3 Japan Ski Sites You Must Visit

 The fun of skiing in Japan

Are you looking for an adrenaline-rush holiday? Why not go skiing in Japan? Skiing is such a wonderful activity to help you stay in touch with nature. Japan provides you with remarkable snow conditions that make the country one of the best places to go skiing around the world.

The great thing about skiing in Japan is that even if you cannot make it during the winter period, ski resorts remain open through spring. You’ll also not have a problem with the available snow because there will still be plenty of it during the spring for you to plow through.

Indeed, people who love skiing prefer doing their thing in places where they experience endless power, friendly locals, great food, and relaxing onsens to look forward to. So, apart from choosing Japan, there are three sites you must visit in the country: the Nozawa Onsen in Nagano; Shiga Kogen in Nagano; and Hakuba Valley in Nagano.

Nozawa Onsen, Nagano

Did you know that Mozawa Onsen was a hot spring location before it became a much-celebrated ski destination? This site provides ski lovers the best way to wind down after sampling the various tourist experiences that Japan offers, including spending time on the slopes of hills and mountains spread across the country.

The Nozawa Onsen, Nagano skiing destination, has great ski reports, including the Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort, which is commonly referred to as Japan Powder Heaven. This resort comprises a large ski area that began more than seventy years ago.

Why you must visit this skiing site is that it has plenty of terrain to explore, and offers more than fifty kilometers of trails and pistes. It has an elevation of about 1085 meters and has about 297 hectares of skiing surface. It also has some difficult modul runs and offers great powder days between the marked runs.

If you’re an active skier, the environment provided at this exquisite Nagano ski resort, including the Nozawa Onsen ski resort rental, is quite welcoming. Besides that, get prepared to do your thing in a terrain park with jumps, rails, boxes, and an eighty-meter pipe to get your adrenaline pumping. Something you’ll find interesting about the Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort is that it is the only ski resort in Japan with truly family-friendly packages. For example, kids 5 and under who are playing with adults do not get charged for using the facility.

When you plan to go skiing in Nozawa Onsen, Nagano, you’ll find it in the northern part of the prefecture and within easy reach of central Tokyo. It will take you just two hours on a shinkansen ride to get to Liyama Station, from where you can use a shuttle that will get you to Nozawa Onsen within a period of less than half an hour.

Shiga Kogen, Nagano

Shiga Kogen will provide you with a shockingly long ski season because it is usually open from mid-November to the end of May. This skiing site encompasses 16 different ski areas, all of which can be accessed with one convenient lift pass.

When you visit Shiga Kogen, be prepared to sample the best range of traditional Japanese ryokan guesthouses, which are the epitome of Japan’s friendly hospitality. This skiing destination is also close to popular destinations such as the Jogokudani Snow Monkey Park.

To reach Shiga Kogen, it will take you about an hour and a half of shinkansen travel followed by a slightly more than one hour bus ride from Tokyo.

Hakuba Valley, Nagano

Another skiing destination you must visit is the Hakuba Valley of Nagano. This expansive ski area in the Japanese Alps comprises 10 different ski resorts you can shuttle between to make the most of the diverse area. You’ll also find the area great for your skiing encounters because it has plenty of snow and stunning scenery that make it a cool getaway from your life’s hustles.

The Hakuba Valley also has numerous hot springs that provide great avenues for relaxing after riding the trails. The valley is extremely English-friendly and is a popular site for international travelers, including those who don’t indulge in skiing activities.

You can access Hakuba Valley by shinkansen and bus in less than three hours from central Tokyo. The shinkansen ride will take you an hour and a half to reach Nagano Station, after which you can take an hour-long bus ride to Hakuba.

Want help visiting great skiing sites in Japan?

If you need assistance with finding and visiting any skiing site in Japan, Nozawa Snow Resort can help. They’ve been helping ski lovers with their skiing experiences, where to stay in Japan, and places they can have great and affordable food while in Japan.