Winter Sports Bargain

1st September 2009

Happy in Happo –
new seven-night winter sports package in Japan for just Ł644 pp

Combine the white slopes of Hakuba with the neon lights of Tokyo

Specialist operator InsideJapan Tours has introduced a new low-cost ski package, the seven-night ‘Winter Price Cruncher’, enabling winter sports enthusiasts to enjoy some of the best skiing conditions in the world for just Ł644 pp*.

Japan receives an almost guaranteed supply of first-class powder blown over from Siberia and dumped on the mountains of its main islands, Honshu and Hokkaido, offering excellent on-piste and back-country conditions for beginners to experts.

A refreshing change from the better known ski destinations of Europe and North America, the ‘Winter Price Cruncher’ includes five nights in the Hakuba Valley, deep in the Alps of Honshu and home to eight resorts which hosted the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. Staying in a Japanese-style lodge in Hakuba Village, guests have easy access, day and night, to the copious quantities of snow lining the slopes of Happo. Japan’s appeal also lies in the distinctive cultural experiences and aprčs ski opportunities available, and a benefit of skiing within one of the most volcanic countries on earth is that there are plenty of onsen (hot springs) to dip into. After a day on the slopes, there is nothing better than relaxing in a hot spring bath to revitalise your body ahead of a fresh day on the snow. And from lodges to local Izakaya (Japanese pub), the food is of excellent quality and much cheaper than at many of the world’s more famous winter destinations.

Hakuba Valley is just four hours from Tokyo on the express train and a night in Tokyo both before and after the five nights in Alps enable visitors to explore the buzzing neon metropolis from their base in the vibrant Shinjuku district.

*With departures available to suit, the seven-night ‘Winter Price Cruncher’ costs Ł644 pp including two nights’ hotel accommodation in Tokyo and five nights lodge accommodation in Hakuba with breakfast, airport transfers, transport between destinations and InsideJapan Tours’ invaluable information pack. Excludes lift passes (just Ł26 per day and Ł11 per night), equipment, lessons and international flights which can be organised on request. Extra nights in Hakuba, Tokyo and across Japan can be arranged. Flights with Swiss, with departures from Heathrow and Manchester, start from Ł475 pp.

InsideJapan Tours also offers a popular 13-night ‘Winter Sports and Culture’ Self-Guided Adventure allowing people to experience the snow in Niseko, Hokkaido, the culture of Kyoto, the ‘snow monkeys’ of Yudanaka as well as the city of Tokyo for Ł2,222 pp (excluding flights).

The ‘Winter Price Cruncher’ has been introduced following the popularity of InsideJapan Tours’ existing low-cost trips: the ‘Price Cruncher’ Self-Guided Adventure, a seven-night trip to Tokyo, Hakone and Kyoto costing Ł600 pp; and the ‘Japan Unmasked’ Small Group Tour, a 13-night itinerary taking in the highlights on Honshu priced Ł1,350 pp (both excluding flights).

For more information and to book call InsideJapan Tours on 0117 314 4620 (http://www.insidejapantours.com/).