An idea, a window of opportunity and confidence were the three ingredients that underpinned a unique and memorable snowboarding trip in Japan.
I can’t remember where I first heard that you could ski/snowboard in Japan. It was nothing more than a “you could” statement from someone I couldn’t even recall. For some reason, it stuck in my mind and when the window of opportunity arose, the idea bubbled to the surface.
As a social circle, we were a group of longstanding university friends. We had done several ski/snowboarding trips in the past, but always at various locations in Europe. Between everyone in the group, we had arranged something almost yearly. A good friend of mine was working in Tokyo, soon to finish his time there and return back to London. During my RTW trip the previous year, we travelled together and saw Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima. I was taken aback by the huge positive cultural differences with the West. For a country where I only learned a few words, travelling in Japan was unexpectedly and refreshingly easy. Everyone goes out of his or her way to help you and do so in the politest way possible. It’s so extreme, it leaves you with that “wow” factor.
Something I learned during my RTW trip was that the best experiences were those that you carve out yourself from an idea. You want to do something, you find out how and you make it happen.
Simply put the recipe is:
Desire → Personal Choice → Commitment → Fulfilment
The rest of this post skips the discovery process in formulating a trip to Niseko. Instead, it shares the summary and description for others to experience something amazing like I did.
What Makes Niseko Special?
Costs Aren’t so Scary Compared to a European Trip
In terms of exchange rates, the Japanese Yen (JPY) has devalued by almost 50% in a year compared to the British Pound. To you, this means the costs of a trip to Japan has suddenly become surprisingly competitive compared to Europe. A “long weekend” type trip in a French resort can cost somewhere between £1000-2000. This is a breakdown of costs for a trip to Niseko from London during peak snow season:
Transport Costs (one off) | £ GBP | ¥ JPY |
---|---|---|
Flight London ↔ Tokyo [return, direct with British Airways] |
568 | 96,808 |
Flight Tokyo → Sapporo [single, direct with Skymark/Jetstar] |
70 | 11,930 |
Bus Sapporo → Niseko [3h, Niseko Ground Service] |
14 | 2,300 |
Bus Niseko → Sapporo [3h, Niseko Ground Service] |
14 | 2,300 |
Flight Sapporo → Tokyo [single, direct with Skymark/Jetstar] |
70 | 11,930 |
TOTAL | 736 | 125,268 |
Daily Costs (per day) | £ GBP | ¥ JPY |
---|---|---|
Accomodation [4 people sharing a Japanese style room, 50m from the slopes, including breakfast – Koropokkuru] |
34 | 5,700 |
Ski Pass [All Mountain pass, including night skiing] |
31 | 5,300 |
Ski/Snowboard Hire [Premium Ski/Snowboard not including boots – Rhythm Niseko] |
23 | 4,000 |
TOTAL | 88 | 15,000 |
Snow Days | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Variable Costs (£ GBP) | 88 | 176 | 264 | 352 | 440 | 528 | 616 |
Total Costs (£ GBP) | 824 | 912 | 1000 | 1088 | 1176 | 1264 | 1352 |
Amazing Powder Almost Guaranteed
Many a time, I hear of stories of people having pre-booked a ski trip to Europe, only to have a lack of snow, meaning at best – icy and dangerous conditions or going off-piste in search of powder.
Niseko is on the North Island of Japan, near the city of Sapporo. The geographic location means that during the winter months, Siberian winds bring heavy, consistent snow. The best way to describe it is “relentless”. In the past, for the native Japanese, it meant a yearly struggle to survive. For us now, it means near perfect ski/snowboard conditions.
The snow is just SO good it’s unreal. Skiers are provided extra wide skis and boarders are given oversized snowboards. On the slopes, the snow sprays out like water, providing the perfect balance of grip and a decent cushion from the inevitable falls. I gained more technical ability in 2 days of snowboarding in Niseko, than from weeks in Europe. You can also be sure that the softer conditions mean less impact or wear ‘n’ tear on your body.
Night Skiing/Snowboarding Experience
The Japanese culture is known for working long hours and squeezing time to the max. In business, it’s common for Japanese to seem “forced” to go home close to midnight because their trains home will stop running. Apply this to the slopes and the Japanese gives you night skiing – many of the slopes are open till 21:00 at night.
If you can bear the colder temperatures at night, the floodlit slopes provide two great advantages:
Ability to double it up with a city trip
Getting to Niseko doesn’t have to be a straight flight into Sapporo airport. Personally, I opted days in Tokyo either side to experience again the great city that it is.
If you’re visiting Japan, you don’t have to stick to Tokyo. You can choose from Osaka (Kansai) and Nagoya too – both fly into Sapporo. Alternatively, use the J-Rail Pass to take the Shinkansen bullet train on the cheap to visit towns like Kyoto, Hiroshima etc. effortlessly in short day trips.
“Different” to Western Culture
Take the opportunity to swap your typical Western culture for something new. Swap a….
Other General Tips
Additional Resources
All in all, if money or time was an inhibitor, I’d rather skip years of try-hard trips for experiences like Niseko
It’s funny, I would never consider Japan as a skiing destination! Hope you had an incredible trip, mate!
Jeremy recently posted..Entering the Sathorn Unique, the Abandoned Ghost Skyscraper in Bangkok
Exactly, that’s what made it so special. Hope you’re well buddy.