The Backpacking Ballerina

軽井沢町 (Karuizawa Machi), If you are ever looking for another short side trip from Tokyo and you want to learn how to ski then Karuizawa prince hotel ski resort is the place for you. We left Tokyo at around 6am and we got to the hotel at 8am. On the way there we stopped to eat breakfast and if you would want to ride the lifts at the ski resort then I suggest that you buy the lift pass (lifto kenn) at 711 where it is sold a little cheaper than it is at the resort.

We applied for half day lessons (which cost us about 8 thousand yen per person) the only problem is if you are a foreigner who cannot speak Japanese then you should request for a teacher who can speak a little English. My brother and I got one who could speak a little English for my brother. He was a very good instructor. There are also many people here during the holidays so I suggest you go here during the non holiday seasons.

There is also another way to get here besides by car. Since our uncle was able to bring us to Karuizawa and we were able to borrow all of the ski wear at the resort we did not have a hard time whatsoever. However if you do not have a car you could come here by bus or better yet by train. On the way home, traffic was really bad even if we left at 4pm. So I would suggest the train if you are in for the convenience of getting to the ski resort. The resort is also a good shopping area! I noticed that a lot of foreigners go here for a little morning ski and then they go out in the night to go shopping at the many outlet stores that are right next to the resort.

So if you are looking for a very short side trip out of Tokyo. Karuizawa is another place to go to.  Snow is like gold to people such as me who live in the Philippines where it is summer all year round. This is a fun place to go to and to ski for a little while.