Furano has lured my wife and I back February 2014 for another two weeks of delightful Japanese hospitality, scenery and, of course, awesome skiing on sensational snow. There are challenges for all levels of skiers/snowboarders, but, as mentioned by others, the off-piste policy is a slight downside. There are very good reasons for this: there are areas (up top particularly) that, to the naked eye, look seriously dangerous. We chose to get the off-piste experience at Kamui and Tomamu (easy 1 hour access from Furano). Furano town ticks off all the boxes in terms of access from the resort, restaurants (usually very quiet in winter) and all the normal facilities associated with a large rural town. And if you're up for top-shelf tuition and training I highly recommend FISS, based at Kitanomine Zone. Ben, Jan, Rebecca and the crew are outstanding.