Hidden Gem Japanese Ski Resorts

Whilst there are plenty of Japanese ski resorts that have become rather westernised due to an influx of international investment, there are still plenty of hidden gem ski resorts in Japan with good terrain where you can find the real Japan and have little, if any, competition for the fresh powder. These “secret” Japanese ski resorts are highly coveted and are only for those with an adventurous spirit..

Should Ski Resorts in Japan Be A Secret?

Whilst it’s fantastic to have a ski area to yourself and it would be lovely to keep it to yourself, keeping secrets is obviously not good for the financial sustainability of a ski area and the surrounding businesses.

We’ve let the cat out of the bag on some “secret” resorts, so we sometimes receive hate email or cursing comments on social media because we’ve revealed these off the beaten path ski resorts in Japan. We've had multiple people complain that we had revealed the secret of Lotte Arai, despite it being non-operational for a decade because it went financially awry (pun intended)! And we received an abusive email about revealing the hush-hush of Chisenupuri, which was just before the ski resort closed because they couldn’t afford to maintain the lift. In recent times we received a hate email because we promoted the secret of Niseko (that one took the cake!!)!

On the other hand, we’ve had locals thank us for helping to save their town, because without some promotion the place might have gone under. Myoko Kogen is a case in point where some locals are very appreciative. Myoko is quite bustling now, but not that long ago barely any westerners went there, and lots of hotels and shops were boarded up.

Being powder hounds, we completely get it that people want to keep the hidden gems a secret, so they can return there the following year and continue to have all the powder to themselves. The only limitation with that view is that if a Japanese ski resort is a secret then it’s difficult for it to remain financially viable, and when they return the next year, will the ski resort still be open? Will the top lift that accesses most of the good terrain still be operational? Will there be somewhere to stay, or will the mom and pop pension have closed its doors? Will it be yet another Japanese ski resort that bites the dust? (See below regarding classic examples of has-been ski resorts that remained too big a secret). We feel that powder hunters should support these ski resorts that fly under the radar and that there shouldn’t be a SSSL (Super Secret Stash List).

Of course, when it comes to backcountry skiing spots in Japan that require no lift infrastructure or business to remain financially afloat, then absolutely, we should all keep those on the SSSL!

Best Powder Gem Ski Resorts in Japan

For the best ski resorts in Japan that fly under the radar of many skiers and snowboarders, we’ve sub-divided them into: backcountry skiing with some lift assistance; mostly lift accessed terrain; and destination resorts where you could take the family but also score some powder (although destination resorts are typically well discovered).

Some people think that it’s still the early 2,000s when there were Japanese ski resorts where you could slide off the lift and score powder all the way down. Today, in order to make the most of the gem ski resorts, you’ll generally have to put a little work in to get the rewards. You’ll also need some route-finding and other backcountry skills to make the most of the Japow, and/or have a guide to assist with this. If you don’t have a guide, you’ll need to do some self-drive road tripping.

Mostly Backcountry Skiing With Some Lift Assistance

Tenjindaira is rated by us as the best Japan ski resort for powder hounds. The actual ski resort is tiny and it only provides about an hour of Japow fun, but the lifts provide access to some phenomenal sidecountry and backcountry. The terrain includes steep trees as well as open alpine bowls and chutes. Tanigawadake Tenjindaira is blessed (and cursed) with a lot of snow, and as to be expected for a big mountain that scores abundant snowfall, you need to work around the weather.

Ani in Akita is a unicorn ski resort! If you’re not sure what a unicorn ski resort is, it’s one with the highly sought-after combination of lots of snowfall, great advanced and expert terrain, and low crowds. Sounds dreamy doesn’t it?! Keep in mind that there’s only a little bit of terrain for no-effort lift-accessed powder skiing, whilst powder hounds willing to put in just a little bit of work will be handsomely rewarded. Speaking of effort, it takes some time to get to Ani from other powder spots in Akita, Iwate or Aomori, but the upside is that not many other powder hounds will make the pilgrimage.

Kurodake is amazing but it has some pretty striking pros and cons. The main event is the ski touring above the ropeway and lift, where powder hounds can play in deep phenomenal powder. The terrain under the ropeway is super steep and burly, but it can be hard to hit it when the snow’s just right. Other than the oft foul weather, the other main limitation is that the ropeway is closed in the middle of the season (and the dates change each year depending on what mood they’re in).

Aomori Spring way up north in the Aomori Prefecture sort of fits into all three categories. You could take the family to Aomori Spring and there is some lift accessed tree skiing, but if you do even short skins above the lifts where the terrain gets a little steeper, the world is your oyster! And from Aomori Spring you could day trip to the famed Hakkoda. Hakkoda isn’t a secret anymore and queues can develop for the Hakkoda Ropeway, but short-ish skins away from the ropeway take you to fresh powder fields with egress via a car pick up.

Lift Accessed Skiing Powder Gems

These are not secrets, but they are definitely hidden gems relative to the high profile ski resorts in Japan. They are not destination resorts where you can park yourself for a week, but rather ski resorts that you include as part of a road trip or multi-resort tour.

Oze Iwakura in Gunma requires wheels to get there, which helps to keep the gaijin numbers down. Oze Iwakura had a little financial difficulty after the tsunami and some of the other lifts look like they need a major rehaul.

Charmant Hiuchi requires a car to get there and could be tacked onto a Hakuba or Myoko trip. The main joys are in the sidecountry and backcountry.

Tazawako is growing in popularity and definitely worth including on a road trip or tour of the Iwate ski resorts.

Hakkaisan near Yuzawa has some marked pros and cons, but if you can hit it right, it’s mighty nice. Nearby Naeba and Kagura are also worth visiting.

There are various little ski areas in northern Hokkaido near Asahikawa. The lift infrastructure may be from the dark ages and terrain size not large, so they may not entertain you for long, but freshies usually abound. Way up north is Piyashiri.

Other hidden gems include Hakodate Nanae, Okunakayama Kogen and Jeunesse, although you’ll need some major commitment to get to these. Check out our Freshies ratings of Japanese ski resorts ratings which will give you an indication of other Japan ski resorts off the beaten path and what other factors you'll need to sacrifice.

Destination Ski Resorts

The destination ski resorts that are below the radar (relative to Niseko and Hakuba etc), will suit the family whilst powder hounds can also sneak off to get some freshies.

You’d think because Sahoro has a Club Med and we’ve rated it as a top family friendly ski resort in Japan, that you wouldn’t include it on a list of hidden gems. Most of the Japanese and Club Med folks stay on-piste, so generally fresh tracks are reasonably easy to come by.

Shiga Kogen has been well and truly discovered, but it has retained a lot of its Japanese culture, and it seems to attract a mostly piste skiing crowd, so it still has plenty of lure for powder hounds.

Appi is reasonably well known but it seems to have dropped in popularity in recent years, in part due to pricing of lift passes and slopeside hotels. There is well priced accommodation down in the village, and we found it quite easy to find fresh powder on our last visit.

No Longer a Secret Japanese Ski Resort

Lots of people wax lyrical about the good old days when powder skiing and snowboarding in Japan was easy, and most Japanese ski resorts were devoid of foreign powder hunters. Some of the jewels were Nozawa Onsen, Rusutsu, Furano, Kiroro, Asahidake (where you could get freshies under the ropeway with no hiking), Sapporo Teine, and Madarao, and Tomamu to a lesser degree.

Lotte Arai Ski Resort re-opened in Dec 2017, along with the super flashy hotels, onsen and restaurants at the base. It was a powder gem for a few years with its huge snowfalls and great terrain, but it’s now well known.

Whilst the popularity of these places has grown, it’s all relative, and the growth is nothing in comparison to the massive increase in crowds at high profile US ski resorts. We’ve spoken to a lot of Euros and Americans who think that Niseko is very uncrowded! It’s a matter of perspective.

Ski Resorts That Have Closed Down or Partly Closed Down

As the economic bubble has progressively burst, there have been lots of Japanese ski resorts that have closed down. Some former ski resorts such as Chisenupuri and Kitataisetsu have now been converted into cat skiing operations, whilst others such as Niyama Kogen lie in ongoing decay.

There are also lots of ski resorts in Japan that have tried to minimise costs by closing key lifts that used to make them attractive for powder hounds, and now they are almost limping to a grinding halt. Nukabira, Kurohime, Togari Onsen, Kashimayari and Adatara Kogen are examples. Others such as Shizukuishi and Sapporo Teine sort of get by with the top lift closed, whilst some ski resorts have their top lift open so rarely (Kijimadaira), that it feels like without a big cash injection that they’re at risk of becoming has-beens. And no, we’re not calling them “has-beens” just so that we can keep the secret to ourselves!