In contrast to the excessive jinks and vibrant après-ski scene that permeate the Alps and Rockies, Japan gives a meditative expertise on its slopes. Snowboarding right here is an nearly reverent affair.
“It’s not about lounging within the solar or partying between runs,” mentioned Sari Levy, 46, who lives in Telluride, Colo., and simply returned from her second ski journey to Japan. “It’s all concerning the snow and ski, ski, ski.”
There’s hardly been a greater time to comply with that directive. Japan is at present having fun with a banner ski season. The Hakuba Valley, the nation’s largest ski space, has already recorded a formidable 370 inches of powder, marking its snowiest season in over a decade. With resorts staying open effectively into April and presumably Could, there’s ample alternative to carve contemporary tracks.
And what tracks! Japan is understood for taking Western establishments — whether or not whiskey, jazz or 7-Eleven shops — and refining them into one thing of its personal. Snowboarding isn’t any exception. Launched to Japan in 1911 by a serious within the Austro-Hungarian military, Theodor von Lerch, on Mount Kanaya, snowboarding has turn into an integral a part of the nation’s outside tradition, with greater than 500 resorts on its mountainous islands.
On the coronary heart of Japan’s ski expertise is the snow itself: mild, dry and delightfully ample. This divine powder, often known as “Japow,” is the results of Siberian Arctic wind sweeping throughout the Sea of Japan, the place it collects moisture earlier than crashing into the towering ranges on Japan’s northern islands.
For many skiers, the fluffy, dry snow that appears to fall nearly day by day is the stuff of goals.
With the U.S. greenback at present robust, and raise tickets, motels and meals typically extra reasonably priced than at Western resorts, a ski journey to Japan can really feel like a cut price. The worth of a world flight is definitely outweighed by the comparatively low price of entry to countless powder and glorious services.
“It’s truly cheaper for me to fly to Japan and go snowboarding there than to spend per week at a spot like Aspen or Vail,” Ms. Levy mentioned.
The large selection is deciding among the many resort areas on the 2 islands that dominate the ski scene: Hokkaido and Honshu.
Hokkaido: Powder paradise with a Western contact
For a lot of skiers, Hokkaido, Japan’s second-largest island, is the powder paradise. The island’s resorts mix world-class terrain with trendy motels, worldwide eating choices and infrastructure harking back to Vail or Snowbird.
Most guests fly into Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport, a serious hub related to Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok and different Asian cities. Alternatively, the scenic in a single day high-speed train experience from Tokyo is a uniquely Japanese option to journey to this winter wonderland.
Niseko United
A 3-hour bus ride from Sapporo and New Chitose Airport, Niseko United is a favourite amongst American skiers, notably as a result of it accepts the Ikon Pass. The resort is unfold throughout 4 villages on the base of Mount Niseko Annupuri, with lifts and gondolas that carry skiers above the tree line. From there, adventurous souls can descend into broad bowls, lengthy straightaways and exhilarating tree runs via dense pine forests.
Niseko additionally gives off-the-beaten-path experiences, together with a guided ski ascent and descent of Mount Yotei, the imposing 6,227-foot volcano that towers over the valley.
All-mountain ski passes: 10,500 yen, or about $68, a day.
The place to remain: Niseko Northern Resort An’nupuri, a cool midcentury-modern ski lodge, is a family-friendly possibility, with all the pieces from laundry services, ski leases and lockers to a minimart and an on-site onsen, or scorching spring. The mountain’s newbie slopes are subsequent door. Doubles begin at ¥12,600. Shiguchi exudes Zen-like minimalism and magnificence in 5 luxuriously renovated conventional wooden farmhouses nestled on a forested hill. Every can accommodate as much as six folks and comes with a personal onsen. There’s additionally a spa and a superb Japanese restaurant hooked up to the inn. Doubles, together with breakfast, begin at ¥180,000.
The place to eat: The Barn by Odin gives superb Japanese fusion eating in a glassy trendy model of a conventional Hokkaido barn. Tasting menu with wine pairing is ¥7,000. Afuri focuses on ramen and tavern meals with selfmade noodles and has a superb bar and gorgeous views of Mount Yotei. Dinner with sake, ¥5,100.
Sapporo
Perched above the colourful metropolis of Sapporo, Sapporo Teine gives a novel mix of city experiences and world-class powder. Skiers and snowboarders can get pleasure from a extra intimate different to Niseko, with north-facing slopes that catch snow instantly off the Sea of Japan. The resort’s diversified terrain supplies sweeping views of not solely the sprawling metropolis beneath but additionally the rugged shoreline.
Passes: ¥8,200 per day.
The place to remain: JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo is an opulent trendy resort related to the practice station within the metropolis heart. Ask for a excessive ground for views of town and mountains. Doubles begin at ¥20,000 per evening. Sapporo Stream Hotel, with a modern, Scando-modernist vibe, opened final 12 months within the leisure district. Doubles begin at ¥11,000 per evening.
The place to eat: Be a part of the road of locals in Soup Curry Garaku, a revered rustic joint specializing in Sapporo’s signature curry dish. Dinner with native draft beer runs about ¥1,100. Sapporo Beer Garden serves scrumptious native lamb dishes that you could drown with draft mugs of the well-known native brew. Dinner with beer, ¥1,800; an all-you-can-eat-and-drink possibility goes for ¥5,280.
Honshu: Gliding into Japanese tradition
Japan’s important island blends snowboarding with cultural immersion. Resorts are sometimes set in picturesque historic villages, giving guests the chance to combine sport with tourism. Honshu is extra prone to have clear, blue skies — a reprieve from Hokkaido’s perpetually stormy climate.
Nozawa Onsen
Nozawa Onsen, considered one of Japan’s oldest ski resorts, is a uncommon mix of previous and new. The resort is as famend for its dozen public onsens — some thought thus far to the eighth century — as it’s for its various terrain. Nozawa Onsen stays an enthralling village that has sidestepped the overcommercialization of many trendy ski locations. The village’s slender alleys, lined with shrines and temples, supply a glimpse of conventional Japan, the place guests nonetheless sleep on tatami mats and dine near the ground.
Skiers meander via these atmospheric streets, heading towards 19 lifts and gondolas that whisk them up Mount Kenashi. The mountain’s identify — which means “the bald” in Japanese — couldn’t be extra deceptive, as its peak is blanketed in powder-dusted pines. On a snowy day, the scene resembles an historic woodblock print, frozen in time.
Although Nozawa Onsen’s setting evokes a deep sense of custom, its lifts and gondolas have been present process an in depth overhaul lately. The result’s a resort that marries historic appeal with trendy services.
Passes: ¥7,300 a day.
The place to remain: Kiriya Ryokan is a family-friendly inn with glorious meals close to the transferring walkway to the lifts. Rooms begin at ¥15,000 an evening. Lodge Nagano is an easy finances lodge with a really perfect location proper subsequent to the lifts. The beginning worth is ¥5,500 an evening in a shared bunk room with breakfast included. Personal doubles begin at ¥14,000.
The place to eat: Hamachozush is an old-school sushi restaurant with ground or bar seating. Dinner with sake is ¥5,800. Hakugin is a slope-side restaurant with hearty Japanese mountain meals like miso ramen and tonkatsu pork cutlets. A meal with beer is ¥2,100.
Hakuba Valley
Farther north, Hakuba Valley, Japan’s largest ski vacation spot, owes a lot of its fame to the 1998 Winter Olympics. Only a two-hour experience from Tokyo by way of high-speed practice, the valley attracts skiers from across the globe, particularly since its resorts settle for the Epic Pass. Comprising 10 resorts underneath a single raise ticket, Hakuba’s huge and diversified landscapes are streaked with over 200 runs that cater to all ranges — from alpine slopes above the tree line to powdery trails winding via birch forests, and difficult mogul runs nestled in between. The surroundings right here is uncommon, because the resort is walled in on all sides by a forested palisade of white-topped peaks.
Passes: ¥9,700 a day.
The place to remain: As its cozy alpine design suggests, Hotel Goryukan was constructed to serve skiers, with ski storage, laundry services, an inside-outside onsen and a main location close to the lifts. Doubles begin at ¥44,000 an evening. Hakuba Tokyu Hotel is a family-friendly ski resort — room designs embrace a campground, a tree fort and a planetarium — within the coronary heart of the valley with shuttles to the resorts. Doubles begin at ¥25,000.
The place to eat: Izakaya Hie is a well-liked log cabin restaurant serving conventional small-plate tavern dishes reminiscent of fried hen pores and skin, beef sashimi, contemporary oysters and pickled greens. Dinner with beer is ¥2,400; reserve effectively upfront. Soba-Syubo Zen gives glorious soba and tempura in a comfy locale. Dinner with sake, ¥1,400.
Myoko Kogen
For skiers searching for remoted, typically empty runs, Myoko Kogen is a respite from Japan’s extra commercialized resorts. Three hours by practice from Tokyo, this comparatively secret snowy Shangri-la is residence to 9 impartial resorts surrounding 8,051-foot Mount Myoko. A longtime favourite amongst older Japanese skiers and snowboarders, Myoko retains an old-school appeal, with timeworn lifts and a nostalgic bucket gondola. Myoko’s steep runs and the valley’s famed medicinal onsen mix exhilarating snow and serene leisure — with out the glitz.
Passes: ¥7,200 per day.
The place to remain: Akakura Kanko Hotel is a ski-in, ski-out “grand resort” inbuilt 1937 and stylishly modernized in 2016. Doubles begin at ¥15,500. Hotel Taiko has Western-style and Japanese rooms centered on a therapeutic scorching spring and spa. Charges begin at ¥31,000.
The place to eat: Restaurant Shibata is a family-run establishment the place all the pieces from crispy tofu to Wagyu beef is served. Dinner with beer, ¥1,500. Restaurant by A.I.R. focuses on modern, plant-based, fixed-price meals round a communal desk. An eight-course meal with wine pairing, ¥22,300.
Blanche Takayama
Though Blanche Takayama enjoys cult standing amongst Japanese skiers, few Westerners find out about it. Three hours from Tokyo by practice and taxi, it’s a ski-only resort — no snowboarding allowed (although that ban is tentatively scheduled to be lifted on March 17), a lot to the chagrin of ski purists. The resort supplies an intimate environment, with solely 5 lifts. Gently sloping, powder-covered runs via dense forest supply a serene playground for these searching for solitude.
Passes: ¥4,000 a day.
The place to remain and eat: Shirakabako Ikedaike Hotel is a sublime resort six miles from Blanche Takayama. It straddles an unlimited indoor-outdoor onsen and options an beautiful nightly Western and Japanese dinner buffet. Charges begin at ¥27,000 an evening, with breakfast.
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