Japan’s snow season sometimes looks short compared to the Alps or the mountains in North America. Most people aim for mid January to mid February to get the best chance for powder. But season in Japan is actually quite long, if you can ski/snowboard all conditions.
And in March a hidden gem opens deep in the Oze National Park - Okutadami Maruyama. No surprise if you have never heard about it! The road is closed most of the winter because there is just too much snow. And when it finally opens, you have to drive 22km through the mountains, with 18km underground and the rest between snow walls. The drive is surreal, it can take over 40 minutes in a faint light without meeting any other cars.
While resorts all over Japan try to spread the last bits of snow on the slopes in April and early May, Okutadami has massive snow reserves that bring Japanese skiers from all of Japan. In recent years they also build an amazing terrain park on top of the mountains and organize skiing and park competitions - the half pipe one being the most famous. There is easily accessible tree skiing between slopes.
There is also accommodation directly at the slopes. It’s sort of a school lodge or a training camp. It’s very basic, but the price is reasonable, about ¥10,000 per person (price drops with consecutive nights), that includes breakfast and dinner. And if you stay there, your lift ticket costs ¥3,000 instead of regular ¥5,000 (or ¥3,500 on a weekend).
The only catch is that everything has to be booked over the phone.
From our latest visit in late March 2025:
