The Five Best Ski Resorts Near Tokyo
We’re always getting asked what our favourite aspects of Japanese resorts are, so we thought we’d share with you what we love about the five most popular places to ski on Japan’s main island of Honshu (not in any particular order…)
Hakuba - most people have heard of Hakuba and with good reason, it has it all. Amazing snow and mountains, an excellent range of accommodation options, and very importantly great restaurants and après-ski spots.
We especially love it for family ski holidays, it’s easy to get to and has excellent ski resort options, with English-speaking ski schools, ski-in and ski-out accommodation options and heaps to keep both adults and kids occupied on rest days.
This also makes it one of the more popular resorts with Aussies and visitors from around the world but it’s a big enough village that you can still really enjoy a local Japanese vibe with all the conveniences of English being widely spoken.
Nozawa Onsen – another very popular option for family ski holidays and group holidays. Much like Hakuba, Nozawa has a bit of everything while also having the most charming traditional village setting. Nozawa offers a wide range of accommodations from self-catering through to high-end traditional Japanese inns (ryokans) and is about as pretty as ski villages get.
The snow is excellent in Nozawa with more terrain than you can shake a stick at, Nozawa is a true skier’s mountain and snowboarders won’t be disappointed either with an average snowfall of 11 plus metres per season.
We love Nozawa Onsen for the true traditional Japanese village atmosphere, great restaurant options and the huge number of runs with over 50 km of terrain for all levels of skiers and riders. Not to mention Nozawa’s namesake onsen (hot springs), of which there are several dotted around the village and are an absolute must for anyone wanting to experience this tradition (trust us, there’s nothing better after a day on the mountain).
Myoko Kogen - once a hidden gem, Myoko is now a must-visit destination for powder hounds, offering some of the best powder in Honshu. Set in a quaint village with a cute high street, the resort has over 20 different lifts and 51 runs across four different ski areas, some of which are ungroomed and only operate on powder days – and there are plenty of those!
We love it for the combination of powder and the lack of crowds - the powder-to-people ratio is incredible, no waiting for chairs here, even on powder days. The main ski school – Myoko Snowsports is excellent and is highly recommended. The resort is easily accessible from the main street in Akakura and the other resorts like Suginohara and Seki Onsen are easily accessible by shuttle bus or car.
Madarao - another great resort in Nagano and just a short drive from Myoko. The accommodation options are excellent with both hotel and B&B options offering ski-in and ski-out. Madarao is very chilled, especially on weekdays. It also offers amazing tree-riding and more than enough terrain to keep a family occupied for more than a few days.
We love Madarao for its small resort experience while being big enough to keep you busy for 3 to 4 days. The quieter vibe is great for families, and it offers the unusual combination of tree-riding for the older kids (mum and dad too) while offering a more family vibe for the younger kids or less adventurous skiers and riders. It’s also super easy to get to - another plus for families.
Shiga Kogen Ski Resort – this is the highest ski resort in Japan and is huge (by Japanese standards at any rate) with over 80 different runs totalling more 70 km in length. The longest is the Challenge course which goes for a thigh-burning 6 km. With that much terrain, there is obviously something for everyone and plenty of snow to go around.
We love Shiga for its old-school Japanese ski vibe and alpine experience. Obviously, the numbers don’t lie, there is a lot to love about a resort as big and as high as Shiga Kogen is. There is so much varied terrain that you won’t get bored. We especially love slightly less visited areas – Okushiga located on most northern part of Shiga is well worth visiting, it’s super quiet and offers limited tree-riding, a perfect combination.
Of course, there are plenty more ski resorts on Honshu, and in other parts of Japan (hello, Niseko!), and we’ll be sharing our thoughts on these soon. Whether it’s off-the-radar ski destinations or Japan’s most popular resorts, we’ve likely tried them, so feel free to get in touch to learn more or to start planning your perfect Japan snow holiday.
Please drop us a line if you want help planning the most amazing Japanese ski holiday ever!
Wishing you peace, love and powder days!
The Snow Concierge
