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Expert advice on where and how to ski in this snowy Asian nation.
When it comes to the ultimate ski holiday destination, for many Westerners, Japan regularly tops the list. Yes, it’s a long and expensive flight to get there. But the reliable – and famously fluffy powder – combined with the inimitable culture and excellent food are all huge draws.
According to a recent survey by Mountain Trade Network and Ski Club of Great Britain, this Far Eastern nation ranks number one on the wish list of dream destinations for British skiers, far above even USA and Canada.
But with around 500 ski areas to choose from, ranging from large, hyper-modern resorts to smaller hills with ageing lifts, it’s tricky to know where to go.
Peter Marsh is a British skier who worked in Japan for eight years, between 2014 and 2022, mostly in Rusutsu but also in Tomamu. Despite speaking very little Japanese, he loved his time there, immersing himself in the ample snow and intriguing culture.
He says the country’s reputation for amazing powder snow is no exaggeration. During the months of January and February, he was often in awe at just how white stuff blanketed the slopes. He explains how it’s all thanks to very dry and cold air moving eastwards across the vast steppes of Russia and China before hitting the Sea of Japan.
“The air then sucks up moisture from the sea,” he tells On The Snow. “By the time it makes landfall, the air rises, the moisture in it becomes too heavy and it falls as snow.”
And there’s a huge amount of it. “The last season I was in Rusutsu, I think there were 18 or 19 metres, which was a very good season. But even in a bad season, there would be 14 or 15 metres.”
The other benefit of skiing in Japan is the more reasonable cost of lift passes and on-mountain eating and drinking – certainly when compared to the upmarket resorts of the Alps and North America. Granted, if you wish, you can spend eye-watering amounts in the top restaurants. But at the same time, you can survive on delicious ramen and cheap beers if you avoid the smarter, pricier spots.
Like most ski regions, there is a wide range of accommodation, from cheaper bed-and-breakfast lodging all the way up to the smartest hotels. Marsh says, during his years working in Japan, he met many Australian skiers because, even with flight costs factored in, a week’s skiing would work out substantially cheaper than in their own country.
Like us Brits, the Japanese are renowned for being exceptionally polite. Marsh says it’s a well-earned reputation which foreign skiers will notice at the ski lifts.
“Queuing is very polite,” he explains. “You don’t get people pushing or shoving. The Japanese lift operators don’t have to do anything in terms of queue management because everyone’s polite. It’s a very civilised affair.”
And what about après-ski? “The Japanese don’t really do après-ski,” Marsh says. “There’s no dancing on tables and drinking a lot. At most, they’ll be going out for a meal with family or friends.”
Marsh says it’s the Westerners, and particularly the Australians, who tend to dominate the drinking once the lifts close for the day. “But you’re definitely not going to find La Folie Douce or Austrian-style schnapps parties,” he adds. One exception is Australia Day, on January 26th, when the drinks flow in abundance.
Many foreign skiers include their skiing as part of a wider Japanese holiday, perhaps taking in the sights of Tokyo and other major cities too. Yes, the skiing and the fluffy snow are wonderful, but if you’re going to fly halfway around the planet, it makes sense to pack in as much culture as possible.
Here are six of our favourite Japanese resorts, three on the northernmost island, Hokkaido, and three in the Japanese Alps on the main island, Honshu.
Furano
Divided into two ski areas – the Furano Zone and the Kitanomine Zone – this resort has 23 pistes across 470 acres of skiable terrain and benefits from an annual snowfall of seven metres. There are pistes suitable for all levels, as well as night skiing until 8pm and back country skiing with guides.
Rusutsu Resort
Named Japan’s best ski resort at the 2025 World Ski Awards, this is the largest ski area on Hokkaido, with 37 pistes for all levels, across three mountain peaks – West Mt, East Mt and Mt Isola. There’s also a snow park and a kids’ park. It’s all just 90 minutes by car from Sapporo and New Chitose Airport.
Niseko United
Arguably the best-known resort in Japan, this behemoth of a resort has four interconnected areas – Grand Hirafu, Hanazono, Niseko Village and Annupuri – all surrounding the base of the mighty Mt. Niseko, which looms 1,308 metres above.
There are 73 pistes in all, split fairly evenly between greens, blues and blacks. The restaurant offer will blow you away, ranging from casual food trucks all the way up to Sushi Shin by Miyakawa, produced by the three-Michelin-starred chef Masaaki Miyakawa.
Shiga Kogen
This enormous ski area, the largest in Japan, boasts 18 connected resorts with a vast array of different pistes for all levels which top out at 2,307 metres at the summit of Mt Yokote. There’s also an enormous choice of accommodation, restaurants and bars.
Nearby is the famous Jigokudani monkey park where you can see wild macaques cavorting in the hot springs.
Hakuba Valley
A total of ten resorts comprise this huge ski area in the Japanese Alps, all accessible on a single pass. Here you’ll enjoy easy, flowing pistes (at Hakuba 47 & Goryu), deep-powder off-piste, and some of the more challenging slopes (at Hakuba Happo-One) that featured in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.
Hakkaisan
Just a couple of hours from Tokyo, this resort offers 11 pistes, including what it claims is “one of the steepest and longest powder runs in Japan”. You’ll enjoy some very lively après-ski in the nearby town of Yuzawa, with its excellent array of restaurants and bars. Don’t miss the famous Hakkaisan sake brewery where you can indulge in the local tipple.
December 23, 2025
