Skiing and snowboarding in Japan for first timers

We do not claim to be a skiing family or experts of any sort! This post is for families like us that want to check out Japan and spend some time in the snow while they are there. Here are our suggestions for planning and organising your trip.

Decide which ski field to visit

This is probably the hardest step. Check out this page for a summary of the slopes. There are two main areas; Hokkaido, the Northern Island of Japan and Nagano which is closer to Tokyo. There are many other smaller slopes but for first time families it may be easiest to just consider these two main areas.

Hokkaido area, particularly the Niseko ski field is the most popular with Aussies and has been called ‘Little Australia’. It is very popular with keen skiers and is known for its amazing powder. However, it is an additional flight north to Sapporo.

Nagano area is a bullet train ride from Tokyo so more accessible and if you are keen to check out the Snow Monkeys, you will find them in this area. There are a number of ski fields in the Nagano area. Shiga Kogen is the largest with 19 connected ski resorts so there is something for everyone. Hakuba is fast growing as one of the most popular areas, or you could go for the more traditional Nozawa Onsen or Myoko Kogen.

Decide how long you want to stay for and book flights!

This will be dependent on how long you have for your holiday and what other sites you want to see while in Japan. At the very least we’d recommend spending some time in Tokyo as well as Osaka/Kyoto.

Is your focus is skiing/snowboarding which just happens to be in Japan? Or is this a family holiday in Japan with a chance to see some snow? If you have younger kids or have not skied before you may want less days on the slopes, three or four days may be more than enough. There are many family adventures in the snow areas, including exploring Onsens and visiting snow monkeys, see this blog for ideas. Whatever you decide, we’d recommend putting the snow part of the holiday last, just in case of accidents (speaking from experience!).

We have done a number of different trips to the snow and if you are a keen skiier then you will know what your family likes to do for skiing holidays. If you are a first timer then this is what we did for our kids first trip. We spent a week in Tokyo then a week in Osaka with trips to Kyoto followed by a week in the snow. We stayed four nights in Nozawa Onsen. The first day, we settled in and organised our gear, the next two days were lessons (although only one for me after a trip to the hospital and a cast for broken bones!) We had planned another day on the slopes but the kids were keen to check out the monkeys so we went for a day trip to see them. We then continued the snow adventure and stayed one night in the magical Ginzan Onsen and then one night in Zao Onsen to see the snow monsters before coming back to Tokyo for Sumo and our flights home. All up, although we spent a week in the snow, we only had two days snowboarding. The kids really loved it and so we have been a back a few times since. The two days for this trip was enough time for them to become quite confident but they were also keen to be tourists and check out the area and so was I!

Note: Make sure you get travel insurance (personal experience speaking)!

Find accommodation

In snow season accommodation options can be pricey, particularly with a large family. Think about what suits your family. Do you want a hotel where meals are included (‘half board’ means that dinner and breakfast are included) or would you prefer self contained accommodation and facilities for your own meals? Would you prefer a western bed after a day on the slopes or can you manage tatami mat/Japanese style rooms? Do you need a second room to put kids to sleep in at night? Do you want a hotel that has a shuttle to the ski slopes or will you have a car?

If you are after self contained accommodation we tend to use booking.com or Airbnb.

Whichever you decide, it is important to book early, Japan snow is very popular. Having said that you will find some places that are just booked out all the time no matter how early you are! This is often for places run by locals, which only open a few months before. These are the places to look out for if you are planning things late. So its up to you, do you want to hang out and hope you get something good later? or book now and know you have a place to stay?

Book ski/snowboard lessons

Depending on where you are and where you are staying, this may be done for you. Many places will allow bookings on arrival, however, to ensure you can have English speaking lessons it is safer to do this in advance. Contact your accommodation and see if they have recommendations or in house people that you can book lessons with (even if you have booked through Airbnb or booking.com). Lessons and snow hire can book out, however, booking ski lifts can be done on the day and may be preferable as changes in conditions might dictate the best slopes.

Start shopping for winter clothes in the winter sales

We purchased snow jackets for everyone in Australia before we left, and these were great to have not just in the snow but while we were out and about in Japan, particularly at night. We also made sure that we all had thermals, warm socks, beanies, gloves and neck gaiters. We were so glad we had them. We had waterproof shoes which were great for hanging out in the snow, this kept our feet insulated and warm. Check out this post for more details about winter clothing.

We had been advised to buy our own goggles to ensure they fitted the kids and because hire goggles aren’t that great and sometimes you can;t hire them, only purchase. They didn’t take up much room in the luggage. Everything else we hired (snowboard, boots, helmets, ski pants).

Plan the rest of your stay in Japan

For some ideas and suggestions of adventures and experiences in Japan see ‘Top things to do in Japan according to the kids‘ and ‘Top things to do in Japan according to the parents‘.

Start prepping the kids!

Here are a few things to get the kids excited and prepared for the most awesome holiday ever! Yen charts to start saving spending money, skateboarding to prep for snowboarding, watch some Gundam, Pokemon, My Neighbour Totoro or Sailor moon, eat sushi and practice eating with chopsticks.