Skiing and Snowboarding in Japan
By Amy Chavez January 15, 2007
Whenever I tell people I ski in Japan, they say "There's skiing in Japan?" And I say, "Remember the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano?" To which they usually say, "Oh, yeah," as if they were remembering a distant cousin, wondering "whatever happened to cousin Nagano?" Sapporo, in Hokkaido, was also host of the Olympics in 1972. Nagano and Sapporo may still be just as distant, but skiing/snowboarding in Japan is well worth going the extra few thousand miles. As a matter of fact, Japan offers some of the best skiing in the world. After all, where else in the world gets over 46 feet of snow every winter? Now I bet I have your attention! Read on.
But fresh powder isn't the only reason to go all the way to Japan to ski and snowboard. You're sure to get a dose of Japanese culture while you're at it. Let the lift operators at the gondolas do all the work by loading and unloading your skis or board for you, while saying "Thank you, have a nice run!" in Japanese. After a day on the slopes, slurp up a bowl of piping hot noodles and enjoy a Japanese "onsen" hot spring bath. That evening, enjoy sushi while watching the snow fall into a Japanese garden. And all this at prices far cheaper than most resorts in North America or Europe.
Why is it so cheap?
Resort development is a new concept in Japan, so most ski areas have not been hit by the big developers putting up high-rise hotels and vacation property rentals. Skiing in Japan is a bit like going back in time: staying in pensions run by local Japanese families and eating and drinking with the locals at the neighborhood izakaya.
Furthermore, Japan's ski areas offer a variety of ways to pay for skiing such as the ability to pay by the hour, or even by the run! What a perfect option for those days when the snow isn't so good or when you just feel like taking a few runs in the morning for first tracks.
Do I need Japanese language skills?
Yes and no. If you want to learn or practice your Japanese and hobnob with the locals, head to Nagano or Sapporo, both of which have the infrastructure to cater to skiers but are still not international destinations. If you'd like to immerse yourself in Japanese culture without having to speak Japanese, head to Niigata-ken, where Steve Brunner's STI ski lodge on the mountain at Ishiuchi is the oldest foreign-run lodge in Japan.
If your main concern is deep powder and being able to get around without needing any Japanese language, while enjoying more of a resort feel, go straight to Niseko (also called Niseko-Hirafu). Niseko is the place everyone is talking about! It has more Australian tourists than Japanese, and more powder snow than you can shake a ski pole at.
Links:
- Outdoor Japan Magazine has excellent reviews on snow resorts in Japan.
English Contacts:
Peter Brunner, STI Ski House, Niigata ken. 3,500 yen per person. Call the lodge directly Tel/fax: 025-783-3434 (winter only) or email Peter at STITYO@aol.com.
Stephen Mawby, Red Ski Lodge, Niseko-Hirafu, Hokkaido (see photo). From 7,000 yen per person including breakfast. Email: stay@theredskihouse.com.
Amy Chavez is author of Guidebook to Japan: What the other guidebooks won't tell you" She is a columnist for The Japan Times, co-hosts the Planet Japan podcast. Visit her website at www.amychavez.com
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