Unlike the hijinks and vibrant Aplus ski scenes that permeate the Alps and Rockies, Japan offers a meditative experience on its slopes. Skiing is almost a respectful event here.
“It's not about relaxing in the sun or having a party between runs,” says Sari Levi, 46, who lives in Telluride, Colorado, and returns from her second ski trip to Japan. It's just been released. “Snow and skiing, skiing, skiing, skiing.”
There were few good times to follow that order. Japan is currently enjoying the banner ski season. The country's largest ski area, Hakuba Valley has already recorded an impressive 370-inch powder, with the most snowy of 370 inches in the country, and has been the snowiest of over a decade. There is plenty of opportunity to carve fresh tracks as the resort may be open well in April.
And what to track! Japan is known for adopting Western institutions, including whiskey, jazz and 7-Eleven stores, and refined them into their own. Skiing is no exception. Skiing, introduced to Japan in 1911 by Austro-Hungarian Major Theodore von Rach on Mount Kanaya, a major in the Austro-Hungarian Army, became an integral part of the country's outdoor culture, with over 500 resorts on a mountain island.
The snow itself is at the heart of Japan's skiing experience. It's light, dry, fun and abundant. Known as “Japow,” this sacred powder is the result of the Siberian Arctic winds that spread Japan's oceans across the oceans, gathering moisture before hitting the towering areas of Japan's northern islands.
For most skiers, the fluffy, dry snow that appears to fall almost every day is a dream.
Currently, the US dollar is powerful, and by lifting tickets, hotels and meals, ski trips to Japan often feel like a bargain, at a more affordable price than the West Resort. International flight prices are easily surpassed by the relatively low cost of endless powder and access to excellent facilities.
“The truth is, it's cheaper to ski there than I fly to Japan and spend a week in places like Aspen or Bale,” Levy said.
A big choice is to decide between Hokkaido and Honno between the resort areas of the two islands that dominate the ski scene.
Hokkaido: Western touch powder paradise
For many skiers, Hokkaido, Japan's second largest island, is a powder paradise. The island resort combines world-class terrain with contemporary hotels, international dining options and infrastructure reminiscent of vails and snowbirds.
Most visitors will fly to Tak Honor's new Titos Airport, a major hub connected to Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok and other Asian cities. Alternatively, riding a scenic highway train from Tokyo is a unique Japanese way of travelling to wonderland this winter.
Niseko United
Niseko United, who rides a three-hour bus from Sapporo and the new Titos airport, is particularly popular among American skiers, as they accept Icompass. The resort spans four villages at the foot of Mount Annupuri in Niseko, with lifts and gondolas that carry skiers over wooden lines. From there, the adventurous soul can pass through a wide bowl, a long, straight, densely packed pine forest.
Niseko also offers beate-style pass experiences, including guided skiing ascents and descents of Mount Yotei, a stately 6,227-foot volcano with towers lined up across the valley.
All Mount Ski Pass: 10,500 yen or about $68 a day.
Where to Stay: Niseko Northern Resort Anupuri is a funky mid-century modern-day lodge with a family-friendly option, from laundry facilities, ski rentals, lockers, mini marts, on-site ondosen or hot springs. The mountain's beginner slope is next to it. Doubles starts at 12,600 yen. Hayama is a traditional wooden farmhouse surrounded by forest hills, five gorgeously renovated, exuding Zen-like minimalism and elegance. Each can accommodate up to 6 people and comes with a private hot spring. There is also a spa attached to the hotel and a great Japanese restaurant. Doubles, including breakfast, start at 180,000 yen.
Where to eat: Odin's Barn offers a fantastic Japanese fusion dining with modern versions like the glass of a traditional Hokkaido barn. The tasting menu with a wine pairing costs 7,000 yen. Afuri specializes in ramen with homemade noodles and tavern food, offering a fantastic bar and fantastic views of Mount Yotei. Dinner with sake for 5,100 yen.
Payment period
Perched on a vibrant city cardboard, the Taine socks offer a unique blend of urban experiences and world-class powders. Skiers and snowboarders can enjoy a more intimate alternative to Niseko on north-facing slopes that catch snow directly from the Sea of Japan. The resort's diverse terrain offers a wide view of the steep coastline as well as the vast cities below.
Pass: 8,200 yen per day.
Where to stay: JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo is a luxurious modern hotel connected to a railway station in the city centre. Ask the upper floors for views of the city and mountains. Doubles starts at 20,000 yen per night. With a sophisticated Scanda Modernist atmosphere, Sapporo Stream Hotel opened in the entertainment district last year. Doubles starts at 11,000 yen per night.
Where to eat: Join the locals' line and join the Soup Curry Garaku. This is a respected, rustic joint specializing in curry dishes listed below the tag. Dinner with local draft beer costs around 1,100 yen. Sapporo Beer Garden serves delicious local lamb dishes that can be owned in a draft mug of the famous local beer. Dinner with beer for 1,800 yen. The all-you-can-eat option is 5,280 yen.
Honshu: Skip into Japanese culture
Japan's major islands combine skiing with cultural immersion. Resorts are often set in picturesque ancient villages, giving visitors the opportunity to mix sports and tourism. Eshu is likely to have a clear blue sky – a grace period from the constant stormy weather in Hokkaido.
Osawa
One of Japan's oldest ski resorts, Osawa is a rare blend of old and new. The resort, as well as its diverse terrain, is dozens of public ounces, some of which were thought up until the 8th century. Osawa Zen remains an attractive village that avoided the over-competition of many modern ski destinations. The village's narrow alleys lined with shrines and temples offer a glimpse of traditional Japan where visitors still sleep on tartami mats or eat near the floor.
Skiers meander through these atmospheric streets and head for 19 lifts and gondolas whisking Mount Kenashi. The name of the mountain – meaning “bald” in Japanese – is not misleading anymore as its peak is covered with powdered pine trees. On snowy days, the scene resembles an ancient wooden block print that was frozen in time.
The environment at Osawa Yonma evokes a deep sense of tradition, but its lifts and gondolas have undergone extensive overhauls in recent years. The result was a resort that married historic charm and modern facilities.
Pass: 7,300 yen per day.
Where to stay: Kiryaryokan is a family-friendly accommodation with great food near the transport path to the lift. Rooms start at 15,000 yen per night. Lodge Nagano is a simple budget lodge with an ideal location right next to the lift. The starting price is 5,500 yen per night in a shared double room that includes breakfast. Private doubles start at 14,000 yen.
Where to eat: Hamachozush is an old-fashioned sushi restaurant with floors and bar seating. Dinner with sake is 5,800 yen. Hakugin is a slopeside restaurant with heartfelt Japanese mountain foods like Miso Ramen and Tonkatsu Pork Cutlets. A meal with beer costs 2,100 yen.
Hakuba Valley
Further north of Hakuba Valley, Japan's biggest ski destination, much of its fame owes to the 1998 Winter Olympics. Especially since the resort embraced the spectacular pass, the volleyball portrays skiers from all over the world, only two hours on board from Tokyo via highway trains. The vast and diverse landscape of Hakuba, composed of ten resorts under one lift, is striped with over 200 or so runs that correspond to all levels. This features challenging moguls running between, from the alpine slopes above the treeline to the powdery trails bent through the Birch forest. The view here is unusual. Because the resort is surrounded on all sides by forested feather follicles of white top peaks.
Pass: 9,700 yen per day.
Where to Stay: As the cozy alpine design suggests, the hotel's Goryukan was built to serve skiers. It is a major location near ski storage, laundry facilities, inside and outside bodies and lifts. Doubles starts at 44,000 yen per night. Hakuba Tokyu Hotel is a family-friendly ski hotel. Room designs include a campsite, a wooden fort and a planetarium. In the heart of the valley there is a shuttle at the resort. Doubles starts at 25,000 yen.
Where to eat: Izakaya hie is a popular log cabin restaurant serving traditional small plates of tavern dishes such as fried chicken skin, beef sashimi, fresh oysters and pickled vegetables. Dinner with beer is 2,400 yen. Please make a reservation in advance. Soba-Syubo Zen offers excellent Soba and Tempura in a cozy place. Dinner with sake for 1,400 yen.
Myoko kogen
For skiers looking for isolated, often empty runs, Myoko Kogen is a rest from a more commercialized resort in Japan. Three hours by train from Tokyo, this relatively secret snowy Shangri-La features nine separate resorts surrounding Mount Mioko, 8,051 feet. A longtime favorite among older Japanese skiers and snowboarders, Mioko retains her old-fashioned charm with an outdated lift and a nostalgic bucket gondola. With its steep running of Myoko, the valley's famous medicinal hot springs combine vibrant snow with gentle relaxation in a gorgeous way.
Pass: 7,200 yen per day.
Where to Stay: The Han Kanko Hotel is a ski-in and ski-out “Grand Hotel” built in 1937, and was stylishly modernized in 2016. Doubles starts at 15,500 yen. Hotel Taiko offers Western-style and Japanese rooms, with a focus on therapeutic hot springs and spas. Fees start at 31,000 yen.
Where to eat: Restaurant Shibuya is a family-run facility offering everything from crispy tofu to Japanese beef. Dinner with beer for 1,500 yen. Restaurant By Air specializes in innovative plant-based, fixed-price meals around the communal table. An 8-course meal with a wine pairing, 22,300 yen.
Takayama Blanche
Blanche Takayama enjoys a cult status among Japanese skiers, but few Westerners know about it. Three hours from Tokyo by train and taxi, it's a resort like Skeen – snowboarding is not permitted (though that ban is scheduled to be temporarily lifted on March 17th), ski purists Much to frustration. The resort offers an intimate atmosphere with just five lifts. The gentle sloped powder-covered run provides a calm playground for those seeking solitude.
Pass: 4,000 yen per day.
Where to Stay and Dining: Ikedabayashi Hotel is an elegant resort 6 miles from Takayama Blanche. It spans a huge indoor and outdoor hot spring and features an exquisite evening Western and Japanese dinner buffet. Prices start at 27,000 yen per night, along with breakfast.
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