Why Japan's ski slopes offer surprising value

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Steam rises from the mineral-rich waters around me, fogging the floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the snow-drenched Daisetsuzan peaks on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost isle. I’m floating in Kitoushi Forest Kitoron, a hot spring that opened in 2023.

For decades, I’ve been visiting Japan to chase its powder skiing, but the onsen culture pulls me back just as strongly. There’s a particular joy to bathing in volcanic waters after a session on the slopes, snowflakes dissolving on your shoulders while the day’s runs replay in your mind.

Set in a natural basin surrounded by mountains, Asahikawa is one of the snowiest, coldest cities on Earth. Siberian air funnels into the depression, producing champagne powder prized by skiers and snowboarders that stays exceptionally light and dry, even by Hokkaido’s high standards. Asahikawa sits within easy reach of more than a dozen ski resorts, from the thrilling steep runs of Kamui Ski Links to the backcountry paradise of Mount Asahidake. 

Without the long lift queues that plague popular Niseko and Furano, these resorts offer legendary powder with a fraction of the crowds.

That morning, I’d driven half an hour on straight roads across flat, frozen farmland from my hotel in Asahikawa to Canmore Ski Village – one of the area’s smaller operations, with just six runs. A four-hour adult lift pass costs from just £2.50 for access to pristine tree runs that would cost 20 times that in the European Alps.