The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps
I think it really pays off to research about the transportation in Hokkaido, Tokyo, or Japan for that matter, before you fly over. It will save you time and money, and you will less likely be overwhelmed and be lost in the complex transportation system. A Singaporean friend living in Tokyo for a few …
We detoured to Tomamu from the route of ‘Sapporo – Noboribetsu – Niseko’. This detour costs us about an additional S$100+/pax! So what’s the big deal at Tomamu? I wanted to visit Tomamu ICE VILLAGE! If after reading this post, you decided to try something novel, here’s useful travel and …
We detoured to Tomamu from the route of ‘Sapporo – Noboribetsu – Niseko’. This detour costs us about an additional S$100+/pax! So what’s the big deal at Tomamu? I wanted to visit the ICE VILLAGE! Read about our ice village experience. First up, if you are planning to go Tomamu, this post will provide some useful information I was digging intently online before the visit.
Other than the ice village, people go to Tomamu to ski during winter, or to view the Unkai Terrace (Sea of Clouds) during summer.
A lil’ background, the ice village is an initiative by the Hoshino hotel chain and Hoshino resorts pride itself for being a ski in and ski out resort. So it will be much more convenient to stay in one of the Hoshino resorts. Somewhere online mentioned about a smaller and cheaper home-stay hotel nearby with free shuttle to the ice village and skiing facilities at Hoshino Resorts. But we didn’t look into this option because it can be time-consuming to travel. We only had 1 day and 1 night at Tomamu, so we didn’t want to waste any time.
You can choose to stay in the more luxurious Risonare Tomamu or the relatively affordable Tomamu The Tower. We stayed in the latter and paid ¥23,000 (S$288) for one night in 28 February 2016. Be sure to reserve early! Even though there are many rooms at The Tower, they were booked out very fast during peak periods in winter.
You can book a room at www.snowtomamu.jp/summer/en/reserve.
While walking around the premise, we found another place called Hotel Alpha Tomamu – it’s old and run down – also operated by Hoshino. Not sure how you can book it though.
By the way, the two photos above were taken from our room. We were blown away by the room view we had. It was like woah! We spent the first 10 minutes taking photos of it. Hehe. The two towers you see in the picture is Risonare Tomamu.
Other than the view, the room and toilet are big for Japan’s standard. The hotel room had all the standard hotel amenities, and there was nothing else that was exceptional or memorable, though it was a bit run down.
We hiked our way! Just kidding~ :P The photo above was taken when we walked around the resort.
Once we arrived at the Tomamu JR station, the free shuttle bus (no need for reservations) was waiting to take us to the resort. Their shuttle bus timetable matches the train arrival timings.
I supposed all the people who alighted at the Tomamu JR station were staying in either The Tower or Risonnaire. So you get on the respective buses and you will reach your hotel after about 10 minutes bus ride in the snow.
Tomamu is about 60 minutes from New Chitose Airport and 82 minutes from Sapporo. We initially considered leaving Tomamu for the airport to catch our flight, but were afraid we might missed it. But when we were there, we knew people who planned it in such a way.
Most people ski and participate in snow activities, such as snow hiking, snowmobiling, snow rafting, etc. More details about Tomamu’s snow activities will be released in October.
Before we went, we were thinking of riding the snowmobile for 3 or 6km. It costs ¥2,600 (S$32) for 3km, ¥5,000 (S$62) for 6km, and ¥8,000 (S$100) for 10km. The ride should be over in less than 15 minutes. When we arrived, we didn’t have much time before the GAO outdoor center closed at 4pm, and we had to take the shuttle bus to reach the center. We were too tired to rush and hence we decided to save that money for good food or other purchases.
After settling down in our room, we went to walk around the premise. On both sides of The Tower resort are connecting walkways (sky walk and tube walk) linking you to other parts of Hoshino resort. The whole place reminded me of Resorts World Singapore, where different hotels under the same management are linked to each other.
Thankfully the walkways are fully covered to block off the chilly wind and snow. Even then, it was cold to walk inside. It got colder as the sky became darker. Oh, but there were doors at certain parts of the walkway, and that’s when snow managed to get into the tube!
There were photo opportunities everywhere. Also note that there’s a lot of static around the whole area.
We admired wood carving displays at certain parts of the walkway. Skillfully carved!
And if the beautiful cold snow is frost biting you too much and you need some warmth… or if your muscles are aching from skiing… get to minamina beach! Here is a heated indoor swimming pool for you to shed off layers of winter clothing! And there’s a big public bath for you to enjoy a good scrub and soak.
You can take the shuttle bus to this place, also part of Hoshino group. Many alighted at this stop and headed straight to the public bath. It’s free for resort guests and includes towel, last entry at 7pm.
After that, you’ll be ready to face the cold again!
Of course! From The Tower, we walked through the sky walk and reached Foresta mall, a cluster of restaurants. These options are relatively cheaper than the two buffet dining restaurants where guests have their complimentary breakfast/lunch.
None of the Foresta mall restaurant looked particularly delicious to us. So we ended up eating the cup noodles and tiramisu we got from The Tower’s convenience store for dinner. They were not too bad!
Tip for your planning: You can change the breakfast coupon for lunch.
Here is Tomamu’s restaurant guide for dinner:
For breakfast, you get to choose from 6 options with the majors one being Buffet Dining Hal, Forest Restaurant Nininupuri, or Restaurant Mikaku and Green Kitchen. Here is Tomamu’s restaurant guide for breakfast and lunch:
Based on my research and The Tower’s staff’s opinion, Forest has the best view while dining and a greater variety of dishes, but the food might not taste as nice. On the other hand, Dining Hal might score better in terms of food quality, with more seafood options available. We went for Dining Hal.
We regretted it. Dining Hal didn’t have a wide variety of food choices, and the food tasted average. Yes there was seafood, but not fantastic. Would suggest you go to Forest instead. Tell me if it’s good!
Nevertheless, Dining Hal has nice scenery too. We took this photo on the night we went Ice Village.
It was a totally a different scenery the next morning. See the huge icicle hanging by the roof’s edge in the picture below. Later we realised that this was unusual. The snowfall had gotten heavier through the night even though it shouldn’t be at this time of the season.
We didn’t know how serious that heavy snowfall meant for our travel plans until later in the journey, when we were about to leave Noboribetsu.
It’s best to reserve a seat on the shuttle bus as soon as you can. When you check in, you can tell the receptionist the time of the JR train you are leaving in. At least the bus driver will look out for you. You should report at the hotel’s entrance about half an hour before the bus timetable. They will then help you to roll up your luggage to another bus and ferry to the station.
When we went out of the lobby to wait for the bus shuttle, we experienced a strong snowstorm for the first time. The snow was hitting hard on me and wind was strong. Thank God we visited the ice village the night before and not in this extra coldness.
Tomamu train station was also howling with snow and wind. Thank God we met an English speaking Japanese who told us to wait on the bus until it was nearer to the train timing, unlike some who were shivering in the cold. (p.s. The bus reaches the station much earlier than the train timing to avoid a rush.)
Then when we alighted, we had to cross the bridge for the train going back in Sapporo direction. He advised us to stay in the sheltered bridge. Soon after, the bus driver told him in Japanese that the train would be delayed. We made our way down when we saw the lights of the train. The others waited in the snow storm for about 15-20mins! Gasp!
Tip 1: Ask a Japanese if in doubt. You never know if they can translate the bus driver’s Japanese instructions for you.
Tip 2: If it’s heavy snow, get on the train first and then roll your luggage in the train to your cabin. There’s no need to drag your luggage along the platform in the snow.
Useful Read: What to expect when taking JR train in Winter Hokkaido
We took the JR train to Minami-Chitose and stopover for about an hour, and then continued our journey to Noboribetsu. At Minami-Chitose station, you can deposit your luggage while you go shopping at Rera, Chitose Outlet mall.
We didn’t deposit and it was quite a difficult walk with the luggage. It’s nearby, but not that near. The strong wind literally blew me away as I was pulling the luggage on icy ground! The outlet mall resembles those in US. I didn’t get anything though..
Related Posts: Overview Itinerary: Hokkaido and Tokyo (Winter/Spring 2016) Tomamu Ice Village Pocket Wifi or Prepaid SIM Card in Japan? 5 Food You Must Eat in Sapporo, Hokkaido
Travelled in February/March 2016
All Rights Reserved: All photos (unless credited) on travel.joogo.sg. Disclaimer: All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. Travel.joogo.sg and/or the author shall not be held responsible for any injury, loss, expense or damage of any kind whatsoever suffered or incurred by any person who accesses or uses the information and external websites stated above. Full disclaimer here.
There are so many beautiful places to visit in Hokkaido! If it’s your first time in Hokkaido, my guess is that you will be transiting in Sapporo for 1 or 2 days. If that’s the case, you are like us! Here’s how we travelled Sapporo in 2 …
Have you eaten the cookies Bai Se Lian Ren (白い恋人)? Its Japanese name, Shiroi Koibito, literally meant white beloved ones. There was a time when almost everyone who went Japan would buy this back to Singapore as a souvenir. It’s delicious and I usually could not stop at one piece. …
This post is following Part 1 of Travel in Paris With Young Children by our guest writer Jane! Find out more about her in Part 1. :)
As mentioned in my previous post, the main highlight of this Paris trip for the children is Disneyland! Oh well, I have to confess that I was very much looking forward to Disneyland as well and to introduce Mickey and the classic Disney characters to my children.
Our plan was to stay in the Disneyland hotel right in the park but it was fully booked! Hence we settled for a partner hotel, Vienna House Dream Castle Paris, located right by Disneyland Paris. The hotel is designed to look like a historic palace surrounded by a beautiful French garden.
Image credit: viennahouse.com
It was a nice and comfortable hotel that had easy access to the Disneyland parks because of its free shuttle bus service. However, there was some waiting time involved for the buses as they run every 15 minutes and take about 5 minutes to reach the park.
On hindsight, we realised that with young children (a toddler and a pre-schooler) who still require afternoon naps, it would be more convenient if we had stayed in the Disneyland hotel in the park. In this way, we can simply walk back to the hotel room as and when we like rather than having to join the crowd and queue for the shuttle bus.
Disneyland during Christmas time was simply magical. In addition to the usual parades, there was also the Christmas parade which my kids simply love! There is also something magical about listening to Christmas songs in Disneyland during this season.
Of course, we also heard the Frozen theme song in multiple languages several times a day during the special Elsa and Anna parade. The parade was actually nice!
One of the highlights of our trip to Disneyland is their night show. You simply must not miss! The light show was impressive and its finale was absolutely stunning. The tip is to catch the last parade at the park and then grab a quick dinner inside the park or in one of the many eateries outside. After that, return for the finale. It’s totally worth the wait!
When I asked my son what was one thing he really liked about Disneyland, he said it was the lunch with Mickey! Before our trip, we booked in advance a lunch with the Disney characters at Mickey’s café. It was a great opportunity for us to get up close and personal with the characters (without having to queue) while enjoying a hot lunch. This is a good respite from the fast food served in several food outlets in the Disneyland park.
This was totally worth it in my opinion as we had a proper lunch (hot food like grilled fish instead of burgers and hot dogs) and the kids got to take photos and interact with Mickey, Goofy and other Disney characters in the comfort of the restaurant.
If you do go to Disneyland and you love shopping, you have to check out La Vallee Village factory outlet which is only one train station away. Most Disneyland hotels provide a return trip bus shuttle service at a small fee.
I went there on my own one afternoon when the hubs took the kids back to the hotel for a nap. On the way to the factory outlet, I walked through a huge shopping centre and was already distracted by the stores even before I reached the factory outlet!
The layout of the La Vallee Village factory outlet is very similar to the ones in the United States. There was a good selection of French brands like Celine and Longchamp; and a Cath Kidston store with major markdowns on their tote bags.
I really like the neat and clean look of the village with nice cosy cafes and chocolatiers serving up delicious looking chocolates, ice cream and hot drinks. My favourite was the Pret a manger café which has a good selection of fresh juices, soups, salads and sandwiches, a perfect pick me up after a good shopping spree!
Oh, there is a playground in the village for the dads to watch the kids play while the mums go shopping! Well, you could take turns.
Travelled in 2015
All Rights Reserved: All photos (unless credited) on travel.joogo.sg. Disclaimer: All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. Travel.joogo.sg and/or the author shall not be held responsible for any injury, loss, expense or damage of any kind whatsoever suffered or incurred by any person who accesses or uses the information and external websites stated above. Full disclaimer here.
Today I’m really delighted to introduce Jane, who is going to be a guest writer of this space. She is currently based in the South of France as her husband is posted there on a work stint. She has hung up her corporate suit for …
The reason for our Japan trip was to ski in Niseko, Hokkaido! We could have bought the return air tickets from Singapore to Hokkaido. However, it turns out that the “direct” flight from Singapore to Hokkaido is not that direct. We will still need to …