Your Travel Experience with ARRIVAL
Day 1
ARRIVAL
Touch down in Tokyo and make your own way into Shinjuku, your home for the next two nights. Whether you arrive in the morning or just before sunset, the city is already moving at pace around you. Neon signs flicker on, tiny ramen bars fill up and the streets outside Hotel Gracery somehow feel chaotic and completely organised at the same time. Tonight is where the trip properly begins. Meet your hosts Callum, Hannah, the ARRIVAL crew and the rest of the group over dinner and drinks. By the end of the evening you will already know who is chasing powder, who is here for the après, who has never skied Japan before and who has somehow packed everything into carry-on only. Tomorrow you explore one of the world's greatest cities. Tonight you simply settle in.
Day 1 - 3
Hotel Gracery Shinjuku
You know the giant Godzilla towering over Shinjuku? That's your hotel. Hotel Gracery sits right in the middle of Tokyo's neon heart, putting Golden Gai, Kabukicho and Shinjuku Station all within walking distance. Modern rooms, comfortable beds, separate bathrooms and breakfast included make it the perfect place to shake off the flight before heading to Hakuba. Two nights here and you'll already understand why people fall in love with Tokyo.
Day 2
Tokyo, Your Way
No alarms. No itinerary. No pressure. Spend today however you like. Walk across Shibuya Crossing. Get lost down the laneways of Golden Gai. Eat the best ramen of your life before midday. Spend too much money in Harajuku. Sit in a café for an hour watching Tokyo do its thing. Callum and Hannah will be out exploring too and if you feel like tagging along you are more than welcome. Otherwise this is your chance to experience Tokyo exactly how you want to before swapping skyscrapers for snow-covered mountains tomorrow. If the group is up for it there will likely be drinks together somewhere that evening.
Day 1
Tokyo Welcome Dinner
The trip starts around the table. No awkward icebreakers. No name tags. Just good food, drinks and the chance to meet the fifteen people you will be sharing the next nine days with. It is remarkable how quickly a group comes together over dinner in Tokyo on the first night.
Day 3
Tokyo to Hakuba
This morning everyone meets before boarding one of Japan's most iconic train journeys. Bento box in hand. Snow forecast already being discussed across the group. The Shinkansen cuts north through the countryside as cities slowly become forests and forests become peaks. By the time you arrive in Hakuba the excitement has properly kicked in. A short transfer takes everyone to Meteor Log House where you will unpack, choose your room and settle into what quickly becomes home for the next seven nights. The afternoon is intentionally relaxed. Collect rental gear if you need it. Walk into Ecoland for coffee (or beers). Find the nearest convenience store. Sit by the fireplace. Tomorrow the riding begins.
Day 2
Explore Tokyo
Your only full day in Tokyo is completely yours. Tick off the icons or deliberately avoid them. Walk across Shibuya Crossing. Eat sushi from a standing bar. Get lost in Golden Gai. Spend three hours in a record store. Visit temples. Drink excellent coffee. Do absolutely nothing except wander. Tokyo rewards curiosity more than planning.
Day 3 - 10
Meteor Log House
Built by hand over 20 months from Canadian red cedar, Meteor Log Pension is the kind of place you'll still be talking about years after the trip. Tucked beneath the Japanese Alps and just minutes from Hakuba's best skiing, this seven-bedroom alpine lodge is exclusively yours for the week. Think roaring fireplace, huge communal living spaces, a fully equipped kitchen and long nights swapping powder stories over dinner. No hotel crowds. No strangers. Just your crew, mountain views and a proper chalet atmosphere that feels like home from the moment you walk in
Day 4 - 9
Ride the Hakuba Valley (Day 4 - 9)
Your included Hakuba Valley Lift Pass unlocks ten different resorts across one of Japan's most loved snow destinations. Some resorts suit deep powder days. Others come into their own when the sun comes out. Some have extraordinary tree skiing. Others are perfect for long cruisy laps with views that make you forget to look at the run ahead. With five flexible days on your pass there is no pressure to ride every single day. Take a break whenever your body tells you to.
Lessons (Day 4-9) (Optional)
Whether you are stepping onto skis for the first time or simply want to improve your technique in Japanese powder, ARRIVAL can help organise lessons with local instructors before you arrive. Learn in the morning. Meet everyone for lunch. Spend the afternoon putting everything into practice. Lessons are not included in the trip price but can be arranged before or during your stay.
Equipment Rentals (Day 4-9) (Optional)
Travelling with skis and snowboards is not always worth the hassle. Hakuba has some of the best rental stores in Japan with modern skis, snowboards and boots available just minutes from the chalet. ARRIVAL will happily organise everything before arrival so your gear is waiting when you get there.
Onsens and Recovery (Day 4-9) (Encouraged)
Every ski town has great snow. Japan has onsens. After a full day on the mountain there is genuinely nothing better than sinking into naturally heated mineral water while snow falls around you outside.
Day 3 - 9
Ecoland Evenings (Day 3-9) (Encouraged)
One of the biggest advantages of staying at Meteor Log House is what is right outside the front door. Within walking distance you will find Hakuba's best cafés, bars, restaurants and nightlife. No taxis. No buses. No planning. Dinner naturally rolls into drinks.
Day 4
First Turns
This is why everyone came. Breakfast, coffee and then straight to the lifts. With access to every resort in the Hakuba Valley, the group decides over breakfast where the best conditions are before heading up together. Some people will spend the day lapping groomers. Others will disappear into tree runs. Some will take lessons and join everyone later. Nobody is following a strict schedule. Ride with Callum and Hannah. Ride with new friends. Ride by yourself. By the afternoon everyone somehow ends up back together, swapping stories and near misses over beers at the bottom.
Day 5
Chase the Forecast
One of the best things about Hakuba is that every day can be completely different. A storm overnight might send everyone towards Cortina. Bluebird skies might mean Happo-One. That is the beauty of having the full valley at your fingertips. Nothing is locked in. Each morning becomes a conversation over breakfast before everyone heads out. Back at the chalet that evening the fireplace comes on, someone starts cooking while someone else connects their playlist to the speaker.
Day 6
Ride Your Way
By now everyone has found their rhythm. You know who likes first chair.Who always stops for coffee. Who convinces everyone to stay for one more run every single time. If today is your lesson day, ARRIVAL can point you to where to go. If you are feeling confident it might be time to explore somewhere you have not ridden yet.
Day 7
Another day, another mountain
Another full day skiing. Maybe your legs are begging for a break. Spend the afternoon soaking in a steaming outdoor onsen while snow falls around you. Book a massage. Find a hidden café. Wander through Hakuba Village. Sleep in and meet everyone for lunch. Or head straight back up the mountain for another powder day. The freedom is yours.
Day 8
One More Powder Day
At this point nobody needs to ask where everyone is meeting. It just happens. Coffee. Boots. Shuttle. Chairlift. The group naturally falls into place. Some days everyone rides together from the first lift to the last. Some days you barely see each other until dinner. Either way everyone ends up back at Meteor Log House before heading into the village together.
Day 9
Last Laps and Last Night
One final run. One last powder stash. One last stop for ramen on the mountain. One more photo. One more beer. That evening everyone heads to Tori Co. for a proper send-off. Yakitori arrives plate after plate. Beers keep flowing, and you share the last moments with this group that have become good mates by the end of the trip.
Farewell Dinner at Tori Co. (Day 9)
The trip closes the right way. One last dinner together at one of Hakuba's most loved local restaurants. Yakitori. Cold beers. The final airdrop session
Day 10
Departure
Check out this morning. Some people will catch trains back towards Tokyo for their flight out. Others will continue travelling through Japan. Some might still have another week chasing snow somewhere else in the valley. Whatever comes next, you will leave with far more than a camera roll full of powder photos. And fifteen people you did not know nine days ago.