Japan Ski Season

Hello all,

When is the ski season in Japan and what is the best resort for intermediate to advanced skiers ?

We like our apres ski, good hotels and a bit of luxury.

Cheers

December-->April with pretty much definite powder between Late December and February.

Niseko is a good place to start looking, pretty sure there is a Hilton (tend to be a bit dated but generally pretty good).

If you are in Kuro-dake (Sounkyo area of Taisetsuzan National Park, 1 hour from Asahikawa or 2 hours from Furano)... it starts tomorrow!

They are reporting 40 cm of accumulation at the base (1100 m ASL) and it looks like they are going to try to be the first Japanese resort to open this year.

Here is a shot from Nov 2:

Welcome to J2ski Love the photo

We're having a slow start this year. Hokkaido's made a few starts at it but rain keeps washing the good stuff away. Serious talk of this week starting the winter. Here in Tokyo, shorts have been possible during the day. Other than Hokkaido, we've had 2 really weak seasons in a row. A third one would seriously damage some businesses and hurt farmers who depend upon the snow melt.

Please check my webpage for some photos. It's not very commercial but I'm trying get some photos up and give some reports as the season begins. Also hope to put up some of the funnier things I've encountered in my years here.

As you can see, it's very commercial. I'm up to about fifty cents in earnings from Google so clearly I can quit my full time job soon.

http://snowboardingjapan.blogspot.com/

If I was coming here, I'd try to arrive between 10 Jan and 10 March. Niseko is a must, but Shiga Kogen and Nozawa Onsen can be excellent as well. Nozawa is interesting, as someone else said, because you get a real feel of Japan there. However, if the snow isn't good, it becomes a trap...albeit an apple-infused sake one.

If you're seriously crazy, one of my favorite places is Hakkoda. You need a guide...folks die there with some regularity. And, there's nothing to do but snowboard or ski...you're waaaaaaaay out in the woods. Still, it's stunningly beautiful. Be advised though...you will do some serious snowshoeing/skinning before you start your runs. But, if you don't find untouched powder there, you just won't find it.