Japan Ski fields – where to go!
Japan is home to 500 ski fields! With so much choice it can be hard to know where to visit.
Deciding where to go will depend very much on what you want to experience. Do you want a big ski village with lots of options of slopes? Do you want to stay close to Tokyo to reduce travel? Do you want more of a traditional Japanese village feel? Do you need lessons in English? Do you want somewhere that accommodates Western style food and accommodation options? Do you want ski in/ski out accommodation?
Disclaimer: We are by no means experts in snow sports! There are many families that travel to Japan for the snow every year. For us 2019 was our first time snowboarding in Japan. However, in planning to go we did hours of research so here is what we learnt and hopefully it will help you with planning your trip!
There are many islands that make up Japan but the islands of Hokkaido in the North and the main island of Honshu are the main areas for snow and snow sports.
Northern Island of Hokkaido
Hokkaido fields are known for their powder and are very popular with tourists and especially Aussies. It is a little further north than Tokyo so many families book their flights to Sapporo (although it will generally have a Tokyo stopover).
Furano
Furano is hailed as a fantastic family friendly ski resort with English ski school and kids under 12 ski free all season.
Niseko
Niseko is one of the most popular resorts and famous for its powder. There are many international travellers (mostly Aussies!) so many people speak English, there are western restaurants and ski lessons in English. However, it is known as one of the more expensive slopes and it can get busy in the holidays. If you are after an all included holiday then Niseko club med is one option, although again the prices are on the high end.
Rusutsu
Rusutsu is also known for its powder, but is apparently not as crowded as Niseko. It boasts a kids snow park with tubing and snow biking. It has a couple of modern hotels, one of which is ski in/ski out. There are also some self contained options.
Sahoro
If you are looking for an all included skiing holiday then consider Club Med Sahoro for ski in/ski out accommodation, however, it is not ideal for those wanting to holiday on the cheep.
Tomamu
Tomamu continually comes up as fantastic for families. Mostly because it has a huge variety of activities including the largest indoor wave pool in Japan (and its heated!) There are heaps of snow activities including snow mobile, snow rafting, dog sledding, ice skating rink, ice bar and ice church! Accommodation, is mostly in the four huge tower block hotels which are ski in/out.
Main Island Honshu
The ski fields closest to Tokyo are those in the Nagano area. Nagano hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics and you can see evidence of this throughout this area. There is a snow shuttle that can transport directly from Haneda and Narita airports to the snow fields (Hakuba, Madarao Kogen, Myoko Kogen, Nozawa Onsen and Shiga Kogen), making these fields easily accessible.
Travelling further North is the Niigata area (Naeba) then on to Zao and then furthest North on Honshu Island is Appi.
Shiga Kogen
Shiga Kogen is the largest ski resort in the country. It has 19 interconnected ski resorts that are accessible with the one pass so there are lots of options. Many of the resorts have ski in/out hotels and some even have their own gondolas. The near by Snow Monkey park is a popular day trip.
Hakuba
Hakuba is also popular and has 11 ski resorts connected by a shuttle bus including Happo One, Iwatake, Tsugaike, Hakuba 47 and Goryu. They are known for their excellent English ski schools and are family friendly. The Evergreen International Ski School is a popular English school and can provide transport for some private lessons.
Myoko Kogen
Myoko Kogen is a village offering traditional Japanese culture, it has Japanese accommodation as well as western accommodation options. Lessons for skiing and snowboarding are offered in English. It also has a number of hot springs or Onsen to relax in at the end of a day on the slopes.
Naeba
Naeba is a purpose built modern resort by Prince hotels with ski in and ski out accommodation. The hotel will pick you up from the station making it easily accessible from Tokyo and popular with families, particularly because kids under 12 ski free.
Nozawa Onsen
Nozawa Onsen is a small traditional village known for its Onsens (hot springs), of which there are 13 in the town, which are free, a great way to relax after a day on the slopes. It is also famous for its Dodojin fire festival held on the 15th January each year. There are a number of ski schools that offer lessons in English. However, the town is a little hilly and there can be a bit of walking for young kids. (Note this is where we decided to stay, more info coming soon)
Where to find more info…
Snow Japan is a fantastic website and has an overview of each ski resort, including facilities, ski schools, lifts, prices and maps of how to get to each snow field. Here they have a section about English lessons at different resorts.
These two sites highlight their top picks for family friendly snow fields. Deep Powder hounds – Best family friendly ski resorts in Japan and Powder hounds – Family Ski holidays Japan.
If you want to take the hassle out of booking transport, accommodation, lessons, gear hire and lift passes, there are a few Aussie companies that can organise things for you such as Skimax, Deep Powder Tours, Travel Plan Ski and Ski Japan (in no particular order as we have not used any of these companies).
No matter what you decide and where you go, you will be warmly welcomed by locals and fellow tourists. The snow fields of Japan have amazing soft powder which creates a magical atmosphere and provides an adventure the family will remember forever.