# Planning Japow trip! Seeking some advice.



## txb0115 (Sep 20, 2015)

Have decided on Japow Jan/Feb 2019, that gives me time to save all the $$$ needed to do it right…

Here are the resorts I have narrowed down as top candidates. Comments by anyone who’s been to any of these would be greatly appreciated..

Top of my list ( for now )

~ Sapporo Kokusai

~ Kiroro

~ Rusutsu

Then strong consideration to

~ Niseko United ( including Moiwa )

~ Furano

Also have some interest to hear about anyones experience at

~ Nozawa Onsen

I have really kinda decided the North Island since it gets the most snow, is the best bet if I'm gonna haul my ass all the way over there... But am open to opinions/experiences from the main island..



Will do a minimum of 14 days, with hopefully 21 days if I can save enough…


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## Kyler (Feb 2, 2016)

Niseko for sure. Make sure you get your international drive permit from AAA if you plan on renting a car.


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## JDA (Feb 10, 2016)

Kind of depends on what you are looking for, I prefer empty resorts but I don't care about night life so that makes things easy as I just avoid the popular places.


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## txb0115 (Sep 20, 2015)

JDA said:


> Kind of depends on what you are looking for, I prefer empty resorts but I don't care about night life so that makes things easy as I just avoid the popular places.


That's why I'm looking @ 

~ Sapporo Kokusai

~ Kiroro

From what I have read so far those places are supposed to be uncrowded in comparison to the Niseko resorts.. 

Just wondering if anyone has been to those two places..


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## Mlads (Apr 2, 2017)

We just got back from Japan last month and I highly recommend Myoko. Its next door to Nozawaonsen.

Small town , 14-15m snowfall a year, and big range of resorts to visit in the area. We went to 7 different ones and still missed some.

Accomodation, food and ski tickets were very cheap compared to places like Hakuba.

for example we were paying about $30-35 for lift tickets a day, and no more than $10 for lunch/dinner.

Lifts had no queues , even on weekends. On the other hand popular touristy resorts like Hakuba had massive lines on weekends.

Night life was average/poor but we didn't care, resorts were empty and cheap. Snow was dry powder and they had 3-4m base.

Some resorts were chopping their trees to make tree runs, it was pretty cool. Busses to resorts are mainly free, but some will cost you $5.

We are looking to go North island next time and compare it.


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## WasabiCanuck (Apr 29, 2015)

Kyler said:


> Niseko for sure. Make sure you get your international drive permit from AAA if you plan on renting a car.


I lived in Japan for 2 years about 15 years ago so it has been awhile but you don't need a car. I never had one for the entire time I was in Japan. Amazing public transit system, best in the world and very easy to use. When you get back you can tell your buddies that you took the shinkansen (bullet train), it is very cool and goes like 200 km/h or something. I took it every weekend to go snowboarding when I lived there.

I went to Niseko and loved it, also spent a bunch of time in Nagano area (I lived in Tokyo so it was convenient) both places are rad but Hokkaido will have the best chance for powder. Also think about what kind of travel experience you want to have, I used to stay at a mom&pop ski in/ski out B&B right on the slopes. It was super fun and VERY Japanese, even had tatame mats in the bed rooms, I miss how they feel on my feet haha. Make sure to hit an onsen, the Japanese LOVE their onsens and they are very nice.

Stoked for you!!!


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## JDA (Feb 10, 2016)

txb0115 said:


> That's why I'm looking @
> 
> ~ Sapporo Kokusai
> 
> ...


Everything is uncrowded compared to Niseko, I would never go back there personally. 

I have been to Kiroro and Rusustsu too, both are empty compared to Niseko, in fact I probably had one of the best days of my life snowboarding in Rusutsu this year! Kiroro has some nice terrain but you must go outside the gates to get it, they have a pretty good system for that. Rusutsu has fantastic terrain in the trees and it all funnels you back to the lifts.

The main island gets really good snow too and is generally less expensive than Hokkaido. Myoko is a great option but there are many others that people don't talk about.


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## tokyo_dom (Jan 7, 2013)

JDA said:


> The main island gets really good snow too and is generally less expensive than Hokkaido. Myoko is a great option but there are many others that people don't talk about.


Yeah because we dont want those places to get like Niseko :grin:

I found kiroro somewhat boring, long flat runs, but then i tend to stay inbounds.
On the other hand i loved Sapporo kokusai and Rusutsu. Another one i'd recommend is Teine, right in Sapporo city. 

Snow in Hokkaido is great, but its not guaranteed to be better than the main island; case in point my friend went to Niseko in march and it hadnt snowed in more than a week. On the other hand Yuzawa was getting a massive snow dump and was powder heaven at the same time.

But a powder day in Hokkaido/Niseko will give you better snow than a powder day on the main island. Snow is lighter and its the reason so many powder hunters concentrate there. And since you are from Utah, you would be used to decent snow; i would suggest heading to where you can get the best snow. But, if you are there for 21 days, maybe make some time to check out Hakuba/Nozawa/Kagura


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## JDA (Feb 10, 2016)

tokyo_dom said:


> I found kiroro somewhat boring, long flat runs, but then i tend to stay inbounds.


Yes outside the gates is a different world, you have to go see ski patrol and sign a waiver and nominate an area you will be but it is well worth the effort.

This is a photo my mate grabbed of me in outside the gates in Kiroro.


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## tokyo_dom (Jan 7, 2013)

JDA said:


> This is a photo my mate grabbed of me in outside the gates in Kiroro.


Not doubting that kiroro is exciting outside of the gates... but that photo sorta confirms what i was saying about the steepness of the terrain :grin:>:grin:>


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

That is why japow boards are made differently. They gotta float in deep ass snow on not steep terrain...


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## JDA (Feb 10, 2016)

tokyo_dom said:


> Not doubting that kiroro is exciting outside of the gates... but that photo sorta confirms what i was saying about the steepness of the terrain :grin:>:grin:>


It had not snowed for something like 3 days in Niseko, which is unusual  so we took the morning bus to Kiroro and we did manage to ride fresh tracks all day outside the gates but we kept going wider and wider to get the freshies and we ended up in a kind of ditch and had to walk out, that's when the photo was taken.

Anyway I think Kiroro is worth at least a few days of exploring and it was even less crowded than Rusutsu. We only had one day there and I got the feeling there was a lot more exploring to be done.


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## txb0115 (Sep 20, 2015)

JDA said:


> It had not snowed for something like 3 days in Niseko, which is unusual  so we took the morning bus to Kiroro and we did manage to ride fresh tracks all day outside the gates but we kept going wider and wider to get the freshies and we ended up in a kind of ditch and had to walk out, that's when the photo was taken.
> 
> Anyway I think Kiroro is worth at least a few days of exploring and it was even less crowded than Rusutsu. We only had one day there and I got the feeling there was a lot more exploring to be done.


That's the kinda beta I like... I'm all good with going out of the gates, and I like uncrowded... I also like that there is an on mountain lodge.. I'm planning on bringing one solid deck, one split and a set of verts..


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## The Shogun (Sep 25, 2016)

txb0115 said:


> Have decided on Japow Jan/Feb 2019, that gives me time to save all the $$$ needed to do it right…
> 
> Here are the resorts I have narrowed down as top candidates. Comments by anyone who’s been to any of these would be greatly appreciated..
> 
> ...


I have lived in Japan for over 10 years in total (over a period of 15 yrs), 2 of which I lived in Sapporo.....having rode at many resorts on both Honshu and Hokkaido, your choices are spot on. I'd throw in Sapporo Teine as well, steep and deep (but not necessarily long) and only 30 mins from downtown Sapporo. 

Kokusai is the most popular of the resorts around Sapporo for locals, but it gets great amounts of snow and there are some real nice surfy powder runs of the back and sides. You need to watch though as the area is riddled with steep valleys and its easy to get sucked down to the rivers at the bottom and being left with a deep hike out. Access to Kokusai is super easy, there are shuttle buses leaving Sapporo station all the time, also from Makomanai subway station. If you have your own wheels (which would be more convenient) you can get a very reasonable lift-lunch and onsen ticket for nearby Jozankei Onsen, a town between Kokusai and Sapporo city that has one of the best onsens I've ever been in. Hoheikyo Onsen. Its about an hour drive from the centre of the city to the resort.

Kiroro is basically over the back of Kokusai as the crow flies so conditions and snow quality are very similar. I haven't rode here much but when we did go it was fantastic powder and very few people. It has a lot of flat sections in the side country which is very frustrating, but my buddy recently has been hanging out there a fair bit and says he now knows where to get the best that kiroro has to offer. So with a bit of local knowledge you won't be hitting those flat bits. 

Rusutsu.......I love this place! i was there just 2 weeks ago for what was probably the last powder day of the season.....certainly for me. The tree runs are brilliant, pretty much everything runs back to a lift so its pretty difficult to go wrong. That said though, high season its getting busier and busier as the hordes come over from Niseko. But definitely worth a visit if you like tree runs.

Sapporo Teine......this was my home mountain and I got to know it really well. there are a series of 7 short, but steep bowls that come off the peak. The resort has recently instigated a gate system similar to Niseko for access to this (previously they just roped it off and told people not to go.....and everyone ignored it). These bowls are brilliant, there are pockets of forest in bewteen with good riding if you know where to go and the same can be said for all round the resort. Its quite a small resort though as everything is centred on the Highland zone.

there is very little extra I can say that you probably don't know about Niseko.......its famous for a reason. The snow is great and the terrain is pretty expansive. But it is crowded. It is full of foreigners and it doesn't feel like Japan....which may or may not be a good thing depending on what you are looking for. It's the closest thing to a party ski-town that Japan has, loads of bars and restaurants and jolly young aussies throwing their weight around. I tend to avoid it. 

Furano is a place I've never been but have heard good things about. It doesn't get as much snow as its western cousins but because its pretty much in the cold centre of Hokkaido, the snow that falls stays super cold and fluffy for time. They have relaxed their off-piste policy of late, I have heard and are not grabbing lift passes anymore for out of bounds riding. Its also a year round town so has some restaurants and bars etc at night time.

Honshu.......The resorts down here tend to be higher, the mountains more craggier and mountain-like. The kita-alps that run through Hakuba-Nozawa-Myoko are pretty spectacular....I guess not compared to Europe or Nth america, but nice all the same. The snow.....having ridden both Hokkaido and Honshu I definitely think that Hokkaido's snow is better....lighter and lasts longer after a dump. BUT Honshu gets a ton of snow. This year, Honshu definitely beat Hokkaido for snowfall. Last year was a washout for Honshu but Hokkaido was its ever-present self.

Nozawa Onsen is a year round town with that Japanesey "cultural" experience......quint shopping streets, weird and wonderful festivals (see the fire festival), onsens, food...the whole nine yards. It is becoming more popular though and friends who ride there a lot have been lamenting this year as being too busy. Their favourite runs getting tracked out by mid morning etc. 
Myoko is a great shout.......a good collection of hills that gets awesome amounts of snow thats usually in the best condition that southern Honshu has to offer. Myoko is also very near to Nozawa Onsen, Shiga Kogen and Madarao kogen (a nice compact resort that has some good powder lines to keep you interested for a day or 2).
Hakuba is probably the most famous of resorts on Honshu. I have a strange relationship with this valley, having never been able to time it right to get the conditions its famous for. Its got a nice if not spread out village and a lot of choice when it comes to resorts and lines to ride. Local knowledge is most definitely the key here.

Shiga Kogen is huge....there are almost infinte lines to ride, it being the biggest resort in Japan. But its very quiet after lights out. If you are going to stay here, base yourself in the Ichinose area. It has a small village feel to it, a cluster of hotels that have bars and restaurants. Its also further up the mountain so you waste little time getting to where you wanna be when you get up. The area, despite being practically the same as Nozawa and Myoko, strangely doesn't get the amount of snow its neighbours get. Its the highest resort in Japan though so the condition of what falls lasts longer.

Phew! that was a long post......in summation, I think you have chosen a good selection of resorts, all within an hour or 2's drive from central Sapporo. I would recommend staying in Sapporo. You may just get cheaper accomodation here due to it being a big city with all manner of hotel choices from premium international names through Business hotels, Japanese ryokans, backpacker hostels and loads of Air BnB. then you have the nightlife that a big city brings, Susukino is the entertainment district in the centre of town and you can find everything that you are looking for there.....ramen, foreigner bars, night clubs, pokey little run down bars selling the greatest yakitori ever grilled by man.....its got the lot.


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