Posts tagged Yuki Matsuri

HAJET would like to invite you to join us for our annual Yuki Matsuri Tour!

This tour is hosted by the Hokkaido Association of Japanese Exchange Teachers (HAJET) every year to give ALTs from all over Japan the opportunity to experience the winter wonderland that is Japan’s northernmost prefecture. Though previous years’ tours have been based primarily in Sapporo, this year we’ll be mixing things up by splitting our time between snow festivals in urban centers like Sapporo and Otaru, and the winter resort capital of Hokkaido in Niseko. Not only will you have the chance to see snow and ice sculptures, you will also be able to get intimately acquainted with all the white stuff .

2011 HAJET Sapporo-Niseko Yuki Matsuri Tour

Thursday February 10 to Sunday February 13, 2011

Schedule of Fun

Thursday February 10^th(Nenkyu required): Taking in the Sapporo Yuki Matsuri

Participants arrive at Sapporo New Chitose Airport midday, where they are greeted by HAJET guides before being lead to Downtown Sapporo. Participants will be lead on a walking tour of the Snow Festival before heading to the Sapporo Brewery for a Tabehoudai/Nomihoudai enkai with other Hokkaido ALTs. Following the enkai, a chartered bus will bring participants to their accommodations at Freedom Inn Niseko.

Friday February 11^th (National Holiday): Hitting the Hills

Following breakfast at the Freedom Inn, participants will hit the slopes of Niseko United Resort, a destination known throughout Japan and southeast Asia for the quality of its powder snow. Experts can set out on their own while beginners benefit from free ski and snowboard lessons from HAJET instructors. Those not interested in trying out skiing or snowboarding will be free to shop in neighboring Hirafu or Kutchan, or to sample some of the onsen in the area.

Saturday February 12^th:  Choose Your Own (Winter) Adventure

Those content to bomb down the hills of Niseko are welcome to them, while other participants can choose between snowmobiling or snowshoeing in Niseko, or heading to Otaru for the day for a tour of the city’s Winter Lights festival. Otaru is a popular tourist destination in Hokkaido due to its unique canal and oddly European architecture. HAJET guides will show participants around the city before returning to Niseko in the evening.

Sunday February 13^th: Last Runs and さよなら

Participants are welcome to squeeze in some last runs before heading back to New Chitose airport to catch their flights back to their various corners of Japan.

Alright. How much?

The price for all of this excitement? Only 30,000円. What does that include?

• HAJET guides to meet you at the airport and guide you to downtown Sapporo
• HAJET-guided walking tour around the Sapporo Yuki Matsuri
• Tabehodai/Nomihodai Genghis Kahn enkai at the historic Sapporo Brewery
• Chartered bus from Sapporo to accommodations in Niseko
• Free, HAJET-lead ski or snowboard lessons for beginners
• Three nights accommodation at the Freedom Inn in Niseko, the snow capital of Hokkaido
• Free shuttle service from the Freedom Inn to various ski resorts in the area, as well as local amenities

Choose Your Own Adventure activities available to tour participants (additional cost dependent on the adventure you choose):

• Lift tickets and rentals for skiing/snowboarding at Niseko United ski resort.
• Snowmobiling
• Snowshoeing
• Snow Onsen Tour
• Otaru Winter Light Festival Tour

YES! I want to join the tour! What do I do? (Dates, Deadlines, etc.)

As Soon As Possible: Contact yukimatsuri@hajet.org to express your interest, and arrange to Furikomi your 10,000円 deposit to HAJET to reserve your place on the Yuki Matsuri Tour. Only 25 spots are available, and we are inviting ALTs from all over Japan, so be sure to reserve your space with a deposit early. Contact yukimatsuri@hajet.org for furikomi details.

Friday December 10^th 2010: Book your cheap flights from your corner of Japan up to Sapporo New Chitose Airport. Recommended carriers are Airdo, Skymark, ANA, or JAL (with Airdo and Skymark being, by far, the cheapest). Cheap tickets go on sale exactly 2 months prior to the flight date. Book on December 10^th to avoid disappointment.

Monday December 13^th 2010: Book your cheap flights from your corner of Japan up to Sapporo New Chitose Airport. Recommended carriers are Airdo, Skymark, ANA, or JAL (with Airdo and Skymark being, by far, the cheapest). Cheap tickets go on sale exactly 2 months prior to the flight date. Book on December 13^th to avoid disappointment.

Friday January 7^th 2011: Deadline for furikomi transfer of full 30,000円 to HAJET. Contact yukimatsuri@hajet.org for furikomi details.

Other Stuff

Additional Costs to Consider: As we’re trying to make this tour appeal to as many people as possible, we tried to reduce the amount of mandatory events/costs. As such, airfare and train tickets are each participant’s own responsibility. We can do our best to advise you on these, but they are not included in the cost of the tour. Additionally, while staying in Niseko, participants are free to Choose Their Own (winter) Adventure, meaning that we will have a number of activities open to participants, but the costs for these activities will be in addition to the cost of the tour. That being said, we will be able to provide estimates for the cost of all activities well in advance of the event for budgeting purposes. Finally, the cost of the tour includes one tabe/nomihoudai enkai and breakfasts for each day of the event, but participants are free to arrange other lunches and dinners as they see fit.

A Note on Where Your Money is Going: The lion’s share of the tour participant fee is used to cover the actual costs of the tour. Any and all profit made in addition to these costs is donated to the Hokkaido English Challenge: an annual English contest and camp run by volunteer HAJET members. Every year the Hokkaido English Challenge sends one junior high school student on a one week homestay to an English-speaking country of their choice, anywhere in the world. All contest winners are invited to a free English camp run by Hokkaido ALTs. Suffice to say, we think it’s a pretty rad initiative to be supporting. For more information on the Hokkaido English Challenge, please consult  http://hec.hajet.org.