When we last visited in 2016 we were struck by the poverty of the town and that most things appeared destitute, except the ski resort and the Mt Racey Hotel which were a shining light. Back then, we contacted Yubari Resort (or is it Mt Racey? – not agreeing on a brand name might be their first problem with marketing!) to see if we could help with their promotion of the ski resort and hotels, thinking they’d be keen for any extra help, but they made it clear that they didn’t really want international visitors. With an old school approach to non-marketing, it was no great surprise that the ski resort had to close a few years later due to financial problems. The ski resort partially re-opened in 2021-22 and a bit more opened for the 2022-23 season, but the main hotel sits there with the doors closed and the resort-owned hotel up the road has closed indefinitely. We reached out again recently, but emails and messages using a variety of methodologies and in English and Japanese went unanswered, so marketing still doesn’t seem high on their priorities.

The good news is that Indy Pass somehow got in contact with them, and that might be the needed promotion to resurrect the ski resort or at least keep it afloat.

We visited Yubari in mid January on the way from the airport to Furano, and it was ideal as a place for a warm-up. There was a small amount of fresh fluff, barely anyone about, and the lines were all ours – there was zero competition. The closure of the top double chair was a slight inconvenience. It was still possible to access that terrain but it just required a return to the bottom each time.

Our thoughts on the pros and cons are outlined on the Yubari Resort overview and you can see how we compare it to other ski areas on the Hokkaido ski resorts ratings.
See our video here

Apart from a massive horde of school kids, the Mt Racey Ski Resort was deserted. If ever the
school subsidiary is lifted (which is rumoured), this is a ski resort that will be in major financial trouble, just like the town.

And in the town of Yubari, there was barely anyone there either. Usually we love little ski areas that are deserted because it means we can have our private ski resort, but this was a little depressing in part because of the financial status of the town. There were shops and restaurants closed down, buildings collapsed, and poverty was evident everywhere we went (except the ski resort and the hotels).

You might feel compelled to visit Yubari just to support the destitute town with your tourist dollar, however the town and ski resort doesn’t do itself many favours when it comes to attracting international guests (except for the film festival). For example it’s difficult for English speaking guests to book a hotel at Mt Racey.

Yubari Resort is probably best for powder hounds to visit for day trips from another central Hokkaido destination, and ideally for storm riding. See our Mt Racey overview page for more on the pros and cons and also see the Japan ski resorts ratings.
See our video here