ITINERARY

DAY 1:
Welcome to Japan – a fascinating land of both cutting-edge modernity, ancient gods, and centuries old customs. Your Japan skiing holiday begins at Tokyo’s Narita airport, where we’ll meet you after customs to take you to your room at one of Tokyo’s most prominent hotels. You’ll be free to recover from your jetlag, or you can explore the enormous hotel (3,200 rooms!, a small city in itself housing a 10-screen multiplex theater, an IMAX theatre, a bowling center, indoor tennis courts, indoor golf center, and a wide selection of restaurants! For those who are not too tired, tonight you can eat dinner with your trip leader.

DAY 2:
No trip to Japan would be complete without experiencing the hustle and bustle of one of the most densely populated cities in the world – Tokyo. We’ll take the subway to one of the most frequented stops in Asian Travel – Akihabara (Electric Town). Here you can find every electronic gadget imaginable, and even some you’ve never imagined! After a hectic morning in Tokyo we’ll board one of Japan’s famous bullet trains for our journey to Nagano, home of the 1998 Winter Olympics. From our comfortable hotel located in central Nagano, you’ll be able to easily explore the sights of this modern, compact city. We’ll be joined for dinner by the rest of the Japan Access Trips’ team - Nagano locals who’ll show you the best local runs and help you to experience the best of Japanese culture.

DAY 3:
Today our Japan ski tour heads to the Akakura ski area where we’ll get our first taste of Japan’s forbidden trees. Rumors that ghosts, snowsnakes and other spirits reside in the trees cause many Japanese avoid the tree runs, which leaves all the more powder for us! If conditions are right, we may also be able to do some backcountry runs today. Those who aren’t yet ready for backcountry or tree-skiing can enjoy Akakura’s wide, easy slopes.
We will start here as it is the ideal warm-up resort and a great place for our instructor team to assess your ability and development needs. In the evening you’re in for a special treat Tonight we’ll get insider’s view of Nagano’s restaurants and bars courtesy of our local instructor team.

DAY 4:
Our Japan ski tour will take us to an awesome locals-only resort for more memorable powder riding and more opportunities to develop your freeride technique with our expert instructors. With awesome tree-runs and natural halfpipes, this place remains a freeskiers secret that we intend to share only amongst ourselves! Those who want to can take a hike to the rim of a dormant volcano where we can take a memorable run into the crater. After skiing we’ll head to one of Japan’s famous outdoor onsen (hot springs) for some well-deserved relaxation. Tonight we’ll have our last taste of Nagano’s excellent restaurants and a final chance to experience the many great bars.

DAY 5:
Time for a rest day. After a leisurely breakfast we’ll visit Zenkoji, one of Japan’s most famous temples that attracts 8 million pilgrims annually. In the afternoon we’ll drive to our next destination, a visit to Jogokundani, home of the famous Japanese snow monkeys. Here you’ll see fluffy, long-tailed monkeys living in the snow and bathing in their own personal onsen (hot spring)! We will then make the drive to Hakuba. Set in the dramatic Japanese Alps and home to some of the most beautiful scenery in Japan, there are more than a dozen resorts and several of these held events during the Nagano winter Olympics. Here we’ll stay in a newly built ‘powder lodge’ just 300m from the main lifts. This cozy lodge offers large rooms, a central living room and a western-style bar.

DAY 6:
Our first look at the Hakuba valley will be right out of our back door. We will work our way up high and hopefully get a view of the rest of the valley. This is a good way to get our bearings on where we will be playing for the next couple of days. After a great day of skiing, we will be dropped off in town for dinner. After dinner, for those that want, we can stay out late and ‘meet the locals.’ Just remember, tomorrow is going to be a big day of backcountry for some.

DAY 7:
Today our Japan ski roadtrip will take us to Happo-One resort for more unforgettable riding. Those looking to get deep into the backcountry can take an optional backcountry tour (see ‘optional extras’ for details) for a day of hiking, riding and powder bliss. The rest of us will enjoy Happo-One’s wide runs, open bowls and deep powder. In the evening we’ll return to the lodge for an awesome dinner and some drinks at the bar.

DAY 8:
Today we’ll get the best of both world’s thanks to Hakuba’s open runs, steep bowls, awesome powder and extensive backcountry. Here you’ll enjoy another full day of expert instruction and local guiding with your instructor. Tonight will be the last night of our 9-day tour so we’ll enjoy a memorable dinner to say farewell to those who are leaving.

DAY 9:
Those who opted for the 9-day Japan ski tour will board the train for the journey back to Tokyo and Narita Airport. The rest of us will head to Matsumoto Airport (please see ‘Travel Info’ section for information about booking your flight) for the short flight to Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido. From here we’ll drive to the magical land of Niseko, where those who are keen can get in their first Hokkaido powder turns by taking advantage of Niseko’s night skiing. The rest of us can take it easy in our stylish quarters before heading out to enjoy Hokkaido’s legendary seafood. Our local guides and instructors will help us to experience the best of Niseko (on and off-mountain) for the duration of our time here.

OPTIONAL EXTENSION

DAY 10:
The Island of Hokkaido retains a wild and remote quality that can feel worlds apart from the rest of the country. Over 70% covered by forest, Hokkaido’s enormous national parks, active volcanoes and rugged coastline make it one of the most beautiful areas in Japan. It’s also one of Japan’s premiere skiing destinations, the heart of which is the legendary resort area of Niseko. With over 590 inches (15 meters) of snow annually, Niseko regularly receives more snow than any other major ski area in the world! Today we’ll get a first taste of Niseko’s legendary powder. If conditions permit we’ll do some backcountry runs with those who are interested. If conditions don’t allow, we’ll use our local knowledge to ride some of the ‘secret spots’ in Niseko. Either way we win! After a break back at the hotel, those who are keen can head back up for some nighttime powder runs and dinner on the mountain. The rest can head for another great dinner in Niseko.

DAY 11:
Back to Niseko for more powder runs and, if conditions permit, more awesome backcountry hike ‘n ride runs with our instructor and guiding team. Those who prefer not to go backcountry skiing can enjoy the wide array of open trails and deep snow that are available in-bounds. Dinner will be at a unique local restaurant & bar that’s housed inside a Mongolian-style tent.

DAY 12:
We’ll head to Goshiki-Onsen where a moderate one hour hike will get us to an awesome backcountry bowl. Those who prefer not to hike will be guided through the awesome terrain at a nearby resort. After a long ride back to the van, we’ll reward ourselves with a visit to another magical outdoor onsen (hotspring). The perfect end to an unforgettable Japan ski holiday! This evening we will celebrate the trip with dinner and some final drinks.

DAY 13:
In the morning we’ll drive to Sapporo’s Chitose airport to catch flights back to Tokyo’s Narita Airport for your journey home (please see ‘travel info’ section for information about booking flights from Chitose to Narita Airport).