Ski Japan’s new frontier – venturing beyond Niseko and into deep powder snow country.
No Australian skier could have missed out on hearing about the wonders of skiing in Japan these days – spectacular scenery, bottomless powder snow and sensational food, with the bonus of virtually no jetlag thanks to a two-hour time difference (from Australia’s east coast). The problem is, the spotlight fell so firmly on the powder magnet of Niseko that some would say the small town and its impressive ski fields are overrun with Australians. Ski tour operators have been quick to offer alternatives in a market obviously eager for more. Japanese ski resort owners who have watched Niseko’s success are also keen to lure more international visitors, so you can expect a warm welcome in the newer ski resorts across the country. The ski season runs from December through to early May in some places, although the best months for deep powder tend to be January and February. Keep in mind, too, that Hokkaido is a more relaxed place to ski, whereas the Honshu resorts are more populated, but also bigger. Most people who travel to Japan to ski do so through a tour operator as the language barrier presents a major difficulty in organising independent travel. Much information – especially about bars and restaurants – is communicated on online skier forums and tour operator websites such as Travelplan, Value Tours and Snowave.
Honshu
Nozawa Onsen
An exotic delight about 90 minutes’ bus ride from Nagano, this area is a slice of traditional Japan. Think cobblestone streets, hot springs and Buddhist temples, and many cosy, friendly ryokan (traditional Japanese lodgings). The skiing is sublime – waist-deep powder is common – and there are great views. Bizarrely, for a place so steeped in the past, a long and super-modern undercover moving walkway links the hill to the ancient village. Time your visit for mid-January to coincide with the amazing fire festival. Nozawa suits people who are into their skiing and don’t desire a raging nightlife – but you will find intimate bars serving strong cocktails. Lift queues are still an oddity here, so enjoy the lack of them while it lasts.
Website
Stay Ryokan Sakaya.
Eat Kiriya Ryokan, 8714-2 Nozawa Onsen-mura, Shimotakai-gun, Nagano-ken. (025) 389 2502. This 15-room traditional inn comes highly recommended.
Drink Foot Bar offers cheap drinks and friendly staff.
Hakuba
It is no surprise Hakuba was one of the first ski resorts outside of Niseko to attract the attention of tour operators. It’s enormous, beautiful and easy to reach, with excellent slopes for beginners through to experts. A 90-minute bullet train ride from Tokyo deposits skiers in Nagano, from where it’s a one-hour bus ride to Hakuba. There are seven ski resorts in the area, famous for an abundance of light, dry powder. The most popular are Happo-One – a 1998 Winter Olympics site – and on the neighbouring peak, the linked resorts of Goryu Toomi (night skiing until 10pm) and Hakuba 47. Happo-One has some of the longest, steepest drops in Japan, perfect bump runs and cruisers, and spectacular back country. Surrounding peaks dwarf the abundant hotels, lodges and restaurants of Hakuba town, which is dotted with a dozen or so onsen (hot springs).
Website
Stay Hakuba Tokyu. This six-storey hotel has two restaurants (French and Japanese) and a cocktail bar.
Eat La Neige Restaurant, (261) 725 211.
Drink Omoshiro Hasshinchi hotel is home to one of the biggest nightclubs.
Shiga Kogen
Japan’s biggest ski resort, Shiga Kogen, is just down the road from Hakuba and offers 21 interlinked resorts on the same lift pass. It takes days to explore, so stay at least a week. Strangely, European influences have crept in, with Tyrolean architecture amid the sushi restaurants and onsen, and among the 100 or so places to stay are the St Christoph Hotel (book through tour operator) and restaurants with French names. Shiga Kogen is one of Japan’s more established ski areas, and while facilities were upgraded for the 1998 Winter Olympic giant slalom, the old-fashioned, egg-shaped gondolas still run alongside ultra-modern lifts. Yakebitai Yama is the most modern of Shiga’s resorts. A popular attraction is the nearby village of Yudanaka Onsen, where the camera-friendly snow monkeys bathe in hot springs.
Website
Stay Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel. Ski-in, ski-out hotel complete with outdoor bathhouse, foot salon, karaoke bar and 10 restaurants.
Eat Okushiga Kogen, (269) 342 034.
Drink Ski Bar Jaron in the Chalet Shiga Kogen.
Myoko Kogen
It may well be off the beaten track, but canny skiers know it’s worth the effort. After a 45-minute bus trip from Nagano city, you’ll discover a slice of Japan not yet on the mass-market radar. The snow can be so deep and light that even aficionados of more famous ski destinations rave about its quality. Six ski areas are linked to Myoko Kogen, with plenty of options for off-piste skiing, often in neck-deep snow. Seki Onsen Resort is the perfect place for back-country skiers; families and beginners should head to Kyukamura Myoko Ski Resort.
Website
Stay Akakura Hotel Annex.
Eat Soratobu Usagi Myoko, 229-2 Suginosawa Myoko Niigata. Hotel and bar – the hot spot.
Hokkaido
Furano
Furano is one of Japan’s biggest and most famous resorts, two and a half hours by train from Sapporo. While word has spread that the snow here tends not to be as deep as at nearby Niseko, Furano can be less crowded and has a large, cosmopolitan town. Here you’ll find plenty of modern lodgings, restaurants and a sake brewery – the Furano Wine Factory – open to visitors. The slopes are accessed by 17 lifts. Beware: the ski patrol is well aware that Westerners like jumping ropes to ski the deep powder, and are always on the lookout for violators. That said, when storms hit, there will be plenty of powder on the slopes. Australian tour operators are now offering transfers between Niseko and Furano, making it easy to include both on the one holiday.
Website
Stay Fresh Powder Apartments & Chalet.
Asahidake
Here is one for the purists and deep-powder, back-country veterans. One cable car lifts adventurers to a saddle beneath the peak, from where there are just four groomed runs and a paradise of powder for those who like it steep and deep. Ski through forest, guided only by ribbons tied to trees, before skiing alongside a steaming river fed by hot volcanic springs. Adding to the experience is the white smoke puffing from the crater of Mount Asahidake, the highest mountain on Hokkaido. Crowds are nonexistent, with only about three dozen skiers a day on the slopes. Asahidake is about 50 minutes by coach from Furano, from where transfers and guided day trips can be organised.
Stay Asahidake Manseikaku Hotel Bearmonte.
Eat The hostel serves seven-course dinners.
Drink from vending machines. Asahidake is too small for nightlife.
Kamui Ski Links
Rarely crowded and with an abundance of powder and joyously deep off-piste runs, Kamui Ski Links is easily accessible from Furano or Asahikawa, about 20km away. Facilities are basic, with a couple of restaurants, plenty of vending machines selling everything from coffee to alcohol, a few ski-rental places and a ski school. People come here for some of the lightest and driest deep snow in Hokkaido, along with uncrowded slopes and the area’s scenic beauty. Beginners are catered for with nicely groomed runs.
Stay Asahikawa Grand Hotel (20km away).
Eat Deden, Asahikawa. 0166 271 900. Contemporary izakaya restaurant.
Drink Casino Drive, Asahikawa. 0166 271 900.
Travel Tips
Most resorts dislike credit cards, so carry plenty of cash – especially in Hokkaido.
Source: Qantas the Australian Way January 2009