Skiing in Japan....?!

Been wondering the exact same thing for a while. That snow looks unreal.

Haven't done any skiing, but I have been in Japan.
First steps are to fly to Tokyo and take the bullet train to Sapporo.
Lots of skiing should be accessible by car from there.

And no, Japanese in general don't speak great English, so expect constant issues with that XD

Everyone in japan speaks english

I've done a few trips to Hokkaido.

Flown into New Chitose airport and then caught the Hokkaido Resort Liner bus from there to the ski resort. It's pretty cheap.

I've never rented a car but it would be pretty good if you want to sample multiple resorts. I've just stayed at the same one for each trip.

I speak a little Japanese but in general have never really been in situation where I couldn't have used English. Around ski resorts the the number of people speaking English is pretty high compared to other areas I think.

**This post was edited on Nov 11th 2022 at 2:25:27am

If you are going to rent a car there and drive around, you will need an international driver's license - which you can get from AAA.

Otherwise, Japan has incredible transportation systems, rendering it nearly unnecessary for you to need to drive. You can take the train or a bus to almost anywhere even remotely popular for skiing. Youll only need a car if you want to do backcountry shit. Having a car will give you some mobility though - especially if you want to go see something cool thats a bit out of the way. Hot tip - dont use the motorways, theyre all expensive toll roads. Use country highways.

Most people do not speak English outside of the popular ski resort areas, so you might need some survival Japanese. Here are the 3 things I most commonly say.

"dy-jo-bu-des" 大丈夫です- means "I'm fine" or "It's all good" or "Its okay" or "no worries" etc. Use it to convey either "I'm fine" or "I dont need it" (like if a clerk is giving you chopsticks or a spoon you dont need). I use this shit in places where I don't even need to use it and it's daijoubu because everyone kinda just uses this for everything anyway.

"arri-ga-toe-go-zye-mas" ありがとうございます- Never ever say domo-arigato. Even if youre talking to Mr. Roboto. It's not really how you say thank you in Japan. If you want to actually thank someone, say this instead. You'll hear it a million times, and you'll say it a million times.

"Mah-tah-nay" またね - Also, never say sayonara. It might correctly translate as "goodbye" but it's a bit too formal, and final for Japan - which tends to leave things open-ended in almost all situations. Say this when you bid farewell to someone. It translates to "see you later" Worse comes to worse, you can also always say "bye bye" as they all say that the same way English speakers will often say "ciao" or "adios" in casual conversation. Sayonara is only ever really used when teachers and students bid farewell to each other, or other more formal situations.

You might want to learn a few symbols as well - for example 出口 is exit and 入口 is entrance. It also helps when using ATMs, because 出 will be included in "withdrawl" and 入 will be included in "deposit"

Sake 酒 means alcohol. Even if it isn't Japanese alcohol. Beer is 'Biru' Vodka is "bod-ka" Soda is Soda, and whiskey is 'o-isky' a lot of English nouns for things that are internationally recognized have been adopted into Japanese (they even have their own alphabet for these words)

If youre going to Niseko or Hakuba or Myoko or something, you'll be fine once you're there because even the convenience store clerks will speak English. Meaning you can order konbini fried chicken without issue. Otherwise, just about all signs are in English - some even in Korean.


If you want to get a sim card, you can get them almost anywhere - a convenience store, a supermarket, a train station, etc.

migidimigiFirst steps are to fly to Tokyo and take the bullet train to Sapporo.

Do not fucking do this. Only take the bullet train to your destination if you are skiing on the main island of Honshu - such as Myoko Kogen, Nozawa Onsen, Zao Onsen.

If you take the Bullet Train to Hokkaido, it will take you 8+ hours to get from Tokyo airport to Sapporo because the Shinkansen only goes as far as Hakodate.You will need to take a 3 hour express train from there that is a lot slower and you will have wasted a whole day (unless of course you are a foamer who loves being on trains - which, fair enough). Additionally, you cannot take as much baggage on the shinkansen - so you will possibly have to ship it to your destination depending on how much you have.

Instead, either fly direct to Sapporo from wherever you are, or Fly to Sapporo from Tokyo. Instead of an 8 hour train, it will be a very short flight.

Also, if you ever need to ship anything within Japan, it's super fucking cheap to do it (like, a 50lb bag costs like 15 bucks to ship almost anywhere) so take advantage of this if you plan on travelling somewhere but dont need your skis for a day or two. (I always use Kuroneko aka Yamato Transport. You can ship things from any 711 store (I'm not even kidding)

Japan is on my list for sure but it wont be this winter.

They don’t like tourists

Everyone at the big resorts is Australian (like everywhere else) so you'll do fine with English only as long as you stay in Niseko. Most places in Sapporo will have English menus too, but you might get barred entry from a bar here and there if you can't speak any Japanese. You won't need a car unless you want one as most resorts are easily accessible by bus or train.

I recommend Rusutsu and Furano. Rusutsu has great terrain and some classic Japanese single lifts, and Furano is in a beautiful setting and has some amazing views from the top, as well as some open bowls that are lots of fun. Rusutsu is also built around an 80s theme park, and the lodge has some creepy animatronics and a weird run down circus atmosphere. I love it. Somehow I never made it to Niseko because I was living there as a student and stuck closer to Sapporo, but Niseko seems to be a safe bet too.

Just watch hella anime and talk louder if the Japanese don't understand you, you'll be fine

ASSholebomber22Just watch hella anime and talk louder if the Japanese don't understand you, you'll be fine

This is proven to work

Be prepared for a large language barrier.
First thing to do when you get into Tokyo is getting a portable wifi or SIM card. Pick an area you want to ski in- if you're on the main island Madarao, Akakura Onsen, and Hakuba (i think hakuba is epic pass?) were the best we went to. Around the ski areas there tends to be more english speakers, but just be prepared to have a translation app at the ready for getting from point a to point b.
You can take the train. We rented a car, and since they are so small we used a shipping company called black cat (in the airport terminal) to send our ski luggage to where we were staying. There's plenty of good hostels, just do your research before booking obviously. I also recommend packing some instant oatmeal or something- grocery stores can be hard to find and despite the abundance of 711s it can be nice to make a little something "from home"- also a good way to save some money.
if you have dietary restrictions such as vegan/gf/df just plan accordingly, we found it pretty difficult to find fresh veggies and alternative options.

PacificRimJobIf you are going to rent a car there and drive around, you will need an international driver's license - which you can get from AAA.

Otherwise, Japan has incredible transportation systems, rendering it nearly unnecessary for you to need to drive. You can take the train or a bus to almost anywhere even remotely popular for skiing. Youll only need a car if you want to do backcountry shit. Having a car will give you some mobility though - especially if you want to go see something cool thats a bit out of the way. Hot tip - dont use the motorways, theyre all expensive toll roads. Use country highways.

Most people do not speak English outside of the popular ski resort areas, so you might need some survival Japanese. Here are the 3 things I most commonly say.

"dy-jo-bu-des" 大丈夫です- means "I'm fine" or "It's all good" or "Its okay" or "no worries" etc. Use it to convey either "I'm fine" or "I dont need it" (like if a clerk is giving you chopsticks or a spoon you dont need). I use this shit in places where I don't even need to use it and it's daijoubu because everyone kinda just uses this for everything anyway.

"arri-ga-toe-go-zye-mas" ありがとうございます- Never ever say domo-arigato. Even if youre talking to Mr. Roboto. It's not really how you say thank you in Japan. If you want to actually thank someone, say this instead. You'll hear it a million times, and you'll say it a million times.

"Mah-tah-nay" またね - Also, never say sayonara. It might correctly translate as "goodbye" but it's a bit too formal, and final for Japan - which tends to leave things open-ended in almost all situations. Say this when you bid farewell to someone. It translates to "see you later" Worse comes to worse, you can also always say "bye bye" as they all say that the same way English speakers will often say "ciao" or "adios" in casual conversation. Sayonara is only ever really used when teachers and students bid farewell to each other, or other more formal situations.

You might want to learn a few symbols as well - for example 出口 is exit and 入口 is entrance. It also helps when using ATMs, because 出 will be included in "withdrawl" and 入 will be included in "deposit"

Sake 酒 means alcohol. Even if it isn't Japanese alcohol. Beer is 'Biru' Vodka is "bod-ka" Soda is Soda, and whiskey is 'o-isky' a lot of English nouns for things that are internationally recognized have been adopted into Japanese (they even have their own alphabet for these words)

If youre going to Niseko or Hakuba or Myoko or something, you'll be fine once you're there because even the convenience store clerks will speak English. Meaning you can order konbini fried chicken without issue. Otherwise, just about all signs are in English - some even in Korean.


If you want to get a sim card, you can get them almost anywhere - a convenience store, a supermarket, a train station, etc.

this is so good thanks!

SlowbroEveryone at the big resorts is Australian (like everywhere else) so you'll do fine with English only as long as you stay in Niseko. Most places in Sapporo will have English menus too, but you might get barred entry from a bar here and there if you can't speak any Japanese. You won't need a car unless you want one as most resorts are easily accessible by bus or train.

I recommend Rusutsu and Furano. Rusutsu has great terrain and some classic Japanese single lifts, and Furano is in a beautiful setting and has some amazing views from the top, as well as some open bowls that are lots of fun. Rusutsu is also built around an 80s theme park, and the lodge has some creepy animatronics and a weird run down circus atmosphere. I love it. Somehow I never made it to Niseko because I was living there as a student and stuck closer to Sapporo, but Niseko seems to be a safe bet too.

How's the snow typically, end of Feb/beginning of March?

Have you heard anything about Lotte Arai? It's on the Ikon, don't stone me.

lauraobermeyerBe prepared for a large language barrier.
First thing to do when you get into Tokyo is getting a portable wifi or SIM card. Pick an area you want to ski in- if you're on the main island Madarao, Akakura Onsen, and Hakuba (i think hakuba is epic pass?) were the best we went to. Around the ski areas there tends to be more english speakers, but just be prepared to have a translation app at the ready for getting from point a to point b.
You can take the train. We rented a car, and since they are so small we used a shipping company called black cat (in the airport terminal) to send our ski luggage to where we were staying. There's plenty of good hostels, just do your research before booking obviously. I also recommend packing some instant oatmeal or something- grocery stores can be hard to find and despite the abundance of 711s it can be nice to make a little something "from home"- also a good way to save some money.
if you have dietary restrictions such as vegan/gf/df just plan accordingly, we found it pretty difficult to find fresh veggies and alternative options.

This is great thanks! My fear with renting a car is not understanding road signs.... was it difficult to drive there?
How much is a sim card typically over there?

AbiHthis is so good thanks!


How's the snow typically, end of Feb/beginning of March?

Have you heard anything about Lotte Arai? It's on the Ikon, don't stone me.

Lotte is in the Myoko area if i'm not mistaken. One of the snowiest places in Japan.

AbiHthis is so good thanks!


How's the snow typically, end of Feb/beginning of March?

Have you heard anything about Lotte Arai? It's on the Ikon, don't stone me.

Feb is good, early March can still get a ton of snow but late March is spring skiing. I have a friend that skis at Arai, it looks great.

AbiHThis is great thanks! My fear with renting a car is not understanding road signs.... was it difficult to drive there?
How much is a sim card typically over there?

You'll be having more of a time driving in the snow while on the opposite side of the road. If you've never done it, that might be a bit of a trial by fire.

The Street signs are pretty easy to understand. All of the directional signs are in Latin-Script so you can understand it. The speed signs are easy to understand because they have a number on them. Remember youre driving in KM, not MPH, so if you see "60" it does not mean drive like youre on the fuckin freeway. Also, be prepared to drive SLOWLY because Japanese roads are a lot narrower than youre probably used to, and everyone generally drives no faster than 45mph on country roads.

Just look up the road signs beforehand, and realize that a stop sign in Japan is an upside-down triangle and you'll be fine.


Sim card is based on Data. You wont be able to call anyone really because they don't contain a real Japanese phone number. But dont worry, you won't really ever need to do that.

I suggest getting a travel sim from these guys. https://www.sakuramobile.jp/travel/travel-sim/ That way you can have it already ordered and at the airport or hotel etc when you arrive and you dont have to fumble around with it. Gives you unlimited data for whatever your trip duration is which is pretty cool. I use these guys for my actual Japanese phone and theyre pretty good and give decent customer service.

**This post was edited on Nov 11th 2022 at 3:48:28pm

PacificRimJobYou'll be having more of a time driving in the snow while on the opposite side of the road. If you've never done it, that might be a bit of a trial by fire.

The Street signs are pretty easy to understand. All of the directional signs are in Latin-Script so you can understand it. The speed signs are easy to understand because they have a number on them. Remember youre driving in KM, not MPH, so if you see "60" it does not mean drive like youre on the fuckin freeway. Also, be prepared to drive SLOWLY because Japanese roads are a lot narrower than youre probably used to, and everyone generally drives no faster than 45mph on country roads.

Just look up the road signs beforehand, and realize that a stop sign in Japan is an upside-down triangle and you'll be fine.


Sim card is based on Data. You wont be able to call anyone really because they don't contain a real Japanese phone number. But dont worry, you won't really ever need to do that.

I suggest getting a travel sim from these guys. https://www.sakuramobile.jp/travel/travel-sim/ That way you can have it already ordered and at the airport or hotel etc when you arrive and you dont have to fumble around with it. Gives you unlimited data for whatever your trip duration is which is pretty cool. I use these guys for my actual Japanese phone and theyre pretty good and give decent customer service.

**This post was edited on Nov 11th 2022 at 3:48:28pm

Hell yeah thanks for the info

Come to Hakuba Feb 7 - 12th! I'm also solo and have booked in at PhatPackers hostel for the week.

Whats wrong with paying your US carrier for an international travel plan to cover when you are in Japan? Not sure why you'd need a sim card and haven't they made it tough to open current iPhones and switch out sims that is like 10 years ago stuff? I think you'd have to buy a phone that takes sim cards right?


I really wanted to see Justin Beiber at the Tokyo Dome and get some turns in the shows actually this week.

"出口 is exit and 入口 is entrance."

I always remember this because 入口 looks like you're casually walking in the door and 出口 you're busting out the door in a Mario Kart 🤣

RIP_leos_shack"出口 is exit and 入口 is entrance."

I always remember this because 入口 looks like you're casually walking in the door and 出口 you're busting out the door in a Mario Kart 🤣

Haha thats awesome. I actually memorized de-guchi (exit) because the 'de' kanji "出" looks like two stacked W's, and I first memorized it by knowing that symbol is what I needed to withdraw money from ATMs.

But here's my advice for skiing. Niseko is overrun with tourists and not worth it unless you're doing side country runs. The farther you go off the beaten path, the better powder rewards you get. Seek out the small hills where no one speaks English because less people will be skiing powder. For the most part don't bother driving unless you're trying to get somewhere super remote. Japan Rail Pass is an amazing deal for travel around the country and there are regional passes as well depending on where you're going. If you do get the JR Pass, pay the ~$100 extra for first class. It's totally worth it and you have tons of room for all your stuff. Agreed that train to Hokkaido kinda sucks better off to fly. Note that if you send stuff through black cat to Hokkaido it will probably take four days, so probably don't do that if you're trying to ski right away.

RIP_leos_shackNiseko is overrun with tourists and not worth it unless you're doing side country runs.

Can confirm.

If you want some Japow without the crazy Hong Kong tourists skiing in microwave jackets packing the lift lines, go to northern Honshu (Tohoku) or the Niigata spots such as Myoko Kogen. They tend to be further out of the way with a lot less hype and you'll probably find a more authentic experience.

Niseko has some cool spots, but to get really authentic, you're gonna need to get out of the way a bit. Though, if youre a social skier like I am, and youre not just going there just because you want to ski pow on your own and 'get away from it all', Niseko is great because you'll meet a lot of people from around the world - Hit up an onsen and talk to other people and hit up some of the good bars and youre bound to find some fun people to ski with.