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Bathing snow monkeys and spiritual traditions are just some of the attractions to skiing in Japan – and the waist deep powder of course!

By Skier & Snowboarder on 5th February 2020

Skiing in Japan has been on the radar of dedicated powder skiers and snowboarders for a number of years. Lisa Young went to sample Hakuba and Naeba

The snow that falls upon Japan’s resorts has to be some of the best in the world. It is light, dry and very often chest deep. With a season that lasts from December to May, snow addicts are going the extra distance to try out the near-perfect conditions.

STONE COLD SOBER: A skiing sculpture in Hakuba

Japan is one of the world’s most fascinating countries. It is a small and densely populated collection of islands, which has developed an exhilarating prowess in all things technological and new, while preserving a culture renowned for its courtesy and orderliness. It also boasts some of the world’s best skiing conditions.

I landed at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport as the city was just starting to wake up for the day. The airport is a convenient 20-minute taxi ride (20 km/11 miles) from the city centre and which means it’s not long before I am at the Hoshinoya Tokyo Hotel.

It has the form of a traditional Japanese ryokan (inn), and has an unhurried, meditative pace of spiritual traditions that date back thousands of years. My accommodation is like an exotic, rustic nest, perched high in the sky among the rest of Tokyo’s modern concrete skyscrapers.

The following day, I board a train and head north-east through this enticing and mysterious country. By train, it takes under two hours to get from Tokyo to Nagano City and it’s then a taxi or bus ride to Hakuba, making a trip to the mountains from Tokyo very simple and achievable.

To travel on one of the Shinkansen bullet trains is to feel as if one is hurtling into the future itself. They criss-cross the country at up to 320kmh – three times as fast as conventional express trains.

March is a great time to visit as it brings something special to skiing in Hakuba (and the rest of Japan), with sunny blue days, great snow and quiet resort conditions. This is when heli-skiing kicks off and the backcountry opens up, making easy access to some amazing terrain.

FIRE AND ICE: Tea and hot cakes in the KAI Alps Resort

I check into the recently renovated KAI Alps in Omachi (Nagano), which is a 20-minute drive to the slopes around Hakuba. Traditional chalet-style houses and small hotels line Hakuba’s streets. It’s a quiet place, almost suburban-looking – quaint even, and not commercial. There are plenty of inexpensive B&Bs, such as Black Pine Lodge, which is located close to the main gondola, and the Hakuba High Mount Hotel, situated just outside the town centre.

I prepare for the slopes in the Spicy Ski Hire shop where they have a good selection of skis, but if you have your own boots and skis, you should consider bringing them with you.

KNEE DEEP: Lisa Young in the powder

Hakuba town is surrounded by ski resorts, with Happo One (pronounced Happo Oh-nay) being its flagship ski area. It is the largest, highest (1,831m at the highest point) and most versatile area, and is known as the ‘steep and deep’ resort – with the most lifts, the most runs and the best access to backcountry skiing. Happo One has an average annual snowfall of 12 metres and does not open until they have a two-metre base from top to bottom.

Next door to Happo One are the linked resorts of Hakuba 47 (1,614 m) and Hakuba Goryu. Their north-westerly facing direction means the two resorts receive an abundant amount of high-quality, dry powder snow – the upper Alps Daira is wide and ungroomed and a lot of fun for higher intermediate and expert skiers.

BATH TIME: Snow Monkeys take a dip

On the way to the next resort, I stop to visit Jigokudani Yaen–Koen – an onsen (hot spring) known globally for its 200+ resident Japanese Macaque monkeys (also known as Snow Monkeys). Although wild, they are fed, and they come down from their forest home to warm their bodies in the hot spring. The hot water may look inviting, but don’t be tempted to join the fury spa fiends, it’s not allowed!
A four-hour drive from Hakuba brings me to the snowfields of Naeba in Niigata Prefecture and I check in at the Naeba Prince Hotel, a sprawling complex that looms over the base of the mountain. On a good day, Naeba offers great conditions for beginner to expert skiers, with 20km of slopes and 44 trails. There are plenty of groomed runs, as well as backcountry skiing and some extreme powder conditions.

Naeba and nearby Kagura make one of Japan’s largest ski areas. The resort is big and busy; what it lacks in character, it makes up for in ski-in, ski-out access to the snow, and generally great snow conditions. It’s worth hiring a guide who can take you off-piste to powder places you would not discover alone – it’s not unusual for Naeba to have knee-to-waist-deep powder.

JAPANESE TURNS: Backcountry skiing in Kagura

Nearby Kagura ski resort offers the chance of a night in a secluded mountain hut, via Japan’s longest gondola lift – the 5.5km Dragondola. The hut sits at an altitude of 1,380m and from here you start your journey over the slopes to the Prince Hotel Wadagoya mountain hut, where you’ll find hostel-style accommodation and dining. Staying here gives you the chance to cut fresh morning tracks on crowd-free slopes down to Kagura.

I eventually return to Tokyo, and my snowy adventures don’t stop as I find myself in the biggest snow storm to hit the city in 10 years, turning the concrete jungle into a winter wonderland. The white city would have been easier to navigate on skis than in a taxi.

If the Japanese powder snow isn’t enough to win you over, then the food and friendly, courteous people will be.