Winter in Japan is a beautiful place. Happo One, Hakuba valley, Nagano prefecture, Japan. Photo by Tomas on Unsplash
A few people have been asking me lately about travelling in Japan in general and skiing there more specifically. The first thing I did on my first visit to Japan in 2017 was get a flight to Hokkaido to go snowboarding. A week was too short and so I had to go back for more a couple of years later.
A lot of people are surprised when I tell them you can snowboard in Japan. It actually snows a lot there, and the snow quality is generally so good that it has its own nickname (‘Ja-pow’) and attracts people from all over the world to savour the wonderful mix of snow and culture that the country offers.
Japan is a beautiful country which I’d recommend everyone visit at least once in their lives. I’d also highly recommend anyone to try snowboarding or skiing at least once, so why not combine the two?
Why ski in Japan?
The snow
Japanese snow is famous in the skiing and snowboarding worlds. There’s some sort of weather system that comes in from Siberia and drops more snow on Honshu and the northern island of Hokkaido than most places on Earth. The average total snowfall for a winter season tends to be twice what they get in Europe, for example (though individual winters can vary, of course).
It also tends to be very dry and fluffy and therefore perfect for snowboarders and skiers who like going off-piste. It’s quite common for several feet of snow to drop on the mountains overnight, so bring your fat skis.
Almost every snow movie has a segment in Japan these days, and it’s become a mecca for skiers and snowboarders from all over the world, inspired by footage of top professionals enjoying chest-deep backcountry runs and mucking about in shopping malls.
The cost
Ski passes tend to be a little bit cheaper to ski in Japan than in Europe or North America. A lift pass typically costs ¥2,500 (€20) to ¥5,500 (€45) for a full day, and you can also get half days (last lift at 1pm) for (almost) half price. Many resorts even let you pay by the run too, if you’re short of change or just fancy taking down one more run before you get your bus back to the airport (I found it hard to think of instances where you’d need just one run).
Ski, snowboard and gear rental is also a bit cheaper than other continents I’ve found.
Food and drinks tend to be fairly expensive on the mountains themselves (though despite what you may have heard this isn’t typical of the rest of Japan – it’s generally a lot cheaper than Ireland, for example). Depending where you are it can well be possible to avail of better prices if you stay away from the Western-focused bars and restaurants. And if you’re coming all the way to Japan, of course you should.
The scenery
The Japanese Alps are located in the centre of Honshu, Japan’s ‘main island’, and the scenery around here looks quite like the European Alps – ranges of endless snow-capped pointy peaks. It’s beautiful, and an amazing backdrop for skiing. The sights will also be familiar to anyone who’s skied, in larger ranges in, say, British Columbia in Canada. The views are breath-taking, although maybe a bit familiar.
If you venture up to Hokkaido, however, you’ll find altogether more unusual landscape. The area south-west of Sapporo, where you’ll find the Niseko and Rusutsu resorts, amongst others, is quite flat. The formidable sight of Mt. Yotei, an active volcano is visible from all around, rising cone-shaped out of the flat plains to form a view reminiscent of the famous Mt. Fuji.
The foliage is also different in Japan, with the tree-lines generally formed with deciduous trees forming a more sparse covering than the tightly-packed evergreens elsewhere. Riding in Hokkaido on a bluebird day will provide you with some of the most stunning and unique backdrops you’ll find anywhere.
When to go
Japan is in the northern hemisphere, so their winter generally run from mid-November to April or even May in some places. Ski seasons generally run the same and you can expect lifts to be open by mid-December in most places, with spring conditions coming in March and April. Like anywhere else, snowfall patterns don’t always follow the strict passing of months so you can get huge dumps in early or late season. Due to Japan’s ridiculous levels of snowfalls, it’s unlikely you’ll experience much of a drought at any time if you go between late December and March. I’ve heard too of some resorts that don’t open at all in mid-winter – because they get TOO MUCH SNOW and aren’t accessible! This isn’t common though and all of the bigger resorts will be open for the full season.
Where to go
Check out my guides to a few of the resorts in Honshu and Hokkaido to see which one is best for you.
Hokkaido is Japan’s northern island, and is the most famous destination for those looking to sample Japan’s powdery treats. Here you’ll find Japan’s most popular resort with foreigners, Niseko, as well as other cool mountains at places like Rusutsu, Furano and Kiroro.
You can fly to Sapporo airport (they’ve a cool-looking ice sculpture festival in the first week of February every year, plus it’s the home of one of the best draft beers in the world, in my opinion) from Tokyo, which takes about two hours and is fairly inexpensive (I got mine for around €80 return, booked a week in advance).
You can also get the Shinkansen (bullet train) direct to Sapporo from Tokyo if you’d prefer (though it’d be cheaper to fly in this instance). From Sapporo airport there are plenty of bus links winding up the mountains to Niseko and other resorts such as Rusutsu, which take 2-3 hours depending on your destination.
Honshu is Japan’s main island and the majority of Japan’s 500+ ski resorts are here. The main areas are located in the Japanese Alps, a series of mountain ranges stretching across the apex of the island’s ‘bend’, about 250-300km from Tokyo. There are plenty of bus services that go direct from Shinjuku Station to resorts like Hakuba Valley, Nozawa Onsen and Shiga Kogen.
When in resort, regular local bus services, which are often free, bring you to different hills (like in Hakuba Valley, for example, where there are 9 or 10 different resorts).
Things to do when you’re there
If you have some down time or need to take a break from the slopes, here are a few ideas for your days off.
Food and drink
Although some of the resorts and associated villages are highly westernised – to the point where places like Hakuba’s Echoland or Niseko feel more like Australian resorts that happen to be popular with Japanese tourists than the other way round – everywhere will still have Japanese bars, restaurants and cafes. Get stuck into some Japanese food and beers at a local izakaya, where you can sit on the floor for the local experience, or at the bar and watch as the food is prepared on the grill.
I’m sure you can find some good sushi bars around as well (not every Japanese restaurant necessarily serves it by the way).
I also have a bit of a thing for Japanese combini (‘convenience stores’): places like 7/11, Lawson’s and Family Mart, which are all basically the same thing but (presumably) run by different companies. There’s usually at least one in every town, often all three and more, and in cities there’s literally one on every street, sometimes more. They sell a bit of everything, including hot and cold snacks and drinks (great coffee for €1), basic groceries like bread and milk, an aisle-full of noodles, some of the most amazing confectionary you’ve ever wrapped your mouth around (I highly recommend 7/11’s chocolate éclair-style pastry), electronics, socks and underwear, comic-book pornography, and so on.
It’s still hard to beat an Irish Centra for utility, I still get a kick out of going in and being greeted with a chorus of robotically-rehearsed-but-humanly-delivered Japanese greetings, and coming out 20 quid poorer but with an armful of coffee, fried chicken, delicious snacks and maybe an new charger for my phone.
They also always have ATMs which accept foreign cards, which is always useful.
Enjoy the mountains
Most travellers only get 2-3 weeks around Japan, and almost every itinerary is the same – Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Mt. Fuji, maybe Hiroshima if you have time. There’s so much to see in those places alone, and they all offer something different and so they really should be visited.
Japan is so densely populated that it’s actually quite difficult to get ‘off the beaten track’ even if you do have the time. The rail network is so brilliantly laid out that you can go almost anywhere by train too. If you do make it into the mountains, be grateful for the opportunity to spend time in the Japanese wilderness, as not many make it out this far otherwise.
The Hakuba valley has beautiful alpine backdrops, while up in Hokkaido snow-covered volcanoes rise out of flat farmland like miniature Mt.Fuji’s. Enjoy the relative peace and slow-paced quality of life in quiet mountain towns like Hakuba or Furano, before venturing back into the futuristic metropolis of Tokyo.
The beautiful little town of Hakuba in Nagano prefecture. There are 9 or 10 resorts within 2-20 minutes’ drive from the town centre.
Onsen
Japanese hot springs are a way of life, and the perfect way to relax after a day on the hill. Most towns in ski areas will have one. They’re kind of like large saunas with one or more hot tubs piped with water from natural hot springs, often with an outdoor pool. The feeling of sitting in a roasting hot tub with heavy powdery snow falling all around you is incredible. By the end of my winter in Hakuba I think I was going to the onsen more than the ski hill.
There are several important rules of etiquette to be followed when visiting an onsen – the main one being that clothing isn’t optional, it’s prohibited! They’re generally segregated into separate male and female areas, but you’re not allowed a bathing suit. You can bring a small towel, generally used for dunking in cold water and placed on the head to keep cool, and it’s important to shower at one of the little stools before and when you’re done.
Have at it though, and enjoy the relaxation.
Ice sculpting in Sapporo
If you’re in Hokkaido in winter, it could be worth checking out the world-famous Sapporo Snow Festival that’s held in the first week of February every year. Sculptors use tools including chainsaws to carve enormous sculptures out of big blocks of snow and ice – there’s everything from building-sized sculptures of Star Wars characters to replicas of the White House. Sapporo’s also a small and rather cool city to visit outside of the festival too.
Snow monkeys in Jigokudani
Snow monkeys in Jigokudani. Photo by Jonathan Forage on Unsplash
If you’re in Nagano, it’s worth taking a day trip to visit the famous snow monkeys at Jigokudani Yaen-koen (Jigokudani Monkey Park). Here you can see the red-faced Japanese macaque monkeys lounging around, acting all like people, and they even like to chill out in the onsen (apparently they do it for relaxation purposes too!). It’s located just outside of Nagano city, and you should be able to book a day trip by bus from there, or even from places like Hakuba.
Back country
Most Japanese mountains and resorts are quite small when compared to those elsewhere, and have only a fraction of the number and length of runs as bigger resorts in Europe and North America. Also, many resorts don’t allow you to duck the ropes, even in-bounds, or they make you register and wear a numbered bib if you want to access certain permitted areas and tree zones.
If you want to get the most out of your time in the Japanese mountains, I’d recommend getting out into the backcountry. In places like Happo One in the Hakuba Valley, it’s possible to get the gondola up to the top and go for a bit of a hike, taking you to some amazing faces which give you a clear path back down as far as the valley floor and road back to the base. In other places it might be best to hire a local guide and a splitboard, if you know how to use one.
With all that snow as well there’s going to be some avalanche risk, and please don’t be going out of bounds where you don’t know the area, have the right equipment, or know what you’re doing if something goes wrong.
I met some guys in Rusutsu who’d even toured up Mt. Yotei, the 2,000m active volcano that dominates views from Rusutsu and Niseko. After a 6 hour trek up they were treated to their own powder paradise the whole big long way back down. Bucket-list stuff.
Don’t forget to travel Japan
Well, you wouldn’t come all this way just to go skiing, would you? I spent most of my first trip to Japan in Rusutsu, Hokkaido, before walking around Tokyo for three days in a daze, my mind bursting with amazement at the place. Both parts of the trip were amazing. If you’re going to go skiing in Japan, be sure to check out a couple of other places as well.
Tokyo is a must, as are Kyoto and Osaka further to the west. Check out the rest of the site and I’ll give you some tips on planning the rest of your trip to Japan.
Conclusion
The mountains in Japan tend to be smaller than anywhere else but there’s still plenty to keep you amused in most places if you’re there for a week or so, particularly in the larger areas like Hakuba and Niseko where you’ve a choice of resorts. Everyone comes here for the snow and the culture anyway, and unless you’re an advanced rider or skier looking for crazy off-piste terrain then there’ll be plenty to keep you going. The novelty of night-skiing while Japanese pop blares out of Hello Kitty-shaped speakers, and ending your run with a big bowl of ramen and shots of warm sake means even casual skiers or snowboarders should consider heading for the mountains during your trip to Japan if you’re there at the right time of year.
For more info on doing a skiing and snowboarding in Japan, check these out: