Best Honshu Ski Resorts - Powderhounds
Here are our awards for the best ski resorts in Honshu as rated by Powderhounds.com. Everyone has different priorities when it comes to a Honshu snow trip so we’ve provided our top picks by terrain by ability levels and other categories such as family friendliness and nightlife, which are also outlined in detail on our
Honshu ski resort ratings. You can also check out the best Honshu ski resorts as
rated by the readers of Powderhounds.com.
Best Overall Honshu Ski Resorts
- Nozawa Onsen
- Hakuba *
- Myoko *
Other top rated ski resorts in Honshu are
Shiga Kogen*,
Madarao and
Aomori Spring,
Naeba,
Lotte Arai and
Appi, which not surprisingly are all also destination ski resorts. So if you’re wondering where to ski in Honshu and you want to park yourself somewhere for a week or so, one of these ski resorts will be a good choice. These Honshu ski resorts are the most popular because they tick lots of boxes for families and other skiers and snowboarders, and as to be expected, accommodation sells out rather quickly in the most sought after areas, especially for
Nozawa Onsen accommodation.
*collection of ski areas & villages
Top Honshu Ski Areas for Powder Hounds
Based on advanced/expert terrain + snow quality & quantity + lack of people riding off-piste/sidecountry
- Tenjindaira
- Geto Kogen
- Ani
Other top Honshu ski areas for powder hounds include
Kumanoyu Shiga Kogen,
Charmant Hiuchi,
Tazawako and
Hakkaisan. Keep in mind that to get the most out of some of these Honshu ski areas, you’ll need to head into the sidecountry as well as the backcountry and therefore require expert riding, route-finding and backcountry skills (and/or a guide). Some of the ski areas that were previously highly rated as a powder hound spot are now swarmed with powder hunters, such as
Madarao,
Hakuba Norikura and
Cortina, and these places are still phenomenal for those with a touring set-up to get a little way from the crowds.
Rather than thinking of individual Honshu ski areas, powder hounds should be thinking more in terms of powder skiing regions where you can hit up multiple ski areas. In Honshu, the top powder skiing zones are Northern Tohoku (
Iwate and
Aomori),
Minakami and
Katashina in Gunma, and even in Nagano and Niigata, there are spots to get away to find fresh lines.
Powderhounds.com Awards for the Best Skiing in Honshu
Skiing and Snowboarding
- Best overall terrain: Nozawa Onsen, Hakuba Norikura, Hakuba Tsugaike
- Best beginner terrain**: Hakuba Tsugaike, Aomori Spring, Kagura
- Best ski resort for beginners: Myoko Akakura, Hakuba Goryu, Nozawa Onsen
- Intermediate terrain: Shiga Kogen, Hakuba Happo, Zao Onsen
- Advanced piste terrain: Madarao, Nozawa Onsen, Kandatsu
- Off-piste terrain: Lotte Arai, Shiga Kogen, Madarao & Tangram
- Uncrowded slopes: lots of ski areas get full marks – see Honshu ratings
- Best expert terrain: Tenjindaira, Norikura, Ani
- Best slackcountry (mostly lift accessed backcountry): Tenjin, Ani
- Best backcountry (may be partly lift assisted): Hakkoda, Tenjindaira, Aomori Spring, Hakuba, Myoko
- Best tree skiing Honshu: Aomori Spring, Ani, Hakuba Cortina, Oze Iwakura
- Best lift infrastructure: Grandeco, Lotte Arai
- Best terrain park: Aomori Spring, Nekoma
** some ski areas have great beginner terrain but may only have private lessons in English which attract a premium
Honshu Snow
Other Awards for the Best Honshu Ski Resorts/Towns
- Best non-resort base: Yuzawa, Yudanaka, Morioka
- Honshu ski areas with very few gaijin: various ski areas in Yamagata & Akita prefectures, Minakami ski resorts, Katashina ski areas
- Best traditional Japanese experience at/near ski area/s: Shibu Onsen, Yudanaka, Zao Onsen, Minakami
- Top resorts that cater to international guests: Hakuba, Myoko, Nozawa
- Best family resort / top Honshu ski resort for kids: Lotte Arai, Myoko Akakura, Madarao, Naeba
- Best nightlife: Hakuba Echoland, Yuzawa, Nozawa, Myoko Akakura, Yudanaka
- Best restaurants/dining: Nozawa, Yuzawa, Hakuba Echoland
- Best value for money destination ski resort: Hakuba Tsugaike, Hakuba Norikura, Oze Iwakura
- Best value for money base: Morioka, Nagano, Yudanaka
- Best luxury ski resort in Honshu: Lotte Arai Resort, Appi
- Ski resort/town with best onsen: Zao Onsen, Minakami
The top ski resorts in Honshu are also highlighted in detail in our Honshu ski resorts ratings, which include factors such as powder, terrain for different ability levels, lift infrastructure, nightlife, family friendliness, culture and cost. Note that for the ratings provided by Powderhounds, areas Hakuba are rated for the individual ski resorts within the region and not as a collective, whilst Myoko is rated overall as well as ratings for the ski areas.