Ski Japan - Hokkaido

When you ski Japan you’re on the slopes of one of the world’s leading ski nations and the main ski country in Asia. There are more than 500 Japanese ski resorts spread across the country – a number only matched by Austria, Germany and the United States.

The ski centres stretch across the country and have a reputation of excellent snowfalls, particularly on the northern island of Hokkaido where annual snow accumulations are normally among the deepest in the world, officially only beaten by Mt Baker in Washington State just across the Pacific in the USA.

Skiing in Japan also has the longest history of downhill winter sports in the continent, with the sport introduced by famous Austrian pioneer Hannes Schneider from the Arlberg who popularised skiing in early films and books all over the world and is now commemorated in a dedicated ski museum in Nozawa Onsen, one of the country’s best known resorts where Schneider taught skiing in the early 1920s.

Most of the resorts are comparatively small in extent but in some cases up to a dozen small areas are inter-linked or at least very close together, such as the many sectors of 1998 Winter Olympic venue Nagano – one of two Olympics staged in Japan, the only country outside Europe and the US to stage a winter games.

The evolution of wintersports in Japan is a unique one and reflects both economic and consumer trends.

While in most first world countries with a long history of skiing the sport gradually grew and matured and has remained relatively stable for two or three decades now, interest in skiing among the Japanese population peaked in the 1980s and then dramatically dropped at the start of the 1990s after a collapse of the Japanese economy coincided with growth in interest in other activities, particularly computer gaming. Skier numbers declined from 20 million a year to around a third of that number, although they have now recovered to about 10 million.

During the boom years Japan was known for having very crowded slopes – there are almost no drag lifts in the country and multiple chairlifts deposited Japanese skiers en masse at the top of slopes. As Japan is a very polite and respectful society, this rarely caused the kind of bad temper, pushing and shoving it might in Europe or North America and instead everyone made space. Many ski areas were efficiently accessed by rail from the country’s cities too and skiers would arrive in the early hours of the morning to ski through the small hours as ski areas operated nearly 24 hours a day to cope with demand.

Another consequence of the 1980s popularity of skiing was that in its early years, snowboarding was largely banned on the country’s slopes, with resort managers seeing no reason why they should complicate matters by allowing boarders on their ski runs. There was also little of the Western model of diversification in activities and resort facilities. There were basic hotels, ski runs only, childcare facilities were rare and while most skiing nations have a mix of nationalities on their slopes, non-Japanese skiers very rare too. This was partly due to the lack of any languages being spoken or signage other than Japanese and partly as the Yen was riding high making skiing very expensive.

The ski boom also led to Japan being a pioneer of indoor skiing with one of the world’s earliest centres opened in the 1950s and in the modern era a dozen indoor centres opening in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including what is still the biggest ever built – the SSAWS dome in Tokyo harbour with a 500m long, 100m wide slope built on earthquake absorbing piles to save the centre from the potential danger of an indoor avalanche. This centre was eventually demolished to make way for Japan’s first IKEA store, having never repaid its construction costs.

Indeed the 1990s saw many Japanese ski areas mothballed. Japanese business ownership rules meant it was generally better to close a ski centre down and leave it potentially operational rather than dismantle it.

Seeking to re-invent itself, the country’s major ski areas have, particularly in the last decade, followed Western business models far more, diversifying their resort activity range, dining and accommodation options.

None has been more successful in doing so than Niseko which has risen to worldwide fame as a cult free riding resort attracting powder hounds from around the world and particularly Australia, as Aussies have realised they have a shorter trip and no jet lag travelling to Japan than their traditional choices of Canada and to a lesser extent the US and the Alps. This has allowed Niseko to have far more English language information than other resorts, making the resort instantly more attractive to the global market.

A main attraction is the remarkable snow conditions, but visitors have also found that modern Japan also offers great food in its restaurants and relatively affordable prices. Service standards are also very high and the local population friendly and respectful in their welcome. Japan also has several unique attractions including the hot spring onsen baths found at many resorts and eternally popular karaoke bars for après ski.

It comes as a surprise to many freeriders that much of Japan’s extensive off piste terrain often buried metres deep is off limits as well as off piste and if skied or boarded can result in prosecution and certainly loss of lift ticket. Some resorts, including Niseko do have off piste zones available however.

Another point to be kept in mind is that Japanese snowfall can be unremitting. Photos of snow banks towering above tour buses can only result from periods where snowfall has lasted for weeks when a cycle of dry air sweeping in from across the vast Siberian plains sucks up moisture as it passes out over the Sea of Japan, depositing it all once it hits the mountains.

Japan’s ski areas are also frequently subject to earthquakes and resort facilities and buildings are designed to cope with this. Fukushima, where the nuclear power plant was damaged by the 2011 Tsunami, is a popular ski region where radiation level reports are now posted along side snow conditions. read more...

Snow: next 3 days

Ski resorts of Japan - Hokkaido, alphabetically

Resort	Webcam (click to zoom)	Top and bottom snow depth	On-piste	Off-piste	Forecast snow in next 3 days (click for forecast)	Weather forecast for 3 days ahead Weather report	Last snow
Abashiri Lake View					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon
Akabirayama					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 12.0mm), heaviest on Tue morning
Alpha Resort Tomamu					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Mon morning
Arashiyama Shimin					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm), heaviest on Tue morning
Asahidake					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 14.0mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon
Asarigawa Onsen					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 12.0mm), heaviest on Mon night
Ashibetsu					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Tue morning
Bibai					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm), heaviest on Tue morning
Biei Chomin					0 cm	Light rain (total 9.0mm), mostly falling on Sun night
Birao					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 17.0mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon
Canmore Ski Village					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm), heaviest on Tue morning
Choei Anpeizan					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 13.0mm), heaviest on Mon morning
Engaru Rock Valley					0 cm	Light rain (total 9.0mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon
Esashicho Mikasayama					0 cm	Light rain (total 7.0mm), mostly falling on Tue morning
Fujino Healthland Kokusai					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Fukagawa					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Tue morning
Furano		120 cm 70 cm	Slushy	No snow	0 cm	Moderate rain (total 12.0mm), heaviest on Sun night Lovely spring weather, perfect ski day	0 cm on 29 Apr
Furuhira Kazokuryokomura					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm), heaviest on Mon night
Greenpia Onuma					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 16.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Hakodate Nanae					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 15.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Hidaka Kokusai					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 15.0mm), heaviest on Mon morning
Horotachi					0 cm	Light rain (total 8.0mm), mostly falling on Tue morning
Imakane-cho Pilika					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Ishikari Heigen					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Kamisunagawadake Kokusai					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 12.0mm), heaviest on Tue morning
Kamiyubetsu-cho Gokazan					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon
Kamoidake Kokusai					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 12.0mm), heaviest on Tue morning
Kamui Ski Links					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Tue morning
Kenbuchi-cho Bibakarasu					0 cm	Light rain (total 9.0mm), mostly falling on Tue morning
Kiroro Snow World					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 12.0mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon
Kitami Wakamatsu Shimin					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 17.0mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon
Koba World					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Korakuen Kitahiroshima					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Kuriyamacho					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Kurodake					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 14.0mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon
Makomanai					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Mashike Choei Syokanbetsudake					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Mon night
Memuro					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 15.0mm), heaviest on Mon morning
Minami Furano					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 12.0mm), heaviest on Mon morning
Nakayamatoge Kogen Hotel					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 14.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Nayoro Piyashiri					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Tue morning
Niseko Annupuri					0 cm	Light rain (total 8.0mm), mostly falling on Sun night
Niseko Hanazono Resort					0 cm	Light rain (total 8.0mm), mostly falling on Sun night
Niseko Hirafu		425 cm 85 cm	Closed	Varied	0 cm	Light rain (total 9.0mm), mostly falling on Sun night Changeable weather today	3 cm on 27 Mar
Niseko Moiwa					0 cm	Light rain (total 8.0mm), mostly falling on Sun night
Niseko Village					0 cm	Light rain (total 8.0mm), mostly falling on Sun night
Niseko Weiss					0 cm	Light rain (total 8.0mm), mostly falling on Sun night
Nissho					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm), heaviest on Mon morning
Noboribetsu Kogen Sanraiba					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 14.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Nukabira Onsen					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 15.0mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon
Numata-cho Takaho					0 cm	Light rain (total 9.0mm), mostly falling on Tue morning
Orofure					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 15.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Otaru Tenguyama					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 13.0mm), heaviest on Mon night
Otoifuji					0 cm	Light rain (total 9.0mm), mostly falling on Tue morning
Pippu					0 cm	Light rain (total 7.0mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon
Rankoshi-cho Chisenupuri					0 cm	Light rain (total 9.0mm), mostly falling on Mon night
Rausu Chomin					0 cm	Light rain (total 8.0mm), mostly falling on Mon morning
Rusutsu Resort					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 13.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Sahoro Resort					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 13.0mm), heaviest on Mon morning
Santa Present Park					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm), heaviest on Tue morning
Sapporo Bankei					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Sapporo Kitahiroshima Prince Family Ski Area					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Sapporo Kokusai					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon
Sapporo Moiwayama					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Shibetsu-shi Hinata					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Tue morning
Shintokuyama					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 13.0mm), heaviest on Mon morning
Shirogane Ski Highland Parkhill Valley					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 13.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Ski Mebius					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 13.0mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon
Snow Clues Onze					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Takinouecho Sakuragaoka					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm), heaviest on Tue morning
Teine Highland					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Teine Olympia					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Tenpoku Ski Area					0 cm	Light rain (total 8.0mm), mostly falling on Tue morning
Toyotomi Onsen Choei					0 cm	Light rain (total 6.0mm), mostly falling on Mon night
Tsubetsu					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 17.0mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon
Wakkanai Komadori					0 cm	Light rain (total 7.0mm), mostly falling on Mon night
Wakkanaishi Koen					0 cm	Light rain (total 7.0mm), mostly falling on Mon night
Yokotsudake Kokusai					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 15.0mm), heaviest on Sun night
Yuubari Mt Racey Resort					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 12.0mm), heaviest on Mon morning