Winter Sports

Japan is a very mountainous country and so has plenty of opportunities for winter sports -- both for newbs and pros.

Season

The regular season starts in late December and ends in late March or early April. Peak season is early February. There is also a smaller peak over Christmas and New Year. Package tours within Honshu generally don't start until the weekend before Christmas and end some time between the March long weekend and the first weekend in April. An extended season does exist in some areas. Pre-season skiing can begin as early as late November and many resorts list May 5 as the final day of their spring skiing season. When skiing during either shoulder season, expect a reduction in the number of lanes open to the public due to snow conditions and private lane allotments. There are no summer glaciers or summer snowfields in Japan.

Many resorts hold events during the year especially at the start and end of the season for example, fireworks on the last night of the open season.

Conditions in Japan

Mountains

Many of Japan's ski and snowboarding mountains are in the central highlands (Gifu and Nagano), the Tokoku region, and Hokkaido.

Snow

If you talk about skiing in Japan, you will often hear the phrase, "Japanese snow is very wet." What this means is that thanks to mild winters and all the humidity causing sea water around, the microstructure of Japanese snow has a high moisture content. Think the big clumps of falling snow you would use to make a snowman. Anyone who has skied within sight of an ocean or even the North American Great Lakes will recognize this snow type. Wet snow is a mixed blessing. It comes in huge quantities and gives Japanese mountains their high powder-day count. But this form of snow also comes with a high number of rainy days and an extended slush-skiing season in the spring. The snow itself also degrades (ruts) more easily, so the nice even surfaces of groomed runs don't stay that way for long.

Weather

Japan's winter is milder than other major winter sports locations.

Transportation

Buses

• Leaving from Nagoya or Osaka

  The 2 major ski transport hubs for people living in Mie are Nagoya and Osaka. Most Nagoya buses depart from the area in and around the Meitetsu Bus Center. Nagoya ski buses mainly service the Chubu region. I have yet to find a bus from Naogya that will take me to a resort in the Kinki region. I have never travelled via Osaka for skiing, so I don't know much about those routes, but both Kinki and Chubu resort options are available.

• Leaving from Mie

  Some tours have buses that stop at major train stations in Mie, but expect to pay a lot for this convenience. For example, the Tsu to Nagoya round trip by bus can cost as much as the the round trip by train plus a night's hotel in Nagoya. There is also a possibility that you will not make it to your stop before last train.

• Problems with taking the bus

  The major problem with buses is that they get stuck in traffic a lot. While they do try to budget for this in their ETA, late arrivals are still very common. If you miss your last train because the bus was stuck in traffic, do not expect any compensation. Another bus complaint is that some will ask you to pay an extra luggage fee of 1000-1500 yen in order to bring your equipment with you. With some buses, this fee is only charged to snowboarders.

• Some tips for choosing your bus to minimize delays

  Based on my own experiences, buses travelling from Niigata to Nagoya arrive on time far more often than ones travelling from Nagano so if you don't care where your mountain is, Niigata might be your place. But if your heart is set on Nagano's Hakuba area, choose a bus that does its pick ups at the pensions. Tour pamphlets list all the stops on each route so you'll be able to tell. Never ever take a bus that picks up at any of the Hakuba bases if you can avoid it.

• Luggage ticket system

  Before you get on the bus, you may be given a handful of small colored luggage tickets. This is a color coding system that tells the driver which stop your luggage gets off at. You don't have to write anything on the tickets, but you do have to attatch one to each piece of luggage you bring.

Car

A possible option if you a have a group willing to share the gas, tolls, and driving duties. Many tour companies have "My Car" packages that include everything, but the transporation. I'm not sure if any resorts in Japan charge for parking, so it's best to check your resort online before you arrive.

Rail

As rule, trains do not stop anywhere near ski resorts and you will still have to switch to a bus or other form of transportation once you arrive at the closest station. Among the few exceptions are smaller man-made hills within city limits, but in most cases, these hills are not worth your time. Some hotels and pensions will pick you up from the train station when you arrive if you arrange this service with them ahead of time.

Air

There are no special allowances for ski equipment when flying domestically so you will either have to budget equipment weight into your packing limit (20kg?) or be prepared to pay a weight surcharge. Also, airlines in Japan do not allow waxes onto flights even if they are placed in checked luggage and they are likely to question you on the subject. Some hotels and pensions will pick you up from the airport if you arrange this service ahead of time. Many bus companies also offer shuttle buses between major airports and major resorts.

Lifts and Tickets

• Hours

  Lifts usually start opening from 8:00 or 8:30 and most are closed by 5:00 PM. Some places also have night skiing on a portion of their runs. Night skiing ends around 9:00 PM. Sometimes restaurants and shops on site will open earlier and close later than the lifts.

• Cost

  At most resorts, expect to pay 3000-5000 yen for an adult full day ticket. Many places also offer multi-day rates, half-day rate, and even hourly and per-run rates. Various children's and senior's tickets are also available. Rates may also be different depending on the date, day of the week, or other special promotions.

• Buying your ticket

  Tickets can be bought at the resort the day you plan to ski, but in many cases, the ticket will be cheaper and/or include additional goods or services if it is purchased in advance or from a different company. For example, purchasing a 4900 yen lift ticket at Niseko gets you one day of skiing, but the same 4900 yen ticket from a bus company includes free round trip bus service from Sapporo Station. When bought from any conbini in Hokkaido 4900 yen will get you the ticket plus a 1000 yen food voucher. Lawsons publishes a magazine sized flyer dedicated exclusively to its skiing and snowboarding related Loppi terminal deals. You can also check the internet to see what deals the resort you plan to ski at offers.

• Linked resort tickets

  Many Japanese resorts are actually close enough that it is possible to ski from one to the other without realizing it. Hakuba, for example, is actually three inter-joined resorts and purchasing one ticket gains access to all three. However, this is not always the case and it is possible to unknowningly end up at a lift where your ticket is not valid so when buying a ticket, you should always check what lifts it applies to. Many joined resorts will have shuttle buses connecting the different bases. You may need to show your ticket if you want to ride.

• Using your ticket

  At nearly all resorts the ticket must be scanned each time you board the lift and not just at base lifts. Japan does not use sticker backed or polymer hole punched tickets. Most tickets are credit card sized or smaller and made from cardstock or hard plastic. Reusable IC chips are common. Both types of tickets are made to be kept in clear pockets. Special armband cases can be purchased for about 500 yen. IC tickets do not have to be visible to be valid as long as the machine can read through your clothes. Do not keep metal objects or electronics in the same pocket/area as your IC chip. Resorts using IC tickets will require a refundable deposit of between 500-1000 yen. To get your refund, insert the ticket into the return machine or take it to the ticket counter. Deposits can be collected after the IC chip has expired.

• Lift types

  Chairlifts and gondolas account for almost all lifts. Service on them is generally excellent, but a common criticism of Japanese lifts is the lack of single's lines and reluctance of lifties to fill the lifts to capacity. If snowboarding, you may be asked to put a cover on your snowboard before bringing it into the gondola cabin. In that case covers will be provided. Grease dripping from lifts on rainy days is rare, but I have had trouble with staining from the rubber used as padding on some chairs.

Equipment and Clothing

Renting vs. Buying

New and used options exist.

Gear Maintenance

The costs of gear maintenance is generally on par with those in North America.

Shipping

If you own your own gear, it is possible to have it shipped to your hotel before you arrive and to have it shipped home after you leave.

A List of Resorts

• Furano

• Rusutsu

• Niseko (ニセコ)

• Hakuba (白馬)

  Hakuba was where the skiing events for the 1998 Nagano Olympics were held. The yearly AJET skip trip has often been held at this location.

• Happone

• Shiga Kōgen (志賀高原)

• Kanazawa (金沢)

• Meiho

• Ciao

• Gozaisho

  The only skiing location in Mie, but at only 1200m it can hardly compare with those elsewhere in Japan.