Rental of MPV and driving in Hokkaido during winter

[teomingern]

Bro, thanks for the photos and all the questions... I was planning for such a trip actually... hahaha... until COVID derailed my plans... from what I observe, I probably have to hire a HiAce van for my whole family... 10 persons (6 adults, 2 kids, 1 toddler, 1 infant)... intend to do bullet train from one main base to another and hire local transport for regional travel at each base area... will need booster seats + child seats... so Alphard, etc is out... only left the van... but your pics of the van is really cui... no headrest, no individual seat... even MY has better vans for hire...

[Volvobrick]

No Hokkaido trip this year! 

Nearest thing was the ice cream at the Hokkaido shop at Great World City B2 I ate yesterday.... 😭

[Jamesc]

Don't make the mistake of over packing like I did for winter holiday in Hokk.

I carried 5 layers but the most I needed was 3 layers even when playing in the snow the whole day.

The most important is a good ski jacket and most of the time I only used a short sleeve heavy rugby shirt underneath.

On the coldest day I would also use a sleeveless fleece vest. I also carried thermal underwear but never needed to use it and last I also carried a heavy raincoat but also never used it. Damn heavy and bulky some more.

Good quality ski jacket

Heavy rugby shirt

Fleece vest.

Important thing to have is a fur lined fleece pants to keep you legs warm

And fur lined boots with thick socks. Don't need to carry 10 pairs of socks like I did. Can use for 3 days and just need to use the laundry machine with dryer at the hotel.

Never used this at all

If really scared of cold just get a very thin and light wind breaker to use outside your ski jacket.

The $2 daiso ear muffs worked a treat.

But most of the time I was using this so didn't have to listen to MIL.

[teomingern]

17 hours ago, Jamesc said:

Don't make the mistake of over packing like I did for winter holiday in Hokk.

I carried 5 layers but the most I needed was 3 layers even when playing in the snow the whole day.

The most important is a good ski jacket and most of the time I only used a short sleeve heavy rugby shirt underneath.

On the coldest day I would also use a sleeveless fleece vest. I also carried thermal underwear but never needed to use it and last I also carried a heavy raincoat but also never used it. Damn heavy and bulky some more.

Good quality ski jacket

 

Heavy rugby shirt

 

Fleece vest.

 

Important thing to have is a fur lined fleece pants to keep you legs warm

 

And fur lined boots with thick socks. Don't need to carry 10 pairs of socks like I did. Can use for 3 days and just need to use the laundry machine with dryer at the hotel.

 

Never used this at all

 

If really scared of cold just get a very thin and light wind breaker to use outside your ski jacket.

 

 

The $2 daiso ear muffs worked a treat.

 

 

When did you go bro? Maybe you survived without thermal underwear cos you can take it? Will be my first time when we can travel again... although I have been to the Swiss Alps above the snowline...

I read a number of websites advising what to wear for winter in Japan, and most also recommend 3 layers, first layer inner wear that is warm (like Uniqlo Heat Tech), second layer is fleece or down jacket, and third and outermost layer is a waterproof rain jacket when needed... also they recommend to buy in Japan cos cheaper than SG...

Noted about the fleece lined pants and boots... what to do with them once you come back huh? Can't wear in SG lor... super duper hot over here... where did you get yours? In Japan or SG? Anyway, my travel period is fixed by my work commitments so it's always end Nov to early Jan... but unlikely to be away during early Jan... so mostly will be Dec when winter just started... not sure if it's as cold as in Jan or Feb when I think most of you travel for winter holiday...

[Volvobrick]

3 layers is enough for me for Hokkaido - Heat Tech, normal long sleeve shirt, down jacket.  Fleece is too hot.

BUT why talk about it when no one can go this season???  KIV 12 months.

Edited November 30, 2020 by Volvobrick

[inlinesix]

How many layer to wear depends on quality of down jacket.

I have a Nike down jacket that cost RMB600.  I need to wear T-shirt, woollen sweater and Nike down jacket in Zero degree weather.

I have a Dak down jacket that cost SGD700 (from warehouse sale).  It is just T-shirt and Dak down jacket in Zero degree weather.

In Harbin winter (-20+ deg), T-shirt, woollen sweater and Dak down jacket.

My advice is invest in a good down jacket.  This is especially when you go indoor regularly.

[Atrecord]

21 hours ago, teomingern said:

Bro, thanks for the photos and all the questions... I was planning for such a trip actually... hahaha... until COVID derailed my plans... from what I observe, I probably have to hire a HiAce van for my whole family... 10 persons (6 adults, 2 kids, 1 toddler, 1 infant)... intend to do bullet train from one main base to another and hire local transport for regional travel at each base area... will need booster seats + child seats... so Alphard, etc is out... only left the van... but your pics of the van is really cui... no headrest, no individual seat... even MY has better vans for hire...

Alamak, you didn't reply or tag, so i almost missed this post.

The van we rented CMI, so i won't recommend it. Only the driver and front passenger has any semblance of basic/decent comfort. There's lots of luggage space though, as passenger space is compromised severely. Not sure is that the result or the reason.

My family and my BIL's family sitting behind, were complaining like mad about the comfort, but good thing they were in high (good) spirits so it was still bearable.

The comfortable vans would be the bigger Hiace, but they are 11-seaters (or is it more...), but they require our equivalent of class 4 or vocational license, which if the rental companies are strict, then our IDP cannot satisfy...

But I've heard people said they somehow managed to rent that successfully, with only the same IDP (of equivalent of class 3), so that's strange. I thought Japs are very strict so we didn't take the risk, and went for this 8-seater van.

If you do go on such a trip, with 10 pax, you should consider 2 larger 5-seaters, or really try to find out how to get the big Hiace (in terms of driving license).

Remember to on the windscreen heater at full blast if you ever do this trip -- something we didn't realise and suffered for it...

[Jamesc]

2 hours ago, teomingern said:

When did you go bro? Maybe you survived without thermal underwear cos you can take it? Will be my first time when we can travel again... although I have been to the Swiss Alps above the snowline...

I read a number of websites advising what to wear for winter in Japan, and most also recommend 3 layers, first layer inner wear that is warm (like Uniqlo Heat Tech), second layer is fleece or down jacket, and third and outermost layer is a waterproof rain jacket when needed... also they recommend to buy in Japan cos cheaper than SG...

Noted about the fleece lined pants and boots... what to do with them once you come back huh? Can't wear in SG lor... super duper hot over here... where did you get yours? In Japan or SG? Anyway, my travel period is fixed by my work commitments so it's always end Nov to early Jan... but unlikely to be away during early Jan... so mostly will be Dec when winter just started... not sure if it's as cold as in Jan or Feb when I think most of you travel for winter holiday...

I went for 3 weeks in Jan 17 during the Sapporo snow festival.

The funny thing about winter is if you spend the whole day outside playing in the snow with the kids your body generates a lot of heat and 3 layers is more than enough.

When you go for lunch inside a restaurant with a heater then you even have to faster unzip some layers if not you get too hot.

The other thing is how much wind there is. If you go into the country side and there is really strong wind even if the temperature is above freezing then the cold gets to you.

One night I went out to see the lights and the temp was -2 degrees but no wind it was just like cold aircon in Sg only.

 

Most people 3 layers is enough especially if you are not outside all day. If walking around town shopping then when go into a shopping centre or restaurant then then have to unzip if not too hot.

If you really worry about the cold then get a set of thermal underwear for city area you might find never need to use it.

If you go cross country skiing like I did then all that exercise also never need to use it.

If you have old people that just like to sit around and not move around much then maybe they will need as their body not generating much heat.

The only time I felt cold was when I went to an outdoor toilet and made the mistake of washing my hands as I always so. The water was freezing and when I dried it and put inside my fur lined gloves the glove just keep the cold in my hands.

So I had to take it off and just put my hands inside my jacket pocket and then my hands warm up.

So important tip don't wash hands in freezing water and use gloves, just wash and put hands inside jacket pockets and your hands will warm up faster..

The thick socks and boots never used again. Was hoping to go this year but got Covid. 

Bought a lot of heat packs and never used them.

MIL not cold because she got her own fur.

Edited November 30, 2020 by Jamesc

[Kangadrool]

2 hours ago, teomingern said:

When did you go bro? Maybe you survived without thermal underwear cos you can take it? Will be my first time when we can travel again... although I have been to the Swiss Alps above the snowline...

I read a number of websites advising what to wear for winter in Japan, and most also recommend 3 layers, first layer inner wear that is warm (like Uniqlo Heat Tech), second layer is fleece or down jacket, and third and outermost layer is a waterproof rain jacket when needed... also they recommend to buy in Japan cos cheaper than SG...

Noted about the fleece lined pants and boots... what to do with them once you come back huh? Can't wear in SG lor... super duper hot over here... where did you get yours? In Japan or SG? Anyway, my travel period is fixed by my work commitments so it's always end Nov to early Jan... but unlikely to be away during early Jan... so mostly will be Dec when winter just started... not sure if it's as cold as in Jan or Feb when I think most of you travel for winter holiday...

Carousell when back. 😊

[teomingern]

2 hours ago, Atrecord said:

Alamak, you didn't reply or tag, so i almost missed this post.

The van we rented CMI, so i won't recommend it. Only the driver and front passenger has any semblance of basic/decent comfort. There's lots of luggage space though, as passenger space is compromised severely. Not sure is that the result or the reason.

My family and my BIL's family sitting behind, were complaining like mad about the comfort, but good thing they were in high (good) spirits so it was still bearable.

The comfortable vans would be the bigger Hiace, but they are 11-seaters (or is it more...), but they require our equivalent of class 4 or vocational license, which if the rental companies are strict, then our IDP cannot satisfy...

But I've heard people said they somehow managed to rent that successfully, with only the same IDP (of equivalent of class 3), so that's strange. I thought Japs are very strict so we didn't take the risk, and went for this 8-seater van.

If you do go on such a trip, with 10 pax, you should consider 2 larger 5-seaters, or really try to find out how to get the big Hiace (in terms of driving license).

Remember to on the windscreen heater at full blast if you ever do this trip -- something we didn't realise and suffered for it...

Thanks bro! Wah... driving 11-seater HiAce I tried before in MY... not easy leh... I rented the Hi-Roof variant some more... hit the roof at some car park and had to pay repair fees (I didn't even know I hit roof - no way to see unless got ladder)... driving this behemoth in winter... but if the seats are those individual type with headrest then I guess I have no choice...

[teomingern]

1 hour ago, Kangadrool said:

Carousell when back. 😊

Good idea leh... but got takers or not? I won't buy secondhand clothing this way leh... not sure if anyone would... I don't use Carousell much anyway... so not aware of take-up rate...

[teomingern]

2 hours ago, Jamesc said:

I went for 3 weeks in Jan 17 during the Sapporo snow festival.

The funny thing about winter is if you spend the whole day outside playing in the snow with the kids your body generates a lot of heat and 3 layers is more than enough.

When you go for lunch inside a restaurant with a heater then you even have to faster unzip some layers if not you get too hot.

The other thing is how much wind there is. If you go into the country side and there is really strong wind even if the temperature is above freezing then the cold gets to you.

One night I went out to see the lights and the temp was -2 degrees but no wind it was just like cold aircon in Sg only.

 

Most people 3 layers is enough especially if you are not outside all day. If walking around town shopping then when go into a shopping centre or restaurant then then have to unzip if not too hot.

If you really worry about the cold then get a set of thermal underwear for city area you might find never need to use it.

If you go cross country skiing like I did then all that exercise also never need to use it.

If you have old people that just like to sit around and not move around much then maybe they will need as their body not generating much heat.

The only time I felt cold was when I went to an outdoor toilet and made the mistake of washing my hands as I always so. The water was freezing and when I dried it and put inside my fur lined gloves the glove just keep the cold in my hands.

So I had to take it off and just put my hands inside my jacket pocket and then my hands warm up.

So important tip don't wash hands in freezing water and use gloves, just wash and put hands inside jacket pockets and your hands will warm up faster..

The thick socks and boots never used again. Was hoping to go this year but got Covid. 

Bought a lot of heat packs and never used them.

MIL not cold because she got her own fur.

Thanks for the tips... this is one bucket list trip to do lor... hahaha... did you manage to see those monkeys?

[teomingern]

3 hours ago, Volvobrick said:

3 layers is enough for me for Hokkaido - Heat Tech, normal long sleeve shirt, down jacket.  Fleece is too hot.

BUT why talk about it when no one can go this season???  KIV 12 months.

Bro... very kek sim leh... was planning a long trip one for now... but now is poof.... so only can talk about it lor...

[Jamesc]

19 minutes ago, teomingern said:

Thanks for the tips... this is one bucket list trip to do lor... hahaha... did you manage to see those monkeys?

I certainly did see the snow monkeys

My MIL would never have forgiven me if we didn't visit her relatives.

[Datsun366]

Heat loss is from the head. A good headwear makes all the difference.

Agree with the shoes. 

The neck cover also impt.

I was shorts and t shirt clearing ice on the car in zero degree weather. Seasoned liao.

Anyway the weather must not be too bad for tourists and tourists move around. Wear short sleeve fleece jacket afterwards sweat.

Those who need please see cardiologists before you embark on cold weather trips, EF you see.

[Atrecord]

1 hour ago, teomingern said:

Thanks bro! Wah... driving 11-seater HiAce I tried before in MY... not easy leh... I rented the Hi-Roof variant some more... hit the roof at some car park and had to pay repair fees (I didn't even know I hit roof - no way to see unless got ladder)... driving this behemoth in winter... but if the seats are those individual type with headrest then I guess I have no choice...

Yes, the 11-seater hiace should be what you drove in MY -- i think there's only one type for this. Should be quite comfy. But for this type, i'm not sure what's the luggage space like, since a lot more space is taken up by the seats (c.f. to what we rented). It's bigger though, so should still have space somehow.

Driving in winter was less scary than i thought, but i guess we were lucky cos there's only at most snow. If the snow has melted and then temp fell again, the roads could have turned icy, which will be worrying dangerous, as the roads would be slippery and sure will skid all the way. As it was, just (some) snow on the roads was no big deal. Just don't speed like there's no tomorrow, and it's quite safe. There is danger of the door mechanism being stuck if parked for long though. After 3 nights at the resort carpark, when we were going to the next destination, the sliding door (there's only one) of the van was jammed!!! Later we realised it was stuck by frozen ice. fastest way to solve it would be if there's a constant supply of hot water that can flow through a narrow tube to reach the frozen ice, but we had neither. Could only depend on normal warm water filled in small mineral water bottle in the resort toilet, and trying (not very successfully) to pour/splash the water through the small/narrow gap to reach the frozen ice...

I see James' detailed explanation of the clothing requirements there. But first thing to ask yourself -- and the rest going -- is whether you can tahan cold. If cannot, then better bring more warm clothes. You'll need them when playing in snow outdoors, which often have wind... Then again, if you wear the same outfit to take a train from one city to another, then stuck within the crowded train, can get heatstroke one 😅

We only drove for like half the trip, as the other half was within the cities/towns like Sapporo. So we experienced both.

[Atrecord]

17 hours ago, teomingern said:

When did you go bro? Maybe you survived without thermal underwear cos you can take it? Will be my first time when we can travel again... although I have been to the Swiss Alps above the snowline...

I read a number of websites advising what to wear for winter in Japan, and most also recommend 3 layers, first layer inner wear that is warm (like Uniqlo Heat Tech), second layer is fleece or down jacket, and third and outermost layer is a waterproof rain jacket when needed... also they recommend to buy in Japan cos cheaper than SG...

Noted about the fleece lined pants and boots... what to do with them once you come back huh? Can't wear in SG lor... super duper hot over here... where did you get yours? In Japan or SG? Anyway, my travel period is fixed by my work commitments so it's always end Nov to early Jan... but unlikely to be away during early Jan... so mostly will be Dec when winter just started... not sure if it's as cold as in Jan or Feb when I think most of you travel for winter holiday...

On clothings, every year -- except 2020 -- in Oct/Nov, confirmed got those companies like Winter Wear or Universal Traveller will hold expo sales to make tons of money, by bringing out all their apparels and shoes to sell. Prices are discounted and there are some good deals. Depending on your budget and preference, there are lots of choices. I was surprised that every year will have so many Singaporeans going to winter countries, that sure will have queues forming up to pay at such sales. For me, since we were not planning to keep going, we didn't get the very expensive ones. For shoes, we in fact went online to buy cheap cheap china ones ($30) instead of buying from the above sales or timberland (who also had expo sales last year in betw the above 2) ones. Not as good, but can do the job lah.

And Uniqlo's heattech range is actually very good. I also noticed that uniqlo will selectively choose some items for sale almost every week. if you are either very diligent (check those out every week) or very heng (like i was), then you can save a fair bit. The discounts were typically like 20%, so for one piece thermal the ultra warmth range (around $30), if you prepare buy 2 sets top/bottom, will $120 per pax. Family of 4 will be $480. If got 20% discount, you can save almost $100 liao.

Then they also have heattech for long sleeve shirt and even pants. These are also very warm and good. when the heattech long sleeve shirt was on offer, it was only i think $15 or $18. pants was more ex...

For us, we just wear the heattech thermal inside, then for top, one heattech long sleeve, and that's good enough for all indoor places. When out in the open, wear the main jacket too. for bottom, just the heattech pants.

[teomingern]

On 12/1/2020 at 9:42 AM, Atrecord said:

On clothings, every year -- except 2020 -- in Oct/Nov, confirmed got those companies like Winter Wear or Universal Traveller will hold expo sales to make tons of money, by bringing out all their apparels and shoes to sell. Prices are discounted and there are some good deals. Depending on your budget and preference, there are lots of choices. I was surprised that every year will have so many Singaporeans going to winter countries, that sure will have queues forming up to pay at such sales. For me, since we were not planning to keep going, we didn't get the very expensive ones. For shoes, we in fact went online to buy cheap cheap china ones ($30) instead of buying from the above sales or timberland (who also had expo sales last year in betw the above 2) ones. Not as good, but can do the job lah.

And Uniqlo's heattech range is actually very good. I also noticed that uniqlo will selectively choose some items for sale almost every week. if you are either very diligent (check those out every week) or very heng (like i was), then you can save a fair bit. The discounts were typically like 20%, so for one piece thermal the ultra warmth range (around $30), if you prepare buy 2 sets top/bottom, will $120 per pax. Family of 4 will be $480. If got 20% discount, you can save almost $100 liao.

Then they also have heattech for long sleeve shirt and even pants. These are also very warm and good. when the heattech long sleeve shirt was on offer, it was only i think $15 or $18. pants was more ex...

For us, we just wear the heattech thermal inside, then for top, one heattech long sleeve, and that's good enough for all indoor places. When out in the open, wear the main jacket too. for bottom, just the heattech pants.

Thanks bro! Very helpful... gives me a good guide... I cannot take cold aircon, always must be set at 27°C low fan at night... but can take cold weather... a bit weird... but I like natural cold... ha ha... I can be in t-shirt and jeans and just trainers in 10°C in UK... even with some wind... a normal pullover will do... but my wife confirm plus chop cannot take it... ha ha... so I must cater for her needs...

Yeah noticed about the winter wear discounts... especially Uniqlo... really like their warm clothing... cos slim and compact and stylish... and not too expensive... hmmm... you mention China shoes? Winter type? Got reference?

Edited December 2, 2020 by teomingern