PlanetSKI is Skiing in Japan

29th January 2025 | James Cove, Hakuba Valley, Japan.

It has been at the very top of our bucket list for many years, and now we are in its deep, deep powder. NEW

One of my favourite feelings in the world is arriving in a ski resort I know little about and then slowly discovering its charms as it reveals itself.

PlanetSKI’s 5-week trip to Japan is set to be a belter.

An untold number of new resorts in the plan, from the well-known ones of Niseko in Hokkaido and the ones in the Hakuba Valley in Honchu.

To unknown ones that I have never heard of and can let alone pronounce.

Our first port of call is the Hakuba Valley on the main island and this is what it currently looks like as I reported for the PlanetSKI snow report this week from the resort of Iwatake.

And then things just got better and better.

That evening the snow continued and the next day our hotel was covered in an insane amount of snow.

Happo One, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

These are our two hire cars.

Happo One, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

We opted to take the hotel’s shuttle bus.

I say that the Hakuba Valley is our ‘first port of call’, but our first stop was actually in Matsumoto, the gateway town to the northern Japanese Alps.

We are in no rush and wanted to get over the jet-lag.

Plus we’re also here to immerse ourselves in Japanese culture and sample the way of life.

PlanetSKI arrives in Japan

PlanetSKI in Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

Now though it is the skiing.

“Japan is unlike any other country you’ve skied in or been to before,” said Andy Knights from the UK operator, Ski Safari, that has Japan in its programme.

“The skiing alone is world class, with the Siberian weather systems bringing huge amounts of light dry powder – it’s not called Ja-Pow for nothing.”

Welcome to Hakuba 47, one of the largest ski areas in the Hakuba Valley.

Hakuba 47, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

It is so named as it is open all four seasons and for seven days a week.

Hakuba 47, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

The Hakuba Valley has ten different ski areas:

Jiigatake
Kashimayari
Sanosake
Gorya
Hakuba 47
Happo-One
Iwatake
Tsugaike Kogen
Norikura Onsen
Cortina

The resorts have more than 200 runs with countless routes through the powder.

There is a joint lift pass that costs 55,900 Yen (£290) for six days, though it actually works out cheaper to buy one daily.

We’ll be updating with the price difference once our time here ends and we have done the sums, but it looks like it will save us around £50 per person just walking up to the ticket window in each resort we visit.

No ‘dynamic pricing’ here.

The PlanetSKI team was raring to go.

Hakuba 47, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

I had heard that the lift queues in Japan were organised and friendly affairs, but this was on another level.

Hakuba 47, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

It worked perfectly.

Skiing in Japan is full of surreal surprises – big and small.

There were cartoon characters in the lift stations.

Hakuba 47, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

And out on the slopes too

Hakuba 47, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

The resorts of the Hakuba Valley are popular with international visitors.

Hakuba 47, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

Though the main ones are from Australia.

The Aussies are everywhere.

It is pretty much on the same time zone with a flight time of around 9-hours.

“Japan is pretty much the No1 destination for us with around one million of us coming to Japan each year,” said one Aussie to me as we chatted on a lift.

“We simply don’t get the amount of snow and cold temperatures back home, plus of course it is now summer for us and I prefer to ride not surf.”

Hakuba 47, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

This season there has, once again, been huge amount of snow in the Hakuba Valley.

In Hakuba 47 around 6m has fallen so far leaving a current base depth of 3.95m.

The resort opens in mid-November with the lifts running until May.

It has one of the longest seasons in Japan with most of the slopes north facing.

“We also have a great snow-making system so even when the snow melts towards the end of the season we are able to provide top to bottom skiing as no-one likes to take a gondola down,” said Nalini Phadture from the resort’s tourist office to me.

And even though there was no fresh snow in the resort on our visit the lifties still gave the seats a brush to make you feel valued.

That’s Japan for you.

Hakuba 47, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

We spent much of our day dancing between the larch trees, as though there was no fresh powder the recent cold temperatures had kept the snow soft and grippy.

Hakuba 47 sits next door to the other big ski area of the valley, Happo One.

It is pronounced Happo on-ay.

Happo-One, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

They are not connected by lift but it is a simple 10-minute journey by road with plenty of busses and hotel shuttles if you choose not to hire a car.

Happo-One, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

The grooming in the resorts is good, but it seems the Japanese also prefer to leave more of the slopes in a natural condition.

Once the powder is skied out the moguls appear.

Happo-One, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

Happo One, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

The village of Happo-One is where most tourists stay.

“Here, you can stay in a traditional ryokan (Japanese inn) complete with futon beds and private outdoor baths, onsens,” said Andy Knights from Ski Safari.

“If a ryokan’s not for you, there’s everything from simple self-catering apartments, to luxurious chain hotels serving Western breakfasts.”

It is a fabulous and authentic ski town, with narrow streets and plenty of individuality.

Happo-One, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

We chose a German bar with a DJ outside for our apres ski.

Happo-One, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

Hakuba 47, Japan. Image © PlanetSKI

There are plenty of restaurants serving all types of cuisine.

From Japanese and other Asian food, through to burger & chips.

There are several outdoor ones too (with heaters) if you want to save a bit of cash.

£8 for a fabulous curry and an ice cold beer.

After our visits to Hakuba 47 and Happo-One the powder snow that Japan is famous for fell for our day in Iwatake.

The resort is one of the less well-known ones and all the better for it.

The powder is set to carry on falling and we’re next of to Cortina – as recommended by a local I was chatting to on a lift.

It’s a small local hill and few venture to it.

Our kind of place, especially with the snow still falling.

We’ll be updating this report after we have visited a few more resorts in the Hakuba Valley.

Likely Tsugaike Kogen, Jiigatake and Kashimayari.

Ever heard of them?

No, neither have we.

We’ll be reporting on the resorts themselves and the overall Japanese skiing experience.

The language, the prices, the off piste rules and the powder.

Mainly the powder.

Oh, and the food – £4.85 for lunch up the mountain.

Do check back…

Visiting Japan

A handful of UK operators offer ski holidays to Japan.

One is Ski Safari that has perhaps the most experience of the country with tailored packages built on the company’s extensive knowledge and experience.

It offers the following six resorts:

Niseko – Japan’s largest and best-known ski resort, the quality and quantity of snow here is unparalleled – for powder, it doesn’t get much better than a Niseko ski holiday

Hakuba – Hakuba ski holidays are blessed with alpine-like terrain and huge variety. Hakuba is a great place to use as a base for exploring multiple resorts on one lift pass.

Rusutsa – A quirky, powder-filled paradise, Rusutsu ski holidays are great on their own or as part of a longer trip in Hokkaido.

Nozawa Onsen – Japan’s oldest ski resort, Nozawa Onsen ski holidays are as famous for onsens as they are for skiing – perfect for a ski trip with added culture.

Kiroro – Relatively under-the-radar, Kiroro ski holidays feature deep powder, quiet slopes and fantastic tree runs off-piste.

Furano -Choose a Furano ski holiday for a traditional resort in an idyllic setting and top notch piste skiing. A good value option, Furano is a thriving town in its own right.

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