Until recently Japan seemed an unlikely choice for a skiing or snowboarding holiday.
Crystal and Inghams raised a few eyebrows when they included it in brochures last season, but both operators say the country is now attracting a lot of interest.
Although the numbers of people travelling all that way to ski will never be huge, demand is growing – and not just among hardened skiers looking for somewhere new.
“It appeals to those who would have gone to Canada 30 years ago but also to people interested in Japan and to those looking for something different,” said Inghams spokeswoman Lynsey Devon.
Japan has three major resorts – Niseko, Rusutsu and Furano – situated on the northerly island of Hokkaido, where the powder is legendary. Cold winds sweeping in from Siberia dump up to 50ft in Niseko every season and the resort has lots of steep runs and off-piste for more advanced skiers.
“Skiing in Japan is similar to North America,” said Crystal head of product Melvin Westlake. “The snow is incredibly fluffy and there’s so much of the stuff it’s like skiing through marshmallows.”
Most of the lifts are modern and swift, and hotels are of an international standard offering both Japanese and Western style rooms (with futons or beds) and a choice of Asian and Western cuisine. For added atmosphere, they mostly all have onsens, or traditional outdoor bathing areas.
Package prices start at around £1,000 for flights, transfers and half-board accommodation; steep compared with Europe but on a par with North America. Learn-to-ski packages start at £179, cheaper than many European resorts.
Japanese may be impenetrable to Western ears but communication is rarely a problem – Australians arrived in Japan’s ski resorts long before the Brits and many signs are in English. The quality of instruction is good as many of the instructors are Antipodean, though you might struggle to pick up the technique while recovering from the long flight from the UK.
Once there, Japan’s ski resorts offer surprisingly good value. One of the reasons Crystal and Inghams started featuring the destination was the devaluation of the yen, which has made everything in Japan much more affordable to the UK market.
“It is no more expensive than going to North America,” said Devon. “You can pick up a bowl of noodles and a beer on the mountain for £5, less than the price of a plate of chips in some French resorts, and a shiatsu massage costs just £10.”
There is also the option of combining a week on the slopes with a short trip to Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka. “If you travel all that way, you’re going to want to see something of the country and most of our clients spend three nights in Tokyo or Kyoto,” added Westlake.
Crystal’s packages start at £1,172 for seven nights’ bed and breakfast in Rusutsu, including flights and transfers. Inghams offers seven nights in Niseko from £1,022.
