Things to do in Niigata

We have very good Skiing instructor, Harima san. He is very professional, patient, helpful and cheerful. He help us to get all rental equipment and clothing. We leran a lot from him and we enjoyed the lesson.

This message is about the coach service: When I made the reservation, based on the options selected, I thought I was booking for February 23rd. Meaning, I expected a coaching session on February 23rd and an overnight stay that evening. But!! I was wrong!! It turned out to be an overnight stay on February 23rd, with the coaching session only on the following day, February 24th!!!! That day, I double-checked on Klook, and it definitely didn't state that the class was on the next day!!! I was incredibly shocked at the time, because we were supposed to return to Tokyo the next day! I hope Klook can add a note to the options. Fortunately, I spoke to the front desk, and the hotel staff helped contact the coach school. The coach school was also very accommodating, even though it was a Japanese holiday and bookings were full. They still managed to help us find a qualified coach. And it was only an hour later than our originally scheduled class time. The coach school's service was also excellent; they sent a car to pick us up at the hotel. First, we went to the ski equipment shop to try on gear. Free items provided included: helmets, snowboards, and snowboard boots (lace-up style). Then, they drove us to the Nakazato ski resort to meet the coach. They also drove us back to the hotel afterward, where we could take off our gear. The coach (Japanese) was very enthusiastic and full of energy. All four of us, with no prior experience, were able to ski well that day. It felt a bit like a blessing in disguise, haha!

Today's itinerary was packed, but instead of going to the waterfall, we went to Kawagoe Ichiban-gai. There wasn't quite enough time to explore, only 80 minutes. We first went to Hikawa Shrine, and then went to Kawagoe Ichiban-gai, leaving us with only 30 minutes, so it was a bit rushed and we could only quickly buy some souvenirs. After that, we went strawberry picking, which was quite satisfying, achieving strawberry freedom! Finally, we went to the hot spring town to soak in the hot springs, and all the day's fatigue disappeared~ Many thanks to today's driver, Gao Hongmiao, for his great service, friendliness, and talkativeness. I hope to see you again next time.

The only downside is that going to Ichiban-gai in the morning was really too early, the shops only open at 10:00, and we had to leave at 10:20. The driver was very nice and sent the location via WhatsApp, he came to pick us up, so we didn't have to walk back. Overall, very satisfied, the driver was very nice, and the kids had fun.

Trip was enjoyable. There were some changes in the schedule as some places are closed and some are packed with other visitors but our tour guide replaced the itenerary with other enjoyable activities. in the end we still got our money’s worth.