Your Journey Begins Now Canopy Pre-Arrival Guide designed to make your journey smooth from start to slopes.
THANK YOU FOR BOOKING AT CANOPY
You’ve made a great choice.
Soon enough you’ll be hitting the stunning slopes of the Hakuba Valley, and enjoying rest & relaxation at Canopy.
Each day is going to be jam-packed with amazing memories you’ll take home with you forever.
You might feel like you have lots to organise before your ski holiday, so I’ve put together a list of the important information that simplifies the process for you.
Read the information below, then fill in your details on our Guest Details form, this is essential to finalise your check-in.
1.
Booking Your Ski Rental
It’s essential to book your ski rental gear prior to arrival.
This will save you a huge amount of time in advance and guarantees you’ll receive the exact equipment you need. Final fitting or adjustments can be made at the time of collection.
Upon arrival in Hakuba, you will collect your gear before making the trip up to Canopy. That way you can be ready to hit the slopes first thing the following morning.
#1 Central Snowsports is one of Hakuba’s biggest sources for ski and snowboard equipment, and its staff include both English and Japanese speakers. They carry a wide selection of the newest equipment, including premium and specialised lines.
By prebooking your gear, Central Snowsports provides a pick up service upon your arrival to Hakuba. Please arrange this pick-up with Central Snowsports to streamline your transfer to Canopy from the store after final fitting.
BONUS:
Central Snowsports will collect your gear from Canopy at the end of your stay, so you won’t need to return your gear.Â
How to Book:
- Follow this link:Â https://hakuba.centralsnowsports.com.au/hire
- Select to collect from the HAPPO Store
- Under the ‘Accommodation’ field, list Canopy
Call Central Snowsports to arrange your pick-up on arrival to Hakuba (Landline or via WhatsApp): 0261 85 0506
This service is only available to customers that have prebooked their rental gear.
Important considerations:
Guests collected from the 11:45am train from Shinjuku will be charged for the current day, as fitting is occurring before their free start time of 1pm.
Rhythm has over 30 years of industry experience, including 15+ years in Japan. They are guaranteed to have the best & latest gear, suited to the conditions & your ability.
The Rhythm Wadano store has a fully stocked retail shop filled with the latest snow gear: clothing and equipment. What’s awesome is they have a coffee corner too! Grab a latte while you finalise your new snow purchases.
Rhythm also provide discounted rates when pre-booking your rental.
By prebooking your gear, Rhythm provides a pick up service upon your arrival to Hakuba. Please arrange this pick-up with Rhythm. This will help streamline your transfer to Canopy, allowing us to pick you up from the store after final fitting.
Rhythm will not collect your gear from Canopy. Please arrange to return your gear with Canopy staff.
How to Book:
- Follow this link: Exclusive Canopy Guest Link
SPICY Rental provides high quality equipment for all your skiing & snowboard needs.
SPICY has multiple locations in the Hakuba Valley, however the most convenient is to rent from the TSUGAIKE store when staying at Canopy.
Our Canopy shuttle will stop by the Tsugaike SPICY store on your way to Canopy to assist in collecting your rental gear.
Spicy will not collect your gear at the end of your stay from Canopy. Please arrange to return your gear with Canopy staff.
How to Book:
- Follow this link: Spicy Rental TSUGAIKE
2.
Booking your Ski Lessons
For beginners we strongly recommend starting off with a lesson (even if it’s just half a day), as it will make your time on the mountain more enjoyable and lessen the chance of injury.
When booking lessons, there are options to book into private or group lessons. Depending on how many people in your skiing party, if you have 3-4 people or more, a private lesson will work out to be more economical and you can choose to meet at whichever mountain you please.
If booking into a group lesson, you’ll be generally matched with other people within your age group & skill level.
The most popular ski-schools amongst Canopy guests, and we highly recommend: Hakuba Ski Concierge or Frontier Ski School
Please note, Canopy offers a resort shuttle to Norikura Resort and Tsugaike Resort, departing at 8:30AM each morning. We do not offer shuttles to Iwatake or Happo One Resorts. Please be aware of this when booking lessons. Local buses may not line up with lesson start times at Iwatake or Happo One, so best to book local at Norikura or private lessons that provides a pick-up service from the lodge. Â
1. Hakuba Ski Concierge
Offering top-tier quality service, and customised private ski or snowboard lessons.
Hakuba Ski Concierge Signature Lessons & Guided Experiences are completely customized and include door-to-door transport and a choice of resorts. Nadine & her team also offer great lessons for kids.
Book now, this boutique ski school fills up fast!
#2. Frontier Ski School
Based at Hakuba Norikura Resort, Frontier Ski School is on our doorstep. Great option for group or private lessons. Frontier also offers off-piste guiding.
Options to book at other resorts depending on the weather conditions. Martin will guide you through this at the time of booking. The team will collect you from Canopy to get you straight to the slopes!
3.
Transfers: Getting to Hakuba & to Canopy
There are several ways to reach Hakuba and Canopy, and we’ve listed your options below.
If you’re arriving at Hakuba Station or the Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal, we provide a pick-up service at 15:00 and 17:00.
To make your arrival smoother, our pick-up points are located nearby to avoid the station traffic congestion:
Hakuba Station: North Face Gravity Store
Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal: Happo Onsen & Foot Bath
If you’ve booked ski rental with Central Snow Sports or Rhythm, please contact them directly for pick-up. Once you’ve been fitted, Canopy will collect you from the store.
If you prefer to arrive to Canopy more efficiently, please see options below for direct transfers.
Check-in: 16:00 | Check-out: 10:00
Direct Shared Taxi from Haneda or Narita to Canopy
Particularly useful if arriving into the airport at late hours, this is a convenient and comfortable way to travel from the airport to Hakuba via Chuo Taxi.
We recommend Chuo for these reasons:
- They’ll meet you at the airport and bring you straight to Canopy Cortina, Hakuba
- You arrive in a comfortable nicely-appointed 10-seater Hiace mini-van
- You can enjoy the scenery without the need to haul luggage between platforms, queue for buses or struggle to find your way in an often hectic, foreign environment
- Chuo Taxi operates 24 hours, so no departure time is too early or too late
Chuo provides 2 different services.
- From Narita to Canopy you’ll hire a private car – 1 fee for the whole group
- From Haneda Airport to Canopy you’ll take a shared taxi with other passengers – charged per person.
When booking select your destination as “Nagano Pref.” >> “Otari-mura”
Coach from Haneda or Narita Airport to Canopy
Another option for transfers to and from the airport is the Nagano Snow Shuttle.
Depending on your arrival and departure flight times, this service may be both more convenient and economical than other transfer options.
Book your transfer to Canopy Lodge so you can be dropped off right at our door.
All services are limousine coaches with comfort stops along the way.
The journey between the airport and Hakuba takes approximately 6 hours.
Coach from Tokyo to Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal
‘Highway Buses’ is a good option if travelling from Tokyo to Hakuba.
The coach leaves from the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal.
This transit option is ideal if you plan to stay in Tokyo first before making your way to Hakuba.
Use the link below to make your reservation, as times can get booked out during the Winter Season.
Please note, Canopy shuttle is available for pick-up from the Happo Bus Terminal at 15:00 or 17:00.
Direct Train from Tokyo to Hakuba Station
FARE PRICES: ¥9,050~ per adult (12 and older), and ¥5,020~ for kids between 6-11. Children aged 5 and under are free if they sit in non-reserved seating.
- Azusa 5: Leaves daily at 8:00 from Shinjuku Station (platform 9) and goes directly to Hakuba Station, arriving at 11:40.
- Azusa 46: The only direct train (no transfers) leaving Hakuba daily at 15:16 and arriving at Shinjuku Station at 19:06.
Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagano Station, followed by Coach to Hakuba Station or Bus Terminal
The fastest way to reach Hakuba from Tokyo is by taking the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo Station to Nagano Station. There is no train from Nagano to Hakuba, but you can catch a coach for the last stretch.
There is no direct shinkansen that arrives at Hakuba, but reaching Nagano is very close!
Here’s the journey:
Local train to Ueno or Tokyo Station
Shinkansen from Ueno or Tokyo Station to Nagano Station
Coach/Bus from Nagano Station to Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal or Hakuba Station
TRAVEL TIME: 3.5 hours (for shinkansen + coach)
FARE PRICES: ¥12,400~ per adult and ¥6,200~ per child.
To plan your journey, use Jorudan or Google Maps for precise times, fares, and platform numbers.
Book shinkansen tickets here, or see the JR ticket office to book your shinkansen ticket.
Get more out of your holiday with the JR Rail Pass to visit all your must see tourist attractions in Japan efficiently!
Tourists can now book their own tickets online.
To get the coach from Nagano Station to Hakuba, head out of the East Exit at Nagano Station, and line-up at bus stop #26
Book tickets in advance to avoid a long queue. Or see J-Guide details below for a direct transfer to Canopy.
J-Guide – Direct transfer to CanopyÂ
J-Guide offers direct transfers from Nagano Station, Haneda or Narita Airports straight to Canopy’s doorstep.
This service is particularly useful if you’re arriving late at night or want to skip the often congested bus queue at Nagano Station.
Traveling with J-Guide is a convenient, comfortable, and friendly way to reach Canopy, and more efficient too, as it removes additional stops and changeovers along the way. It’s a relaxing way to arrive after a long journey.
J-Guide can accommodate up to 7 passengers with luggage and ski gear.
Fare: ¥35,000 (flat rate) from Nagano Station → Canopy
(For comparison, the local coach from Nagano Station to Hakuba costs ¥3,800 per person, and only goes as far as Happo or Tsugaike)
Book by contacting J-Guide via WhatsApp:
Alternatively, contact: 070-4771-8334
If you have trouble reaching J-Guide via WhatsApp or the direct mobile number, please email Canopy, and we can arrange the service on your behalf.
When contacting, please provide the following details:
Name
Arrival date & time
Arrival place
Flight number (if applicable)
Number of adults & children
Number of luggage items
Number of ski or snowboard bags
4.
Lift Tickets
Purchase a Hakuba Valley All-Mountain Pass ahead of your stay, and charge it for the total amount of days you wish to ski.
Collect from Cortina Ticket Office.Â
A more cost effective choice is to purchase lift passes directly from each resort.
See fares below for comparison, and links to book.
Cortina & Norikura Ski Resort
Canopy has exclusive discounted lift passes for Cortina Norikura Resort for our guests.
See the Canopy team to purchase.
Lift Ticket Prices (at Canopy):
Tsugaike
Adult ¥8,200
Children ¥4,900
Iwatake Resort
Adult ¥6,500
Children ¥4,000
Happo Resort
Adult ¥8,700
Children ¥4,350
5.
Private Baby Sitting Services
Hakuba Babysitting offers enjoyable, cost-effective babysitting services to families coming to Hakuba. They have an experienced team of childcare professionals that are devoted to ensuring that your children are safely cared for in a fun and stimulating environment from the moment you leave them until you return.
Ages: Enquire within, can be flexible on age range
Hours: 9:00am – 11:00pm
Location: Sitter will visit Canopy
6.
What to Pack?
What to Pack for Your Winter Holiday at Canopy?
Packing for a holiday can be difficult, and it’s crucial to get it right for a snow getaway!
Yes, it can get cold but nothing like our friends located further north in the world. You’ll find that you’ll be toasty warm when entering any establishment, thanks to the Japanese always cranking the heater up.
The main point is packing the right gear for your adventures in the snow.
Rhythm or Central Snowsports can get you sorted with Jacket & Pants, but the importance is what goes on underneath.
The essentials:
- Thermal Top & Bottom Layer (Merino base layers are great)
- Pair of Merino Socks – ideally that sit just below the knee
- A Midlayer – depending on the weather, an extra sweater or fleece will keep you really warm
- Face Cover or Neck Warmer – something that you can pull over your nose and mouth to keep you warm.
- Good quality gloves – and glove liners! When you’re out in the snow, and you take your gloves off, it’s a great idea to be wearing glove liners to keep your fingers warm and happy. Once they get cold, it feels impossible to get them warm again.
- Goggles – these are a must in any snow condition. Sunglasses just won’t cut it, and won’t last long when you’re speeding down the mountain or have tumble. They get buried instantly.
What should you wear when you’re not skiing?
Your outfit can follow what you would normally wear during winter with a few extras.
Waterproof Shoes – snow boots if you can (not ski or snowboard boots, but a shoe with some tread).
Anything that sits above the ankle to avoid any snow getting in.
If you don’t have any, Rhythm or Central Snow Sports can help you out with some rentals. Otherwise, our front door at Canopy is protected, so we can safely get you there without you getting snowed in feet.
Wearing soft sneakers/sports trainers may get a little cold and slippery. Just watch your step!
Most places, accommodation or restaurants will request shoes off upon entry. It’s a Japanese custom.
Warm Jacket – Your ski jacket should work a treat, or a jacket that will fit a layer or 2 underneath.
Beanie & Gloves – Perfect to get you between places when you’re out and about.
Jeans, Sweater and even a T-shirt will be fine indoors!
A few extras things to pack to improve your life:
Sunglasses: When the sun is out, it’s brighter than ever!
Sunscreen: Check the weather, if you’re in for some bluebird days you might end up with a classy goggle tan if you’re not careful.
Cash: The closest ATM to Canopy is at the 7-Eleven at Iwatake. Japan is becoming more equipped with cashless payments, but not everywhere. It’s handy to have cash on you while you’re out and about – especially if you need a quick fix from a vending machine.
Send your luggage to us , it’ll make your trip so much easier!
Travelling through Tokyo with ski gear can be a real challenge. Skip the hassle and send your luggage ahead using Japan’s amazing courier services.
Our favourite is Yamato Luggage Courier (Black Cat) – quick, reliable, and easy to find at the airport.
Ship your bags straight to Canopy and enjoy travelling light and stress-free through Japan.
Click here to be luggage free during your travels!
When leaving Canopy, if using Yamato to send your luggage, you’ll need to have cash ready. The drop-off desk at Green Plaza Hotel does not take card payments, and there is no ATM nearby.
Travelling with kids?
You’re welcome to bring along any other activities they’d like to play with while they’re here.
Great idea is to pack their favourite snacks to keep them going on the mountain!
Please let us know if they’re fussy eaters so we can plan ahead.
You can add these details when you input your travel party’s details in the Guest Details Form.
We hope you’ve found this guide helpful.
Our goal at Canopy is to make your holiday as fantastic as possible, and we’re always happy to share our local knowledge to help you get the most out of your stay.
If there’s anything we can do to make your time with us truly outstanding, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, we’d love to help.
Before long, you’ll be carving down the stunning slopes of the Hakuba Valley and unwinding in comfort at Canopy.
Connect with us anytime via WhatsApp: +81 80 4818 3779
We look forward to welcoming you soon,
Emily, Mike & the Canopy Team