We are back from our first family Japan trip! Started planning the trip since May this year as I managed to get a cheap air ticket deal. Flying by Thai Airway for the first time and it only cost $650 per adult ticket. But the blur me actually booked the flight date wrongly for my sis and her family, and thus in the end, they have to fly on their own one day earlier.
The flight timing is pretty good as we departed from SIN at 9pm with a 1.5hr transit in BKK before and overnight flight to Sapporo, Hokkaido.
My mum joined us in this trip. It's Xmas season and Changi Airport is decorated with all the xmas deco, not forgetting the Star Wars theme Christmas tree too!
The kids are excited to join their cousin who had already arrived in Niseko.
Us on board Thai airways. Seriously, the food served on board sucks. But then again, for $650 per pax, we can't ask for more.
We reached New Chitose airport at around 820am and proceed to the immigrant counter. The queue was pretty long and I was so afraid that we will miss our bus transport to Niseko. We managed to clear the immigrant by 10am. However, as we had forgotten to collect our wireless router from Changi airport, we had to look for the router renting counter in New Chitose airport to rent a wireless router. Hb was tasked to rent the router while I went to look for our bus transport location. Turn out that our bus location is at the domestic airport and we had to walk a long way to reach there. We quickly run over to the domestic airport with our luggage. I managed to ask a transport counter lady who helped us to make a call to ask the bus driver to wait for us as apparently, our names had already been cancelled from the bus. Luckily, we managed to board the bus!!
The bus ride was pretty smooth with a mid stopover for toilet and food break as the journey took 3hrs. We reached Hirafu Welcome Centre at 1pm and waited for the transport to bring us to our rented apartment.
Mum and Shayne at the Welcome Centre.
Kids with Mum in the van. Its a 5 min drive to our apartment. Lucky we had the free transport else we had to lug the luggage in the snow for the 10min walk to our apartment.
As the apartment that I am interested in is fully booked, I managed to find a newly built apartment, Muse Niseko. Muse Niseko is landmark architecture located in the heart of Niseko's vibrant Hirafu Center Village, on the popular main promenade and opposite the Michelin Star restaurant Kamimura. We are lucky to be one of the first guests of their apartments.
It is also located about 5 mins walk from the ACE family lift where the kids will be having their ski class.
The main entrance of the apartment.
We booked a 3 bedroom apartment which came with a large living and dining room. It really suits us as it gives the children a space to run about and play together. The 3 bedroom consists of an extra large king size bed, a queen bedroom and the last room consists of a bunk bed and a single bed.
Free Nespresso coffee which captures my dear hubby attention! He must have a cup or two everyday during our stay.
The super big king size bed. It can definitely sleep 2 adults and 2 kids.
Unpacked abit and we went out for a late lunch at a nearby restaurant.
