 Poster: A snowHead
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after a great trip to Hokkaido this year, we have got the bug and want to go back for more in 2025.This year we were on a Niseko/Otaru Whiterooms trip followed by 3 days in Furano. We are a group of 4 ,enjoy powder/off piste-lift served.
So trying to put together a private trip for us with guides for the most part.
I am drawn to trying out Tohoku/Morioka,for a different experience to Hokkaido. Any advice on how the 2 trips might compare would be gratefully received to help me make a decision.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Sorry, see you are off to Tohoku
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@mooney058, thanks for the recommendation.(still considering Hokkaido)are you a boarder or a skier?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Myfanwy, wow, what an insult - a boarder 
I am skier but in our group this year there were boarders and Ken boards too
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I am sure Admin and mods won't mind me directing you to the best source of Japan snow info on the web -
https://www.ski.com.au/xf/forums/japan.51/
There are people with decades of Japan snow experience on the Aussie ski forum.
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Depends what you're looking for
There are still plenty of great, small Hokkaido resorts with one or two lifts that no / very few foreigners go to.
Not big vertical so you'll be lapping all day.
But there will be next to no competition and very low prices for tickets, food and nearby accommodation.
You'll have more of a Japanese experience with few people able to speak English.
Small, uncrowded resorts eliminate the need for guides. Just follow your nose.
For example, Katsurazawa Kokusetsu
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwQhoscse2p/?img_index=3
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Tohoku has great resorts which are less busy than the bigger Hokkaido resorts.
Similar snow.
Way more cultural stuff to see than Hokkaido.
Whiteroom do stuff on Honshu too. So if you liked their operation then they could be a choice.
Hokkaido Backountry Club also run tours and know the region very well.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Instead of starting a new thread I'll piggyback on this (sorry@Myfanwy) I'm also thinking of going to the Hokkaido region to ski in the coming winter. I have skied the Alps and in North America before and Japan has always been on my bucket list. My questions at the moment are more basic:
No one in our group speaks Japanese would it be a problem?
How does the ski resort system work? Say in France ski-in ski-out is relatively common compared to the US or Austria. How does Japan compare? Similarly, normally with big ski resorts in Europe there are many transfers (shared or private) from the airport to the resort? Is it the same in Japan? Or would we need a car? How's the driving condition in Japan?
I'm considering the Hokkaido region but would also consider Nagano and Niigata region? Based on my research I think Hokkaido snow is better generally but please do correct me if I'm wrong
This is down to personal preference but do people tend to stay in the same ski area for the whole week or they go to different ski resorts? E.g. perhaps stay in Sapporo and ski Furano and Niesko? My understanding is that Japanese ski resorts are a lot smaller than European ones (and off piste is a big thing). Our group ability is mixed, there are two really good skiers who can ski everywhere and there are two strong intermediate skiers (who are technically competent but might or might not be up for off-piste skiing)
Are there any unusual bits/quirks about skiing in Japan that's different from skiing in Europe or the US that I should be aware of?
Is it common to ski for a week e.g. Sat to Sat or Sun to Sun (like they have a popular transfer day or it doesn't matter)?
Thanks a lot!
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Fri 28-06-24 15:27; edited 1 time in total
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| Quote: |
and there are two strong intermediate skiers (who are technically competent but might or might not be up for off-piste skiing)
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They're wasting their money if they're not keen on skiing off-piste, IME the majority of the on-piste skiing in Japan is fairly mediocre, the reason to ski there is to ski powder, or to have a cultural holiday with a bit of skiing thrown in. This is assuming that you're travelling from Europe, if travel to Japan is as easy as to Europe then there is less in it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| euanovsky wrote: |
No one in our group speaks English would it be a problem?
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Imagine that would be quite tricky without English or Japanese. Although i found DeepL quite useful when trying to converse in Japanese
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| BobinCH wrote: |
| euanovsky wrote: |
No one in our group speaks English would it be a problem?
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Imagine that would be quite tricky without English or Japanese. Although i found DeepL quite useful when trying to converse in Japanese |
D'oh sorry meant to say no one in our group speaks Japanese!
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Deleted - duplicate post
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You know it makes sense.
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@euanovsky,
On the language point - learning 10-20 key words is useful. Idem for studying basic does/donts. E.g. had to tell a couple of muppets of who did not stick to an onsen etiquette of washing yourself properly before going into pools.
Re resorts - these are usually smaller than in Europe and having a car is the way to go ime. In Europe I usually stay put in one area, in Japan I drive (5-60 min).
The draw of Japan is indeed offpiste but piste skiing is VERY good - esp Rusutsu
Accom could be rented for any duration depending on availability. Especially as most of it is close to resort, ie in a town/village.
My advice - 2 weeks minimum, 2-3 bases. One of the base could be in a resort, others could be slightly outside and driving each morning for 5-60 minutes to lifts. Car for the whole period (requirements for driver’s permit !)
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| euanovsky wrote: |
| Instead of starting a new thread I'll piggyback on this (sorry@Myfanwy) |
It’s not my thread. Perhaps @Myfanwy don’t mind after all. But I think it’s bad form to intrude on other people’s thread and ask different questions the OP not interested.
And it isn’t like you just ask one clarifying question. You completely derailed the OP’s thread into a very different direction.
Go ahead and discuss.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Posting this from a Shinkansen from Morioka down to Tokyo. I’ve spent time in the Tohoku region twice, but in the summer, unfortunately! I have no first hand knowledge of skiing there, but I really want to come back in the winter next time. The region itself is beautiful and has many many smaller ski areas. The touring/backcountry potential is massive. 2 hours from Tokyo to Morioka.
And
| Mike Pow wrote: |
For example, Katsurazawa Kokusetsu
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Shhhhh!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| abc wrote: |
| euanovsky wrote: |
| Instead of starting a new thread I'll piggyback on this (sorry@Myfanwy) |
It’s not my thread. Perhaps @Myfanwy don’t mind after all. But I think it’s bad form to intrude on other people’s thread and ask different questions the OP not interested.
And it isn’t like you just ask one clarifying question. You completely derailed the OP’s thread into a very different direction.
Go ahead and discuss. |
Yea fair point will bear that in mind next time. I can see where you are coming from it's not a general "Skiing in HoKkaiddo/Japan" thread". I was just trying to not create too many multiple threads with similar themes. (I also did do some searches first!)
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
I was just trying to not create too many multiple threads with similar themes.
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At the risk of further derailing the original thread…
I never understand why “too many threads” is thought to be a bad thing.
Personally, I would prefer people create a thread with clear title (rather than a vague “help with Canada”). Makes it easier for readers to choose whether to look into the thread or not. Also easier to search.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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100%
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| euanovsky wrote: |
Instead of starting a new thread I'll piggyback on this (sorry@Myfanwy) I'm also thinking of going to the Hokkaido region to ski in the coming winter. I have skied the Alps and in North America before and Japan has always been on my bucket list. My questions at the moment are more basic:
No one in our group speaks Japanese would it be a problem? |
You edited this to English. Not a problem. Plenty of signage and someone will speak English unless you go deep into the smaller, less visited areas.
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| How does the ski resort system work? Say in France ski-in ski-out is relatively common compared to the US or Austria. How does Japan compare? |
Plenty of slopeside accommodation across all sizes of Japanese resorts. Obviously more expensive compared with being in ski village or nearby towns. Some resorts only have slopeside accommodation.
| Quote: |
| Similarly, normally with big ski resorts in Europe there are many transfers (shared or private) from the airport to the resort? Is it the same in Japan? Or would we need a car? How's the driving condition in Japan? |
Cheap, efficient bus & train transfers available.
Car hire is preferable if you want to see more than one resort.
Driving conditions can range from great to diabolical. Slow and steady wins the race.
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| I'm considering the Hokkaido region but would also consider Nagano and Niigata region? Based on my research I think Hokkaido snow is better generally but please do correct me if I'm wrong |
Hokkaido is more consistent, not necessarily better. You can experience the best conditions of your life all over Japan.
| Quote: |
This is down to personal preference but do people tend to stay in the same ski area for the whole week or they go to
different ski resorts? E.g. perhaps stay in Sapporo and ski Furano and Niesko? My understanding is that Japanese ski resorts are a lot smaller than European ones (and off piste is a big thing). Our group ability is mixed, there are two really good skiers who can ski everywhere and there are two strong intermediate skiers (who are technically competent but might or might not be up for off-piste skiing) |
Both. Most will travel to one resort e.g. Niseko and ski there most of the time. Maybe do a day trip to another resort.
The beauty of Japanese skiing is the off-piste is easily accessible and the transition from skiing piste to exploring off-piste is the best I've encountered worldwide.
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| Are there any unusual bits/quirks about skiing in Japan that's different from skiing in Europe or the US that I should be aware of? |
Most of the great skiing is near and/or amongst the trees.
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Is it common to ski for a week e.g. Sat to Sat or Sun to Sun (like they have a popular transfer day or it doesn't matter)?
Thanks a lot! |
In the larger more established resorts this is more of a thing.
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| Quote: |
| Quote: |
| No one in our group speaks Japanese would it be a problem? |
You edited this to English. Not a problem. Plenty of signage and someone will speak English unless you go deep into the smaller, less visited areas. |
It's a little tricky in some places but English, a bit of sign language and some good ol' fashioned assumption got us through. Although I'd advise having some data and using google translate, we got a specific Japanese sim card which had a chunk of data on it.
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| Car hire is preferable if you want to see more than one resort. |
I would definitely say car hire is preferable, it also opens up some much more affordable or central accommodation so that you can get to different ski areas.
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| You can experience the best conditions of your life all over Japan. |
Caveat that you can also experience something a bit mediocre, it's not a guarantee of snow up to your nips. I know people that have done 2 week trips and not had any snow. On my trip in 2020 there weren't huge amounts of snow until the last day or two. I think local knowledge helps, I'm going to look at some guiding next time I go.
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| The beauty of Japanese skiing is the off-piste is easily accessible and the transition from skiing piste to exploring off-piste is the best I've encountered worldwide. |
I would not say that the transition was hugely different to what I've experienced elsewhere. Kiroro has good off piste areas with signage, and lots of them, but I'd say that somewhere like The Stash at Flachauwinkl is an easier transition/intro to off piste. There are more options though.
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| Are there any unusual bits/quirks about skiing in Japan that's different from skiing in Europe or the US that I should be aware of? |
A lot of the areas have loads of children from schools, there are massive queues but there is usually a split so paying punters get priority...at least I think so, or we just kept pushing in
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxlbaTSwWCivTZv3nGYiPHjhzAHkdmDKQi?si=qlQfqLB-lp_zCptS
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| Is it common to ski for a week e.g. Sat to Sat or Sun to Sun (like they have a popular transfer day or it doesn't matter)? |
We went to a different place pretty much every day, just got one or two day lift passes. That makes it easier to pick where to ski based on weather. Some people go the extra effort of booking different accommodation in various areas on the island, booking.com have a lot of Free Cancellation deals so you can have 3 places booked and then cancel two of them a day or two before. That's a bit too much effort for my liking.
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@euanovsky, OP here . my tuppence worth which echoes what has been said above- went for first time to Hokkaido this year (on my bucket list for years) and loved it, but as said above its probably only really worth going all that way if you plan to explore the off piste powder. In our case it really didn't disappoint -and the whole Japanese experience-food/people etc etc also was amazing. Hence why we're looking at going back so soon.Thanks for the Tohoku info Mooney, Mike Powder and Wiigman.
going to try and get my head around North Honshu options, but may be easier arranging DIY with the now familiar Hokkaido.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Myfanwy, I'd recommend a bullet train trip if you can. They really are fun and diff to Hokk. Morioka is so easy for accomm. Geto Kogen/Appi/Amihari Onsen/Hakkoda all recommended resorts. For example see: www.fall-line.co.uk/geto-kogen-japan/
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@wiigman, thanks. I will keep looking but we (group of 4 ) would want a guide to get the most of the experience and other than organised tours I am drawing a blank (but not given up) I'll have a look at your recommended resorts.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Myfanwy wrote: |
| @wiigman, thanks. I will keep looking but we (group of 4 ) would want a guide to get the most of the experience and other than organised tours I am drawing a blank (but not given up) I'll have a look at your recommended resorts. |
Last two times I did a Honshu mix. Tour with Powder Recon (who showed me bangers like Amihari Onsen with brilliant hotel at base, plus Hakkoda if weather allows), then some resorts on my own. For example with Geto, IMHO you're waisting your time/money with a guide, as it's so small and straight-forward; but they do get huge snow, and no mid-week traffic based on my few days there. Appi out of Morioka is great too.
Asahikawa area - def. worth a look. Lots of guiding/touring ops. And great value vv Niseko...
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| BobinCH wrote: |
| euanovsky wrote: |
No one in our group speaks English would it be a problem?
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Imagine that would be quite tricky without English or Japanese. Although i found DeepL quite useful when trying to converse in Japanese |
Papago is a decent app as well. Certainly better than google when it comes to taking a photo fo text!
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FAQ
