A typical Japan ski trip planning for the next season often starts with a shock - everything is already booked out from December to April. It doesn’t even matter when you start planning, it seems like at any point what’s left is either a bed in a dorm, a luxury room outside your budget, or something with no cancellation options.
There are several waves of new options becoming available, so if you want to secure your trip, keep looking.
If you are coming from far and have a low risk tolerance, I’d still recommend booking something early, in central Hokkaido or main resorts in Honshu.
However, if you have not found anything, or you suddenly got some free time and cash, you can still book a last minute trip. It has the following caveats:
- It won’t be close to the resorts
- You will need a car, or your options will be very limited
- You might need someone who can speak Japanese
It also has advantages:
- You can stay in an area that has more food options and hot springs.
- It might be cheap!
- While weather might ruin your snow trip, since you are not limited to a snow resort, you will have other options!
How to book last minute trip to Japan
There are plenty of accommodation options available in Japan in winter. Outside of snow mountains, it’s not a high season at all. Some amazing ski resorts don’t even have accommodation nearby - like Kawaba in Gunma. They rely on people coming from as far as Tokyo on a day trip. Here’s what I would do during the high season:
- Find a resort where you want to go
- Look for any accommodation options withing a distance you are comfortable driving every day 2x - it can even be Tokyo, but big city hotels parking is usually not free, so add that to the budget. Explore business hotels and local minshuku (family guesthouses). Minshuku often come with a meal plan - the best value ever!
- Book something cancellable, there are plenty of options with web bookings.
- Rent a car, an AWD SUV or a Subaru sedan - if you are solo or a couple, Toyota Yaris Cross with a roof rack might be viable
Examples
- If you are staying in Tokyo, Yuzawa can be reached via Shinkansen. Use JR Ski ski website to get train & lift ticket packages - unbeatable prices. Gala is directly on the Shinkansen, other great resorts offer buses from Echigo Yuzawa
- Book something in Minakami, Gunma with an onsen and drive to numerous resorts nearby, or cross the mountains via the tunnel to Yuzawa for some of the best powder in Japan.
- Book something in Numata, Gunma and travel to Kawaba or nearby resorts. They are famous for karakaze powder - the dry winds in Gunma create similar conditions of Furano, Hokkaido (bonchi powder).
- Stay in Uonuma, Niigata, in the heart of the snow country and visit places like Suhara, Maiko or Hakkaisan
- Stay as far as Nagano and travel to Hakuba, Nozawa Onsen or Shiga Kogen - it might sound far, but you will love it on a bad weather day, staying in the city with amazing food options
- Stay in Sapporo or Otaru. Mt. Teine is close to Sapporo, has amazing terrain and unbeatable views of the city. And you can still make a trip to Niseko!
- If you are up for some undiscovered gems, go as far as Toyama from Nagano and visit nearby Tateyama Sanroku resort. This place gets hammered by powder as it is one of the first tall mountains in the way of the siberian winds.
- If you feel like going an extra mile, go to Fukui and stay at SkiJam Katsuyama or nearby. Your hotels might be full of dinosaurs, but it will be low season for regular tourists. You might even be lucky and get ski in/out room at the resort.
Here’s a single guest experience from Minakami, Gunma. Stayed in a local guesthouse for ¥5,000 per night. Shared bath, but real onsen water. It was very basic, but the food in the town was tasty and cheap - apart from one night when everything was closed! Local supermarket to the rescue - the guesthouse had a fully equipped kitchen. Short drive to many local resorts, Mt. T for amazing powder and hard terrain, Hodaigi for varied terrain, great food and coffee and Norm for their terrain park.
FAQ
So you are saying I can still plan a last minute trip to Niseko during Sapporo Snow festival?
There are limits to last minute trips and this will be one of them!
What are the best dates to go?
From second week of January, until the first week of May, there is skiing available. Avoid weekends and public holidays in local resorts. In touristy resorts like Niseko or Hakuba, it doesn’t matter which day it is - it’s always crowded, but Gunma and Yuzawa, the difference is like day and night.
Which resorts have the most availability?
During the weekdays, avoid major resorts that cater for foreign tourists, and you will find that there is always an availability. On weekends however, places within 3 hours drive from Tokyo, or 2 hours from other major cities might be booked out.
Do I need advance bookings?
Yes, it is highly recommended. You can drive around a few places shown on Google maps and hope you get lucky, but you might waste your time. You might need to call the places. Practice “moshimoshi!”
How is driving in winter in Japan?
Plenty of the resorts in Honshu are close to major highways and roads. That said, the last mile can often be driving on the snow or ice. It is much more dangerous than driving on dry or wet roads. Don’t rent the cheapest cars. In Hokkaido and close to the resorts, the roads are not cleaned, you will slip, so adjust your speed. During snow storms, the visibility is very low.
Are AirBnBs common within driving distance to resorts?
Yes, but Japan is currently trying to limit AirBnBs. But there will always be Minshuku, mountain lodges and business hotels!
What if I really don’t want to share a bathroom?
Understandable, but your options will be limited to more expensive places. There is a rush hour in shared baths though - just before and just after dinner. Go just when they open it, late night or in the morning.
Do the local minshuku offer rooms for gear?
Many cheap minshuku don’t, especially when you go further from the resorts. But from experience, they are flexible. They often let you take the gear inside the guesthouse or even your room and leave it in the area where you can leave shoes.
What if I don’t speak any Japanese, have no friends in Japan and get stuck?
Then there is always Naviko!