Car Rentals Compact cars from around 4,000 Yen/day!

Online Hostel Bookings Hostels and inexpensive ryokan from $10 per night!

Related Pages

Travel Sightseeing Sports Guide to Skiing in Japan How to enjoy skiing and snowboarding List of ski resorts Niseko Rusutsu Furano Yuzawa Nozawa Hakuba Shiga Kogen Where to find snow Hot Springs

Japan Sightseeing Guide

Hokkaido Sapporo Otaru Hakodate Furano Abashiri Noboribetsu Niseko Lake Toya Daisetsuzan Shiretoko Rishiri Rebun Akan Tohoku Sendai Matsushima Hiraizumi Akita Kakunodate Nyuto Onsen Aomori Hirosaki Lake Towada Shimokita Hanto Dewa Sanzan Aizu Kanto Tokyo Yokohama Kamakura Nikko Kinugawa Hakone Kawagoe Kusatsu Ikaho Minakami Narita Chubu Nagoya Inuyama Mt.Fuji Fujigoko Izu Peninsula Nagano Matsumoto Kamikochi Kiso Valley Hakuba Yudanaka Sado Island Takayama Shirakawa-go Gujo Gero Onsen Kanazawa Kansai Kyoto Osaka Nara Kobe Himeji Kinosaki Mount Koya Kumano Yoshino Amanohashidate Hikone Iga Ueno Ise Shima Chugoku Hiroshima Miyajima Onomichi Okayama Kurashiki Matsue Iwami Ginzan Iwakuni Yamaguchi Hagi Shikoku Takamatsu Kotohira Naoshima Matsuyama Uchiko Kochi Tokushima Naruto Kyushu Fukuoka Dazaifu Nagasaki Kumamoto Mount Aso Minamata Beppu Miyazaki Takachiho Kagoshima Kirishima Yakushima Okinawa Honto Miyako Yaeyama

Survey

How can tourism in Japan be improved? More foreign language information Preserve natural and historic sites Ease immigration requirements Reduce cost of travel Make sights less crowded Other No improvement needed see results Other Surveys: Budget for ryokan stay Next trip to Japan Improvements to Tourism Financial Crisis Ski Destination Preferred way to stay at a ryokan Purpose of visit Most popular region Have you recently entered Japan?

japan-guide.com newsletter

Keeping you up to date on Japan travel and living related issues and site updates. Click here to subscribe!

There are over 500 ski resorts across Japan from the northern island of Hokkaido to the southern main island of Kyushu, which vary in size from large resorts with dozens of runs to small one-lift slopes. The best resorts and snow conditions are found in northern Japan (Hokkaido and Tohoku) and in the mountains along the Sea of Japan Coast (especially Niigata and Nagano). While there are no ski resorts within the borders of metropolitan Tokyo, it is feasible to go skiing or snowboarding in a daytrip from Tokyo. Some of the most easily accessible and most popular resorts for daytrips are located in the Yuzawa region of Niigata Prefecture, which can be reached in under 90 minutes by shinkansen. For those who are interested in experiencing snow, but who do not want to ski or snowboard, most resorts have play zones designed for families with small children. Often, they do not require paid admission, except for activities such as sledding and snow tubing. For information on other places to see snow that are within easy reach of major cities see our page on where to find snow. Below is a list of some of Japan's largest and most famous ski resorts: Niseko, Hokkaido 3 hours from Sapporo by bus or train Niseko attracts a lot of overseas attention, and is especially popular with Australians. It is probably the most visited Japanese ski and snowboard resort by foreigner travellers and is very English friendly. The almost guaranteed powder snow and fantastic views of Mt. Yotei make this a very popular destination. more details by japan-guide.com daily reports by SnowJapan Rusutsu, Hokkaido 2 hours from Sapporo by bus Not far from Niseko and Lake Toya, Rusutsu covers three mountains, each with a variety of long runs with a good mix of groomed trails, great powder and tree runs. During the summer the resort operates a large amusement park with over 60 attractions and 8 roller coasters. more details by japan-guide.com Furano, Hokkaido 2 hours from Sapporo by train or bus Furano is another Hokkaido resort that is growing in popularity and also offers often excellent snow conditions. The resort is located to the east of Sapporo, and has a large Family Snowland which offers family friendly activities such as snow rafting and dog sledding. more details by japan-guide.com daily reports by SnowJapan Yuzawa, Niigata Prefecture 80 minutes from Tokyo by Joetsu Shinkansen Yuzawa is just a 80 minute train ride from Tokyo, with one resort connected directly to a shinkansen station, making it the most convenient ski town for a day trip from the Tokyo area. There are additionally another 20 or so ski resorts within easy reach of the main Echigo-Yuzawa Station. more details by japan-guide.com daily reports by SnowJapan Nozawa, Nagano Prefecture 3 hours from Tokyo by Nagano Shinkansen and bus Nozawa is one of the few ski resorts in Japan that really delivers that "Japanese experience". The small village nestled at the base of the resort is compact and has a good atmosphere, and notably has a number of atmospheric public hot springs that you can enjoy after skiing. more details by japan-guide.com daily reports by SnowJapan Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture 3 hours from Tokyo by Nagano Shinkansen and bus Hakuba is another very popular ski and snowboard town located in the northwest of Nagano Prefecture. Happoone resort was host to downhill events in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and the general scale of the resorts in Hakuba is impressive. more details by japan-guide.com daily reports by SnowJapan Shiga Kogen, Nagano Prefecture 3 hours from Tokyo by Nagano Shinkansen and bus Shiga Kogen is the biggest skiable area in Japan. The resort area is actually over 20 resorts most of which are linked up by ski courses. One pass allows access to them all and offers a huge amount of variety as well as generally excellent snow conditions. more details by japan-guide.com daily reports by SnowJapan Guide to Skiing in Japan: How to enjoy skiing and snowboarding List of ski resorts

English Links

Snow Japan The best resource on skiing and snowboarding in Japan.