i think also cause manila airport is mostly an airport itself? not like Changi where its half airport half mall

unless heading out dont really have much things to do inside

yeah if touch and go within 1-2hrs, it wouldnt matter much

but so far all macam min 12hrs

for my case in Disneysea late Oct, some rides went as long as 3-4hrs wait

depends on what you want to do there, for a quick walk across the bamboo forest its relatively fast

but if you want explore surroundings expect 2-3hrs total, theres quite some distance to walk around

if both forest and streets try put around 2hrs at least

or even the monkey park also can include

wild animals are wild animals, unpredictable. dont aggro them nia, just leave them as is

never feed or touch. you mind own business they mind own business

i quite agree, while the sights are wow for me in terms of grandeur and architecture but in the end its similar (shrines/temples). if youre not a fan of them then spend the time elsewhere instead. dont need do what others do

my friend bought last min tix via AA to Sapporo this month

lets say it wasnt the most fun trip cause he got delayed 7hrs

heyo people here, looking for inputs from this thread. my gf is interested in checking out snow places so putting Japan back into the radar for winter around 10 days. maybe try out winter sports for few days too like skiiing. would also be interested in onsen ryokans for 2D1N stay, the mountainside onsen towns are extremely attractive, places like Kusatsu Onsen, Shima Onsen etc

been to Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto region previously, so looking at places like Hokkaido or Nagano atm for fresher revisit. some say Fukuoka would be great too during winter. so far more interested in places like Shirakawago, Kamikochi, Kamakura no Sato as they looks fantastic during winter too

only issue is for snow capped places, if Kanto region that would mean i can only travel during Jan-Feb session for high chance of snowfall? seems like Kanto only can get snowfall by Dec. Hokkaido can start earlier as itll snow during Nov-Mar which is longer, but i heard that the winter accoms there are very highly rated/expensive and quickly fully booked

what would you guys recommend?

thanks for the advice! yeah i was considering if lets say winter activities assuming 3D2N would be more than sufficient, 1-2D skiing to try out, the rest soak in onsen kind of stuff.

Gala Yuzawa looks not bad, bookmarked. Nagano region really wow in amount of onsen ryokan available too

seems if plan to Tokyo but head out to outskirts is still a good idea, was thinking cause if back to Tokyo it wouldnt be as exciting as trying out new regions (like going to hokkaido). but outskirt of tokyo still have a tonne of unexplored things

any expected pricing for Jan season onsen ryokans? so far seems like can go from 30k yen to up to whooping 150k yen if really splurge. its considered peak season?

thanks!

so far ive narrowed down to Feb-March travel, not sure yet where for ski activities since Hakuba i heard is packed. Shiga Kogen another in list since near several other sites like Snow Monkey also.

onsen seems like targeting Nozawa Onsen. Got ski resort plus kamakura no sato there too, maybe its one shot can do all at there

how cheap is cheap haha. ive been bombed with accoms in onsen village that are costing like RM1k/night

not bad, do they come with dinner and breakfast too?

feel like the ones at lower pricing are usually western based rooms too

need to do more research, alot of these stays also need to go to their main site to book than booking/agoda kind

quite painful to try to read through japanese

you been to Shirakawa-go since its nearby Takayama?

nice, how is driving during winter like? felt like trying but at same time not sure if i can pull it off

did you went to Ishikawa/Kanazawa area?

nice, western or japanese style rooms? worth the price?

was watching some travel vloggers did hokkaido in winter, they kantoi the car by sliding off the road lol

real noice, what was the cost for the ski lesson? i saw some ranging from 14-15k yen for a day kind. thats without gear rental too

yeah a friend suggested i try make the trip over to Okuhida as well

what do they mean by half-board btw? i saw this alot when browsing their reservation sites

thenks, today i learned new thing haha

damn, yeah all the horror stories during winter driving sighs. i checked pricing from Toyota, seems like around 10k+ yen/day (RM300), i need to think this thoroughly, its still exp

ahhh 14k yen should be included with 1 day ski pass right? gear rental should cost additional 6+k yen.. lunch and snacking around 2-3k yen.. everything stacking up so fast

man my budget is really blown skyhigh already. so much for trying to keep it around RM9-10k for 14 days travel

i just want to try skiing for fun for maybe 1-2 days kind, mana tau barrier to entry gila high

so far biggest spender will be these (assuming i opt for it)

1. car rental (7 days) - 80k yen, not incl petrol and toll
or JR East Pass Nagano & Niigata - 27k yen
2. Onsen Ryokan - est. RM700-900/night/pax
3. Ski stuff - est RM800-1k/pax for lesson, gear, food and transportation
4. kamikochi winter hike - RM300+/pax

i consider myself quite sporty so i dont mind the falling and failing to learn new stuff. its the only way to find out ill like it or hate it too, trial by fire lol. tho my gf isnt very receptive towards skiing since she wanted to spend more time do others

but we both agreed, go there during winter, staying near a ski resort, and not trying skiing!? sounds like a blasphemy

just found out ETC for Tokyo and Nagano might be different, thats another hurdle to consider

i see.. well, Niseko's one is very international based so not surprised if they will mark up alot

whats your recommended accom in nozawa onsen? im still searching around but couldnt decide which. not that i can book now either, seems like bookings in Feb 2025 still not available

nozawa onsen is pretty close towards the ski resort within walkable distance too right?