Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [68]
What follows is our five best ski areas in Japan. This is just to whet your appetite – there are over 600 more that we don’t mention here.
Niseko
As far as most Australian skiers are concerned, ‘Niseko’ is how you say powder in Japanese. This is understandable, since Niseko receives an average of 15m of snow annually. Niseko, located on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaidō, is actually four interconnected ski areas: Hirafu, Higashiyama, An’nupuri and Hanazono. One lift ticket gives access to all 60 runs and 20 ski lifts. Snowboarding is allowed on all slopes. Needless to say, with so many Aussie skiers making a yearly pilgrimage to Niseko, you’ll find that communication is a breeze, and if you like Vegemite on your morning toast, you’ll find that, too. If you’re heading to Niseko in early February, don’t miss Sapporo’s famous Yuki Matsuri. For more information on Niseko, Click here).
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Nearly 90% of foreign skiers at Niseko come from Australia.
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SKI-Dō: THE JAPANESE WAY OF SKIING
Snow is snow, skis are skis, right? How different can it be to ski in Japan? At first glance, you might conclude that ski areas in Japan are exactly like those at home. But, as Vincent Vega observed in the movie Pulp Fiction, ‘it’s the little differences’. Throughout the day, these little differences will keep reminding you that you’re not in, say, New Zealand, Colorado or the Swiss Alps.
Pop music – often really annoying pop music – is played along ski lifts and in restaurants. Bring an MP3 player if you prefer real music to the latest girl/boy band.
The signposting is inconsistent and irregular, something you may not expect in Japan. It’s a good idea to study the map carefully and plan a central meeting point/time at the beginning of the day.
Not all resorts use the green/blue/black coding system for difficulty. Some have red, purple, orange, dotted lines, or black numbered runs on the map.
The majority of Japanese skiers start skiing at 9am, have lunch at exactly 12 noon, and get off the hill by 3pm. If you work on a slightly different schedule, you will avoid a lot of the crowds.
You will find young Aussies, Kiwis and Canadians working the lifts and restaurants at many Japanese resorts (a popular way for people from these countries to earn money, do a little skiing and see the country). These folks are always a good source of information.
Snowboarders are everywhere in Japan, but unlike in areas back home, few of them seem to do much snowboarding. In Japan, the usual position for a snowboarder is sitting on his/her bum surrounded by friends doing the same. Consider them natural hazards and give them a wide berth.
Lift-line management is surprisingly poor in Japan. Skiers are often left to jostle and fend for themselves, and even when it’s crowded, singles are allowed to ride triple and quad lifts alone.
Off-piste and out-of-bounds skiing is often high quality but also highly illegal and potentially dangerous, resulting in the confiscation of your lift pass if caught by the ski patrol. Cut the ropes at your own risk. Every year people go missing in the mountains and have to be rescued at great expense. Additionally, it must be noted that Japan has ideal conditions for avalanches, and the powder isn’t worth the risk if you aren’t trained in backcountry safety.
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Happō-One
Nagano-ken’s Happō-One (pronounced hah-poh-oh-nay) is the quintessential Japan Alps ski resort. With the sprawling Hakuba mountain range as a backdrop, it offers eye-popping views in addition to excellent and varied skiing. The layout is pretty straightforward here, with plenty of good wide burners heading straight down the fall line from the top of the area. There are both groomed runs and bump runs and you can descend