Snow ‘n Ski Japan Promotion Emphasises Diversity of Product

Japan’s lengthy ski season appeals to more than just skiing and snow board enthusiasts.  Visitors coming to the country’s principal ski areas of Hokkaido, Nagano/Niigata and Tohoku during the snow season can also see snow monkeys, soak in natural hot springs and enjoy a multitude of winter festivals, said Mr Jotaro Horiuchi, Director, Japan National Tourist Organisation.

Mr Horiuchi made his opening remarks before a large contingent of travel agents, tour operators and media and a visiting delegation of nearly 40 tour operators, hotels and tourist associations at a seminar held recently in the Hilton Sydney. 

[Pictured right; Jotaro Horiuchi is intent upon spreading the ‘Ski Japan’ message throughout Australia.]

Around 20,000 out of a total of 200,000 Australians visited Japan during the 2006/2007 ski season.  Winter tourism is a growing niche segment with an increasing number of Australian school groups, incentives and FITs making a visit to Japan during the cooler season, he said.  

There are around 600 ski and snowboard resorts located in a broad sweep from the northern island of Hokkaido to the southern island of Kyushu.

The first snowfall of the season arrives in the north in November.  The majority of resorts open in December which means that a White Christmas is almost guaranteed in the mountains of Japan.

Another feature of the Japanese snow season is the huge snowfall with some resorts recording 6 or 7 meters of snow! 

(Japan’s resorts are said to receive the most snowfall of any in the world.  The Oku-Tadami ski area in Niigata Prefecture in the centre of the country, for instance, was pounded with over 18 metres of snow in a recent season!)

High snowfall levels also mean that many regions have a long ski season with some resorts in higher locations able to stay open until early May.

A series of presentations on leading ski resorts were made during the information-filled evening seminar which was organised by the Visit Japan Campaign Committee and the Japan National Tourist Organisation, Sydney.

The prefectures of Nagano and Niigata are nestled in the Japanese Alps.  These regions are home to some of the best ski and snowboard resorts in Japan.

Hakuba with 10 ski and snowboard resorts and over 150 lifts offers access to more terrain, vertical rise and advanced slopes than anywhere in Japan.

Hakuba which has a ski jump stadium and many alpine activities offers accommodation from 5-star to backpacker.

At ShigaKogen, Japan’s largest ski and snowboard resort, one lift ticket lets guests ride on all 71 lifts, gondolas and ropeways.

A total of 21 linked resorts are to be found in ShigaKogen, one of the highest ski resorts in Japan.  Ski runs are located from 1350m to 2300m.

This resort is popular with school groups from Australia who come for ski lessons and to see snow monkeys in the national park.  

[Pictured left: Japan offers skiing virtually everywhere from near-city locales to wilderness areas.]

NozawaOnsen is a big mountain resort with great skiing complimented with the ambience of an authentic Japanese ski village.   NozawaOnsen, the birthplace of skiing in Japan, has a ski museum.

MyokoKogen boasts of more than 13m of snow each year.  The deep powder snow creates some of the best vertical and longest runs in all of Japan.  The 2345m high Myoko Mountain, for instance, has an 8 km long ski run.

Nagano which is easily accessed from Narita International Airport and attracts the largest number of skiers, is known as the Roof of Japan.

A presentation on Kyoto emphasised that the 1.47 million population cultural centre 600 km from Tokyo is an excellent stopover en route to the ski fields.

Located just 140 minutes by Bullet Train from the Japanese capital, Kyoto has some 1600 Buddhist temples including the World Cultural Heritage listed Golden Temple and around 200 Shinto shrines.

[Pictured right: The Golden Temple in Kyoto is one of the most visited attractions in the cultured city.]

A new website www.kyoto.travel launched in April has details on everything from attractions and events to accommodation and transport.

Meanwhile the delegation from Inawashiro, located almost in the centre of Fukushima Prefecture, spoke about the World Ski Championships that will be held in 2009.

Inawashiro, about two hours from Tokyo, has 16 courses catering for the beginner to the advanced skier.  One ticket allows access to six resorts. 

A novel feature at Inawashiro is that Japan’s fourth largest lake can be seen from various ski slopes. 

The northern island of Hokkaido, 6300 km from Sydney, has seven resorts within two hours of Sapporo, the country’s fifth largest city and capital of the prefecture. 

[Pictured left: The Sapporo Ice Festival is a major attraction for winter visitors.]

It’s not uncommon for some resorts in the snow fields beyond Sapporo to receive 12 metres of powder during the season.

Plans are underway to make the region’s Hanazano Ski Area one of the top ten international snow playgrounds in the world. 

The English language-friendly Niseko International Resort, one of many quality properties sited within the ski area, has recently added a number of apartments which are convenient for families.

Tomanu, another significant ski destination within Hokkaido Prefecture, is located about 1 ½  hours from Sapporo.

When winter sets in at this northern resort where the temperature can drop to -30°C work begins on an ice village.  An ice chapel is constructed and couples from Japan and overseas come to be married in a rather unusual setting.

Among the facilities for honeymooners is an onsen or hot springs area within the Tomanu resort area.

Furano is a name that is becoming increasingly well known to Australian skiers.  Three years ago this area in Hokkaido attracted just 80 skiers from Australia.  More than 1400 Australians plied Furano slopes during the ski season just ended.

The implementation of ski passes and more regional bus services to get skiers between various resorts in Furano has made the region more popular.

A dedicated website www.visit-hokkaido.jp/en has information on a wide variety of travel topics from skiing and hot springs to golf and cultural attractions.

Hokkaido hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo while Chubu was the venue for the more recent 1998 Winter Games in Nagano Prefecture.

Tohoku, on the other hand, the host venue for the 1993 World Alpine Ski Championships at Shizukuishi, is not so well known. 

Located in the northeast, the Tohoku region covers a wide area and ski resorts are more scattered.

Popular places to ski are Appi Kogen and Shizukuishi in Iwate Prefecture while Hakkoda in Aomori is less of a resort but is still popular for people wanting fine powder conditions. 

Tohoku was represented for the first time at this year’s annual JNTO ski seminar with presenters stressing that the area has “unique direct access to untrodden ski fields”.   

There is lots of space and few skiers even though the 3.5 to 5 km long courses are snow covered from mid December to early May.

The JNTO can assist tour operators in developing winter ski holidays in Japan by providing contact information for ground operators and more details on individual resorts and regions. 

Exclusive Report by Thomas E. King, TravelMole’s Travel and Lifestyle Editor