How ridiculous is it that this ENTIRE DAY costs less than a one day lift ticket at Vail Ok but here’s some more thoughts and tips for winter in Japan 👇🏼 - Hostels do exist in some of the areas but need to be booked in advance (I saw ranges of $45 - 90/bed/night) It’s better to book your accommodation in advance for the most part. The hotels in the tiny ski towns do have the possibility to fully book up ahead of time. Almost all the options for Furano had been taken and the ones for Otaru were slim. I use the Agoda app to make reservations. - In order to rent a car you need an international drivers license. I was able to easily get one in the US by going to a AAA office and the process took less than 15 minutes. The car rental can be reserved online ahead of time. - Tattoo friendly onsens do exist. Even some of the ones with a bunch of “no tattoo” signs let me in after asking. Odds are if you’re in a touristy place they’re more likely to allow them (aka Niseko). Just ask and be prepared for rejection. A popular tattoo friendly one is Hoheikyo Hot Spring - I have not been spending $50 on dinner every night, that one was out of the ordinary but SO worth it. A lot of meals have been 7-11 or Lawson options and that keeps the overall price down.   - Eating gluten free - I have celiac disease and yes it can be tough to eat in Japan. Thankfully sushi is a safe bet majority of the time so I eat that for most meals. The touristy towns will have more dedicated GF options but be prepared for slim choices in the local towns. - Ski town recs: Niseko is popular for a reason. The mountain is close, you can get there without renting a car, it dumps almost daily and is extremely easy to navigate. There are SO many other small ski resorts around Hokkaido and on the main island, but they do take a little more work. On this trip so far I’ve skiied at Furano, Rusutsu and Kiroro. I’ve heard that you can get to these places via public transportation, but the car rental is easier. You will want to be comfortable driving through blizzards and on very snowy roads since it is almost always snowing at some point in the day #traveljapan #travelvlog - @kayli.kiing