kids and 1 infant. Are the any alternative airport transfer available? Will landing at Kansai airport. there will be total 8 people including 3 kids. Thank you