A to Z of skiing in Japan

ALL ABOARD THEJAPOW EXPRESS!

There’s no better way to see Japan, or get big snow, than by Shinkansen. Bullet train veteran Jonny Richards gives you his not-quite A to Z while whizzing through Honshu and Hokkaido at 186 mph, obviously…

A: Advance Ticket

Don’t think you rotters will just be allowed to waltz up to the counter in the land of organization and fantastically white-gloved train conductors! Oh no, because the seven-day (£280) or fortnight (£461) go-anywhere Wonka-style Golden Ticket is for foreign visitors (on a temporary visa) only. Don’t worry, that means you, happy holiday skier – but it does mean you need to order in advance through japan-rail-pass.com, and have the pass delivered to a UK address.

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b: Baggage

By the time you read this, I’ll have done variations on this trip three times, transiting God knows how many stations, skiing dozens of resorts. But the only reason I keep doing it is that I have one bag. Well, you know what I mean: one ski bag (and make it a roller!) plus an avy backpack. Anything different and it will kill you. Because, however you cut it, there will be stairs and changing trains. Think of a Nippon version of landing at Heathrow, making your way into London, and then getting on the train possibly all the way to Aberdeen and then the Orkneys beyond, and you get an idea of what’s possible with the pass.

c: Counter for Exchange

Your mission on landing at Narita (or Haneda) for Tokyo, or Kansai for Osaka, is to seek out a principal exchange office at the airport station. These, in my experience, are well marked and easy. Once there, you will activate your pass by handing it over with a respectful bow. Or, if you’re planning to stay in the city for a few days before exploring, you can redeem it at a main station there when you’re ready to start covering some serious miles. Remember, the day you redeem it is day one of your seven, 14, or whatever, so do it in the morning for maximum juice/use. Do not think it will run, for example, for a fortnight from an 11pm activation. If you do this, you’re basically losing a day.

G: Geto Kogen

I came here after exploring resorts all over Japan for something like 20 days. A dream ticket, but one packed with 5am starts and too many train timetables. Arriving at Kitakami station for the free 45-minute bus to what was mountain number 13, I was jiggered. But Geto is a wonderful tonic. Brilliant capsule-style dorm/almost rifugio right at the base, and while they only have 14 pistes plus eight tree runs, this spot two hours north of Tokyo (in Iwate prefecture) gets some serious snow. Wonderfully quiet midweek, too.

H: Hokkaido

I love this, the North Island of Japan. And, for me, no Japan rail extravaganza is complete without a Hokkaido visit. I’ve tried it via all sorts of logical (and mad) ways. Once, I bulleted straight up from Tokyo airport and just made the last service to Kutchan (the town just below the best-known resort, Niseko). It was something like five trains, with plenty of tight transfers. Plus a not-recommended nine hours of travel. Until they extend the line to Kutchan in 2030 (it currently stops 200km away at Hakodate), I’d recommend making your way up in steps via Morioka, etc.

J: Joetsu Shinkansen

Every high-speed line sounds glamorous; ditto the individual bullet trains like Hayabusa, Komachi, Yamabiko, and Tsubasa. The Joetsu route (which runs for 333km) was our first Shinkansen trip, and therefore remains FL’s favourite. Offering city-to-slopes travel in a shade over an hour, moving at 275km/h west towards Niigata prefecture. (See Yuzawa entry below for more info.)

L: Logistics

There’s going to be some planning and head-scratching! Navitime will be your Bible, thanks to ace timetabling, first-train-out function, and useful cheat pages like ‘Ski Near Tokyo’. Check it out at japantravel.navitime.com/en and try to have fun embracing the challenge. Most Japanese people are helpful, have some English, and will put up with the usual chaos that follows a Western traveling party not knowing where to sit or put their luggage, etc.

M: Morioka

A hugely useful staging post (two hours 12 minutes from Tokyo), that’s high up the mainland, so perfect for exploring lesser-skied areas like Tohoku (see separate entry), or overnighting before going on to the island of Hokkaido (via the world’s longest under-sea tunnel). Loads of excellent cheap-but-good/big chain hotels within 200m of the station, plentiful bars/izakayas, and decent skiing nearby via Appi resort (direct bus), or 18 miles away (by train or taxi) at Shizukuishi.

n: Nagano Area

So much good skiing here. Don’t just think Olympics and all that. The major pull being (usually) masses of snow at Myoko/Lotte Arai, etc. I plan to visit those two by rail pass this season, plus a handful of other close-by options like Madarao. But – and it’s a big but – this is not a simple stop to add onto the aforementioned options like Kitakami, Morioka, and Hokkaido. While all those form an almost central artery stretching up country from Tokyo, Nagano’s best resorts often mean a three-hour jag west. But you can easily add on Yuzawa (see below entry).

T: Tohoku

A lot of savvy skiers see this region as having the potential to be the new Niseko/Hokkaido, as it’s almost as snowy, but with a lot less traffic. Amihari Onsen (one hour by bus from Morioka) offers some of the best soul skiing in Japan (brilliant hot spring hotel at the base too), while Hakkoda is another mythical Tohoku spot – think single tram serving miles of snow monster terrain with views across the Tsugaru Strait to Hokkaido.

Y: Yuzawa

Way back in the early 2000s, in just 77 minutes we whizzed from Tokyo, past Mt. Fuji (the tallest mountain in Japan), to the slopes of Gala Yuzawa. Built during the Japanese economic bubble, when spending went nuts, it pulls right into the mountain/hire-shops and ski school, while nearby Naeba boasts Japan’s longest gondola and what’s claimed to be the world’s largest ski hotel, with only 1,216 rooms!

Z: Zao

The easiest and probably best place to grab a dose of snow monster. Zao has excellent pistes, lifts, and an almost European-style base and feel, plus trillions of salarymen in suits (really!), desperate to capture a picture of the family in front of the shrimp-tails, or whatever you wish to call the frozen Maries firs that the place is famous for. Still no idea what I’m on about? Think trees that become ever more encased, and Dr. Seuss-like, throughout winter, as super-cooled droplets within snow clouds collide with branches.

Rising majestically from the Sea of Japan, just 20 kilometers from the northern tip of Hokkaido, Rishiri is a mythical mountain said to boast 5,000-foot runs that descend from its alpine summit to the ocean below. Join Mary McIntyre on her thrilling quest to uncover these breathtaking slopes… 🔗 Read the full article