People are often surprised to learn that Japan boasts more ski resorts per head of population than any other country. Winter skiing here is increasingly popular and, despite the fact that the country has a reputation for being expensive, it is possible to find good, cheap ski deals with the right information to hand, and some advance planning.
Certainly, travelling on the Shinkansen, the bullet trains, is the fast way to travel but it is a costly option. A slower-paced journey on the dependable public transport network, with its prompt train service, is more affordable to overseas visitors who have purchased a JR Rail Pass.
Much of Japan is snow-covered between December and March. The mountainous areas retain snow for longer, and temperatures can get extremely cold around the Japan Sea coast as immense amounts of snow come in from Russia and China.
Of the resorts themselves, many of them are very small, intimate ski hills, with only one or two ski lifts. At the other end of the spectrum, however, there are some, a few hundred, of a decent size and it is possible to get cheap ski deals at big resorts that provide really excellent skiing and snowboarding facilities.
The exotic side of Japan in winter is the hot spring resorts. These are popular year-round and they provide a welcome and pleasurable treat at the end of a day’s skiing. Sink into an ‘onsen’ for an après-ski soak and enjoy!