Where is Hachimantai Shimokura?

The Hachimantai Resort Shimokura sits on the flanks of Mt Iwate in the Iwate Prefecture. Shimokura is 15km west of the town of Hachimantai. The base areas of the two parts of Hachimantai Resort (Shimokura and Panorama) are only 3km apart by road. Hachimantai Shimokura is 47km northwest of the city of Morioka and the Morioka Shinkansen station (which is 544km north of Tokyo).

Flights

The Iwate Hanamaki Airport is 75km south of Hachimantai. The Hanamaki Airport receives domestic flights from Sapporo and Osaka Itami, and international flights from Shanghai-Pudong (with China Eastern Airlines) and Taipei-Taoyuan (Tigerair Taiwan). You could rent a car at the airport or it’s about one hour taxi ride to get to your Hachimantai accommodation.

Otherwise you can use the Tokyo Narita or Haneda airports as a gateway and catch trains up to Morioka. You can look at flight options here.

Driving to Hachimantai Shimokura

Having a rental car is the best way to get to the ski resort and your accommodation, and to explore the various ski resorts in the region. The telephone number of Shimokura for GPS navigation is +81-195-78-3456 and it’s a very easy drive.

Guided Tours

Going on a multi-resort tour which includes transport is a fabulous way to get the most out of the Iwate ski resorts, and it’s mighty nice to have someone drive you to the ski resorts and also to the nearby onsen. In addition to taking in the Iwate ski resorts, some of the tours also head up to Hakkoda and other Aomori ski resorts.

Train & Bus to Hachimantai Shimokura

It’s possible to get there from Tokyo by catching the Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train) to Morioka which only takes 130-180 minutes. From Morioka train station, there are buses to Hachimantai Panorama Resort (where you could stay at the Hachimantai Mountain Hotel), and then get the inter-resort shuttle to Shimokura.

Ski Resorts Near Hachimantai Shimokura

There are various other ski resorts near Morioka on the flanks of the Mount Iwate volcano. Some are destination resorts (e.g. Appi Kogen) whilst others are best suited to a one day powder fix such as Iwate Kogen (38km south) and Amihari Onsen (41km south).

The weather around the region can be very fickle and the big snow storms are usually accompanied by big winds, but considering that Mt Iwate is a big bertha, the weather can vary from one resort to another. Hachimantai ski resort is a good place to visit on windy days versus Appi which is more exposed.

Appi is 26km by road to the north of Hachimantai Ski Resort, whilst Shizukuishi is south of Hachimantai on a 57km road that travels around Mt Iwate.

Okunakayama is 43km southeast of Hachimantai Shimokura.

Geto Kogen is also in the region.