Powder Runs and Ramen: Skiing in Japan

Powder Runs and Ramen: Skiing in Japan

At a Japanese ski resort, Hakuba, the snow is fluffy, the menus feature Wagyu beef and the prices are hard to beat

By Adam H. Graham in the Wall Street Journal

I WHOOSHED PAST a sign whose Japanese characters may well have indicated “danger,” and within seconds bit it on a set of seriously bumpy moguls, landing in a 5-foot-high snowbank.

As with any wipeout, it took me by surprise. But my crash landing was so soft and powdery I couldn’t help but let out a laugh—it was like falling on a fluffy, down-covered bed.

Skiing in Japan is different than skiing anywhere else. For starters, the powder is some of the finest and softest in the world due to the country’s “ocean-effect snow,” similar to the lake-effect snows seen in the U.S. As cold air moves across the Sea of Japan, it rapidly accumulates moisture that gets dumped on land as snow—relatively dry and powdery snow, due to its high salt content. The food is different, too: Instead of the fondue that’s a classic in the Alps or the chili that abounds in the U.S., Japanese ski cuisine tends toward fare like marbled Wagyu beef or clams simmered in ramen broth. And rather than party Jacuzzis, you’ll find onsen—traditional hot-spring baths . 

Perhaps best of all, skiing in Japan can be surprisingly cheap—a nice alternative to $1,000-a-day experiences in Europe and the top resorts in the U.S.—thanks to an abundance of affordable lodging and the current strength of the American dollar.

Though it may not be the first country that comes to mind for snowy pursuits, Japan has more than 500 ski resorts, situated everywhere from the southernmost island of Kyushu to the northernmost of Hokkaido. A few spots rival revered ski regions in Switzerland and Colorado. Niseko, on Hokkaido, is considered to have the best powder, though many skiers prefer Nagano, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics, for its proximity to Tokyo and nearly-as-good snow. Overall, Japan sees roughly 30 to 60 feet of snowfall each winter.

I picked up skiing as a child in New Hampshire, giving it up when I moved to New York and accepted my first journalist’s salary. Since moving to Switzerland in 2012, I have fully rekindled my interest—and practically gone bankrupt doing so.

But last February I made my way to Hakuba—a village about 150 miles west of Tokyo that was one of several venues for the 1998 Winter Olympics. The three-hour trip from the capital cost about $100, which included an 80-minute high-speed-rail leg to Nagano and a 1-hour bus trip from there to Hakuba.

The train ride was gray and dreary, passing through the jumble of houses and power-lines that make up suburban Saitama prefecture. But 20 minutes after the transfer in Nagano, I looked up from my bento box to find that we were passing snowy villages where cream-topped mountains loomed over half-timbered homes.

My friend Nicola and I had booked four nights at the cozy two-star Hotel Mont Blanc for less than $500. Our room came with transfers, discounted ski rentals and lift passes, breakfast and free Wi-Fi. There was even a complimentary shuttle to the nearby onsen, with a post-bath stop at 7-Eleven to pick up beer, shochu (a Japanese spirit) and snacks.

From the outside, the 23-room Hotel Mont Blanc looks like it belongs in England’s Cotswolds. But behind its stately row of pine trees and Tudor facade lies a busy Japanese interior with blinking electric signs and vending machines. In the lobby, we were greeted by the gracious, elderly owner, who instructed us to remove our shoes and choose from the rainbow selection of house slippers. We purchased a discounted lift token, which we would exchange for a pass at the ski area’s ticket office. After freshening up in our small but suitable room, with comfortable twin beds and its own bathroom, we headed out.

I was worried that Japanese ski shops wouldn’t have boots to fit my size 11½ feet, but local outfitters are well equipped thanks to the abundance of Australian visitors. And rental equipment is usually only a season old—unlike in the U.S. and Europe, where you might end up with a kit that looks like it was left over from an ABBA video shoot.

Hakuba is home to nine ski areas, with a combined total of 139 lifts and more than 200 runs, so there’s no shortage of piste. Altitude tops out at around 6,000 feet, with just over 2,000 acres of skiable terrain, as opposed to France’s 65,000-acre Les Trois Vallées and British Columbia’s 8,000-acre Whistler. But the slopes offered plenty of space during my visit. We started out at Hakuba Goryu, a resort with 15 trails and 13 lifts. The lifts took some getting used to, as the seats are lower than those in Europe and the U.S. Most trails are pretty tame, but there are a few advanced routes and a double-diamond run so difficult that skiers are required to take a lesson on navigating it in advance. Interestingly, the snowboarder-skier power dynamic is flipped here. Skiers shred the auxiliary slopes and catwalks, while primary trails tend to be dominated by beginner boarders.

Hakuba is not as clear-skied and sunny as Switzerland’s St. Moritz and Zermatt tend to be—at least it wasn’t while I was there—but as I said, the powder is infinitely fluffier. When the clouds did finally clear, a surrounding shelf of snow-marbled mountains, resembling an upturned Bundt cake, was revealed.

After the first day on the slopes, we took the hotel shuttle to the Shobei no Yu, a geothermal onsen, to soak our aching legs in the elegant outdoor stone baths and wooden tubs. The second night, I tried out the hotel’s basement thermal bath, a green-tiled tub filled with piping-hot water. It was relaxing, if less tranquil and graceful than the onsen.

One of the best parts of skiing in Japan is the food—on and off the slopes. Japan Alp In (we think that is its name—there is no sign), a cafeteria on Hakuba Goryu’s main slope, is marked with a corridor of bright orange flags and banners in Japanese that Nicola translated as “Curry rice!” and “Free extra big size!” We sat beside Aussie freeboarders and feasted on crispy katsu—crunchy panko-breaded cutlet of pork doused in curry sauce—and a heap of rice the chef had shaped into Mount Everest. (“Why not Mount Fuji?” I wondered aloud.) The meal cost us about $7 each.

The next day we visited the more upscale Fushya, a bit further down the slope. There, we joined a pair of cross-country-skiing Japanese grannies warming up near the irori (cast iron wood stove) and downed a few pints of Asahi while refueling on crunchy panko-breaded oysters and steamy ramen for about $15 a person.

In the evening we walked from the hotel to Canada-Tei, a cozy restaurant in the village decked with icicles and a hanging lantern. (It’s down the street from Lady Diana Resort, one of Hakuba’s many English-themed buildings.) The restaurant’s owner, Shige Kunimoto, loves Canadians and humored us with British and American jokes between beers and servings of his delicious Wagyu beef sukiyaki udon with egg, bowls of buttered corn kernels and plates of scallops swimming in a light, fragrant broth. The meal came in under $100. You definitely don’t find surprises like that in Gstaad.

Afterward, we had a nightcap at Tracks, a bare-bones bar across the street from the hotel with a pool table. We fell in with a group of rowdy Australians who were Hakuba regulars. “Hakub’s a great little secret, ain’t it?” the tallest and blondest of them said, while double-fisting pints of beer. Three beers and two sakes later, I heartily agreed.

The Lowdown // Skiing in Hakuba, Japan

Getting There: The fastest route to Hakuba from Toyko takes roughly 3 hours and costs about $100. It includes an 80-minute train ride from Tokyo Station to Nagano and a 1-hour bus trip to Hakuba. If you want to visit other ski resorts, opt for a seven-day unlimited Japan Rail pass (about $300, must be purchased outside of Japan, japanrailpass.net).

Staying There: The two-star Hotel Mont Blanc has small but tidy rooms, friendly service, a free shuttle to local ski slopes and onsen, and deals on gear and lift passes (from $69 a night, hakubagoryu.net). Kai Alps is an upscale ryokan 35 minutes from Hakuba with futon beds and organized activities such as stargazing excursions (from about $170 a person per night, including breakfast and multicourse kaiseki dinners, hoshino.com).

Eating There: One of Hakuba’s cheapest ways to refuel is on pork katsu at Japan Alp In, on the main slope at Hakuba Guryu. Canada-Tei offers tasty Japanese specialties like Wagyu beef sukiyaki (canadianvillage.com).

Skiing There: Hakuba is home to nine ski areas, with a combined total of 139 lifts and more than 200 runs. Hakuba Goryu has 15 trails and 13 lifts and is the easiest to access from the Hotel Mont Blanc (daily lift passes from $40, hakubagoryu.com). The pass includes access to neighboring Hakuba 47, with eight trails and six lifts. The treed runs and steep trails attract advanced skiers and free-riders, while its half pipes are popular with boarders (daily lift passes from about $30, hakuba47.co.jp). Hakuba Happo-One is the biggest resort in the area and has 13 trails and 23 lifts; it is especially popular with beginners and families (daily lift passes from about $40, happo-one.jp).