NISEKO THE POWDER CAPITAL OF JAPAN

Located at the western end of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, Niseko is world renowned for its dry powder - December 2005 had 5 Meters of the white fluffy stuff and the season overall produced about 15 Meters... The extensive lift system is fast, comfortable and uncrowded and includes about 30 covered chair lifts, gondolas and twins . The snow quality is remarkably light and dry. Daily grooming, consistent snow and low temperatures all helps to create an unforgetable experience.
Add to this the cultural experience and you will love Japan. Prices in the village and on the mountain are better than Europe or the USA.
For more information please see www.snowskijapan.com

Tony

I have been to Tokyo once and it was very expensive so I am interested to know that the ski-ing is affordable.

What is the season there and did you book a package or did you make your own way

Mono

Mono as with all large cities throughout the world Tokyo is reasonably expensive. Although after years of stagnant economic growth and deflation you would find that Tokyo is nowhere near as expensive as it once was.

As far as skiing in Japan goes it is extremely good value. As Tony points out the Niseko region receives incredible amounts of snow, certainly far in excess of most other ski areas anywhere in the world. The upper mountain receives an average of about 16m of snowfall each season. And the summit of the mountain is only 1308m! The base of the resort is at around 300m so you get a respectable 1000m of vertical.

Basically if deep powder is your thing then Niseko is the place to come. During winter it snows most days and it's not unusual to have well in excess of 20 days of deep powder each month. Niseko rocks!

(Disclaimer: I am a bit biased as we operate a luxury ski accommodation in Niseko.)

For the amount of terrain and powder options in Niseko, it is an amazing value. For example, in the upcoming season a 6 day all mountain pass is under 28,000 yen (less than $250 USD).

Niseko also features some of the world's best night skiing conditions on (reportedly) the largest maintained single night course in the world.

That adds up to a LOT of skiing for less than half the lift pass costs of many North American resorts.

Dining and entertainment prices are no more expensive than other ski resorts around the globe. A very nice dinner is easily available for 3000 yen or less. If you just feel like a bowl of noodles or a rice bowl, you can fill up at lunch on the slopes for 600 - 700 yen. (You can barely buy a plate of chips / French fries at a number of resorts for this much.)

Perhaps the best hidden value of the resort are the number of thermal hot spring spas scattered through the area. You can soak away your aches and pains for a mere 500 - 700 yen.

Niseko has both Japanese and western accommodation options, including a number of self-contained apartments which are ideal for long stays, and often no more expensive than a hotel for week stays.

Japan has a negative and undeserved rap as being expensive. You may have heard of $100 sushi dinners, $200 Kobe beef steaks, and $1000 watermelons. While these niche items certainly do exist, these sort of prices are in no way the norm, and have been sensationalized by western media. With exchange rates the way they are now, Japan is more of a value than ever. The JNTO has even started a program called "Affordable Japan" to dispel the image that Japan is an expensive place to visit.

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/attractions/affordable/index.html