Northern Tohoku Road Trip
Skiing & snowboarding at Japan's bigger ski resorts like Nozawa Onsen, Hakuba and Myoko has its benefits such as infrastructure, lifts, western-style accommodation options, western-style restaurants, bars, and other services such as ski & snowboard lessons & rentals.
However with this all comes higher prices, bigger crowds and powder snow trashed by 9am.
Skiing and boarding at some of the many small ski areas in Japan is the exact opposite to above; cheap, powder all day, low crowds (particularly off-piste), sometimes below average lift infrastructure, mostly Japanese-style accommodation, mostly Japanese food, and not a lot of night life unless staying in small cities.
So if you want to see a totally different side to skiing & boarding in Japan it's time to get away from the big resorts and check out some of these amazing gems.
The Road Trip
Because these ski areas tend to be small, the best way to visit them is on a road trip. This can be done in one of two ways:
1. An organised, hosted & guided trip - this is definitely the best way to see these areas as your host/guides will show you the best skiing/riding at all of the ski areas and know which ones to go to each day based on weather and conditions. And in the afternoons/evenings they know the best onsen, restaurants & bars to visit...oh and they do all of the navigation and driving so you can even partake in an ale or two on the drive each day after a day on the slopes. You can see guided & hosted tours in this area here >>
2. A self-guided road trip - if you like to be more independent and want to have the freedom to do your own thing, are happy to navigate and drive on snowy roads, and have mountain route-finding skills, a self-guided road trip is a great way to do it.
We have created a google map on the itinerary page showing the locations of ski areas, options for accommodation, onsen to visit, and other things to do and see along the way in the Northern Tohoku region.
All of these locations have their own unique pros and cons. We have visited nearly all of them and have tried to weed out those that are not worth visiting (but that is not to say we haven't missed a few gems).
The Northern Tohoku Area
This region is particularly conducive to a road trip as there are over a dozen great little gems all within easy reach of a day-trip from small cities like Morioka and Aomori.
Whilst these ski areas are starting to see a few foreigners, you are unlikely to bump into many of them. And if you do, there is plenty of powder to go around.
The area is rich in culture and the seafood & Japanese sake is some of the best you will find in Japan.
Remember this is Japan so in many places you might find little to no English spoken....this is an adventure!
Places to Stay
Near the Ski Areas
Most of the ski areas have some sort of accommodation near or at the base of the ski resort, so this may be an option if you want to spend more than a day there or if your next destination is nearby or in the general direction of where you are heading next.
In a Small Centrally Located City
Another option (which might be in conjunction with staying at the ski areas) is to stay at a central city location like Morioka and/or Aomori. The benefit of staying in these cities and venturing out each day is that you can leave your non-ski gear in one place without the need to pack every day or two. Accommodation is usually exceptionally good value in these cities at this time of year as it is their off-season. And these cities have a good variety of restaurants & bars and have a reasonable nightlife compared to staying at ski area accommodation. The only downside is you may have to travel a little further each day to your destination.
Transportation
Getting There
You can either start this trip in Aomori and then work your way back down south or start south at Morioka and head north for Aomori.
There are 3 options for getting to Morioka or Aomori:
- Take the shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo. For train costs and timetables visit Japan Travel Navitime.
- Fly to Aomori or Hanamaki. Search for flights here.
- Rent a car in Tokyo & drive (7 hours to Morioka / 9 hours to Aomori). See car rental options here.
Getting Around
Whilst it is possible to use trains, buses & taxis to get to some of the ski areas, it is very time consuming and if you are there to chase the powder this won't work unless you are heading to each ski area for more than a day.
Driving around Japan is so easy these days. The English GPS is incredible accurate; all you do is enter the phone number of your destination, choose from fastest to slowest route and follow the arrows and voice prompts.
You can either rent a vehicle in Morioka or Aomori depending on where you decide to start and end your trip. See the itinerary page for options>>