Beware, the areas beside the pistes are privately owned, and out of bounds. The chairlifts are old, slow, short, and without footrests. The restaurant at the bottom of the hill good and reasonable.
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Located near beautiful Otaru and an hour’s drive from vibrant Sapporo is Asari Ski Resort, the perfect choice for your next family ski break. The well groomed and diverse mountain features a variety of slopes suitable for both beginner and experienced skiers and snowboarders. Enjoy panoramic mountain views reaching to the ocean and glide down the powder filled runs for an exhilarating experience. Their on site ski school means you can enrol your children into classes of all levels or book private lessons available in Japanese, English, and Chinese. Delve into lunch with friends at the lively Center House where you can enjoy traditional ramen, mouthwatering Japanese curries, and an ice cold draft beer to unwind. Young children and those new to skiing will love the safe and inviting bunny slope complete with escalator to assist beginners with the sport. Rent a sledge and utilise the surrounding hills for a bit of family fun, and check out the nearby famed onsens after a satisfying day on the slopes. Buses run regularly from Otaru and Sapporo and on-site parking is available for those who drive. Asarigawaonsen is an easily accessible area, and ideal for day trips when staying in Otaru or Sapporo. A great choice for those looking for the restaurants and shops of the city and still want a few days on the slopes.
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Perfect day trip from Otaru or Sapporo. Our kids loved the beginner ski slope with escalator and the instructors are amazing with children. Our five year old was going down the green runs after 3 days of lessons and had such a good time. Food is also delicious, especially the Japanese curry and ramen. My husband enjoyed boarding on the black run and snow was great during the entire week. Only a 20 min drive from Otaru and parking on site.
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Asari is small in Japan field terms but bigger than you would think. The lifts are all pretty old and slow which makes it a slow process to get to the top. You will find very few non Japanese here, which is one of the big pluses for the place. The locals love to do their big GS turns down the hill and build up some good mogul runs. They don't like the trees or the powder. Bingo, you have the place to yourself, some reallly nice tree runs untracked, though nothing steep. Asari shares its space with the Sasson Golf Club which leaves you with the unique result of skiing on a fairways on the way back out of the trees to the lifts. Some pushing is required but not much if yoiu don't stray too far to the right. This is a neat little filed with enough to explore over say 2 days.
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After a week in the area knocking off other ski hills, the day came with howling westerlies shutting down the top half of Niseko and making most of Kiroro a real face freezer (Kiroro faces NW). So we decided to give Asari a crack.

Asari is low. You feel like you've barely started up the valley and there is the ski hill. It also was the cheapest place with a lift ticket and lunch for $40 US!

All the lifts are coded in different colours and I don't know how that helped because when they were built everything was in black and white. Really ancient, really slow gear with no handrail to lower on any of the chairs so just remember that if you're thinking of bringing kids.

The bottom being basically sea level was ice and with a nasty storm it was difficult to scope the trees. I'm sure there are some nice lines somewhere and there were NO powderhounds here but if you come here like we did to escape a storm the problem is that once you're on the hill you get no respite. Ski down and then sit on a ancient chair with no hood getting frozen as it crawls up the hill. The novelty factor wore off really fast.

Compared to Kokusai with the same aspect but much higher up the valley (better snow) with gondolas to recover in and it was a no brainer. We bailed after only a couple of runs and went to Kokusai, again for better powder, terrain and lift that were build in the last 50 years.

The terrain park looked good in Asari and I suspect being so close to a population centre that is their drawcard.
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Asari is a lovely little ski resort for powderhounds, particularly those on their L plates (strong intermediate/advanced powder skiers and boarders). There’s enough merriment in the off-piste and out-of-bounds areas to keep a powderhound entertained for a day (or two), so Asari is good for a day trip from Sapporo or Otaru. This is a good choice if lifts are closed at nearby ski resorts due to high winds.

Other pros include no lift lines and very inexpensive lift tickets and lift ticket packages.

Cons include the small size of the resort and the low elevation, so the snow may not be as pristine as at other Hokkaido ski resorts.

For more detailed ratings of Asari and to see how it compares to other Japan ski resorts, see our powderhounds resort ratings.
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I experienced good powder skiing with many exellent memories made by staff. The staff were very freindly although some did not apply brilliant customer service skills they were very helpful. English speaking staff would have been better.
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