Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [67]
* * *
Easily the best source of online information on skiing in Japan can be found at www.snowjapan.com. This site has extensive resort info, snow reports, transport and accommodation info and booking services, as well as information on English ski lessons. And it’s all in English.
* * *
* * *
Hokkaidō’s Niseko ski area receives a whopping 15m of snow every year.
* * *
Return to beginning of chapter
COSTS
Many people unfamiliar with skiing in Japan often assume that it will cost an arm and a leg to ski here. But, even after factoring in the international air ticket, it might actually be cheaper to ski for a week in Japan than in your home country. Are we mad? Well, let’s check the numbers.
Lift tickets A full-day lift ticket at most areas in Japan costs around ¥4800 (US$50). This is significantly less than a full day at large resorts in North America or Europe. Many resorts also offer packages including lunch or even a dip in an onsen. Note that you will also have to put down a deposit of ¥1000 for your electronic chip ski pass, which you must scan in the lift line. You will get this back when you’re done skiing.
Accommodation You can find plenty of accommodation in the ¥8000 per person (US$82 per person) range at most major areas in Japan, and this will often include one or two meals. This is less than half of what you’d expect to pay for similar accommodation in the USA or Europe. The budget traveller will find a variety of backpacker-type hostels near most resorts, and families will be glad to know that younger children (usually under six years of age) are usually included free or at a discount.
Food On-slope meals average around ¥1000 (around US$10). This is less than you’d expect to pay in North America or Europe. The restaurant selection anywhere you go is fantastic, including the likes of ‘make-your-own-pizza’, kebabs and pitas, rāmen (egg noodle) shops, regular curry-rice fare, and even a fast-food chain or two in the main resorts. Beer and snacks are more expensive – better to bring your own to the slopes than to buy from one of the ubiquitous convenience stores if you want to save a few yen.
Transport Airport-to-resort transport in Japan costs no more than in other countries, and is usually faster and more efficient (and unlike in North America, you don’t need to rent a car). See Getting to the Slopes (opposite) for more details.
Return to beginning of chapter
GETTING TO THE SLOPES
Japan’s brilliant public transport system makes getting to the slopes a breeze. Take Japan’s premier resort, Niseko in Hokkaidō. If you’re coming from abroad and want to go straight to the resort, you’ll find the journey painless and efficient. First, you fly into Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, then change to a domestic flight to Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport. Buses to Niseko depart from right outside the arrivals hall here, take a mere 2½ hours and cost only ¥2300 (about US$24) to reach the resort. If you arrive in Sapporo in the morning, you can be skiing that afternoon. Likewise, the journey by train from Tokyo to Nagano, the heart of Japan’s Central Honshū ski country, takes only 1¾ hours and costs only ¥7970 (about US$82). And the best part is this: you get to ride on one of the country’s ultramodern shinkansen (bullet trains). You could literally start the day with a look at Tokyo’s incredible Tsukiji Fish Market and be skiing in Nagano that afternoon.
* * *
The 1998 Winter Olympics were held at Nagano, in Central Honshū. The downhill events were held at Happō-One resort, the slalom and giant slalom events were held at Shiga Kōgen resort, and the biathlon was held at Nozawa Onsen resort.
* * *
Return to beginning of chapter
WHERE TO SKI
Japan’s best ski resorts are found in the Japan Alps region of Central Honshū (mostly in Nagano and Niigata prefectures) and on the northern island of Hokkaidō. The former lays claim to the highest mountains; the latter lays claim to the deepest and most regular snow in the country. Both regions offer first-class skiing.
If you’re