private ski journeys in japan
created for you alone
Japan's snow is so dry it falls through the birches like smoke.
Your party rides up to where the snow lies deepest. The powder is silent under the ski, and when the lifts stop an onsen is steaming in the snow. We recommend Niseko, Hakuba and Myoko, each of which runs in English, and we plan and run private ski journeys at five more mountains of Hokkaido and Nagano, around your party alone.
Deep snow in the birches of Hokkaido
- The mountains
- Niseko, Hakuba and Myokoand five more, from Rusutsu to Nozawa Onsen
- We plan and run it
- From $3,500per person, per day
- You travel it yourself
- From $550the whole itinerary
the snow
Japan's powder is made over the sea.
All winter, cold air from Siberia crosses the Sea of Japan, takes up its moisture and lets it fall on the first mountains it meets, as snow so light it barely keeps a shape in the hand. Skiers cross the world for it. It squeaks underfoot in the cold, gives like down beneath a ski, and the turn makes almost no sound; behind you it hangs in the air, glittering, and settles again.
Niseko took 13.5 metres of it in the winter of 2025-26, by the resort's own measure. The snow country of Honshu, where Hakuba and Myoko stand, is buried as deep, and between the trees it lies untouched long after the groomed runs are skied, deep enough that a turn sends it up over your shoulders.
- 13.5 metresof snow on Niseko in the winter of 2025-26, below Mount Yotei
- 214 hectaresof skiing at Lotte Arai in Myoko, most of it left ungroomed
- 1998the Winter Olympic downhill, run on Happo-one in Hakuba
- 8 mountainsNiseko, Hakuba and Myoko, each run in English, and five more beside them
Where to ski in Japan
For a skier from abroad, we lead with three ski resorts in Japan: Niseko, Hakuba and Myoko, each wholly Japan yet run in English, from the lifts to the front desk. Niseko, in Hokkaido, is Niseko United: Grand Hirafu, Hanazono, Niseko Village and Annupuri, four resorts joined on one mountain and one lift pass beneath Mount Yotei, with the lightest snow of the three; Hakuba, in Nagano, has long, steep runs beneath the Northern Alps; Myoko, in Niigata, has Lotte Arai Resort, where the hotel and the mountain are run as one. Rusutsu, Furano, Kiroro, Tomamu and Nozawa Onsen stand beside them, and we create the same private ski journey at any of the five.
Hakuba Valley and Happo-one
Hakuba Valley is ten ski resorts along one valley in northern Nagano, at the foot of the Northern Alps: Hakuba Cortina, Hakuba Norikura, Tsugaike, Iwatake, Happo-one, Hakuba47, Goryu, Sanosaka, Kashimayari and Jigatake, from north to south, all skied on one Hakuba Valley pass. Happo-one is the largest, above Happo village at the centre of the valley; the men's downhill of the 1998 Winter Olympics ran 3,289 metres down it, the longest Olympic downhill ever raced. Its runs are long and steep under the white peaks, the cruising runs of the valley reach eight kilometres, and for a party the grandest stay in Hakuba is a private chalet taken whole, with its own onsen, sauna and bar, a short walk above Happo village.
the three mountains
Three mountains, each wholly Japan.
Japan has hundreds of ski areas. We lead with three, each wholly Japan and each run in English: the mountain guides, the hotels and the front desk. Your party is guided and looked after in English from the first lift to the last run. Five more stand beside them, each loved by skiers from abroad.
NisekoHokkaido42°48′N 140°41′E
From TokyoNew Chitose, then about two and a half hours by private car
HakubaNagano36°42′N 137°52′E
From TokyoTokyo, then about ninety minutes by shinkansen and seventy by car
MyokoNiigata36°53′N 138°10′E
From TokyoTokyo, then about two hours by shinkansen and half an hour by car
Hokkaido42°48′N 140°41′E
Mount Yotei stands across the valley from almost every run, and the snow is the lightest of the three, too dry to pack a snowball. Here are the grandest hotels in Japanese skiing, and a ryokan of fifteen villas in the forest, each with two onsen of its own.
Niseko, the placeMount Yotei, across the valley from the slopes of Niseko
Ten ski areas strung along one valley beneath the Northern Alps, with Happo-one, the Olympic downhill, at its centre. Long, steep runs for the strong skier, the white peaks above every one of them, and for a party, a private chalet taken whole, with its own onsen, sauna and bar.
Hakuba, the placeThe runs of Happo-one beneath the Northern Alps, Hakuba
At Lotte Arai Resort the hotel and the mountain are run as one: ski-in and ski-out, an onsen drawn from 1,750 metres below ground that looks out over the peaks, its steam rising into the cold, and 214 hectares of snow beyond the window. It sits on the line that runs on to Kanazawa and Kyoto.
Myoko, the placeCedars deep in snow above the runs of Myoko
five more mountains
And the mountains skiers cross the world for.
Niseko, Hakuba and Myoko are where we lead. For a party with another mountain in mind, we create the same private ski journey at five more, each loved by skiers from abroad, on a Custom Tour of Japan or written as an Expert Japan Itinerary.
Above the valley at Rusutsu Hokkaidoルスツ
42°45′N 140°54′E
Rusutsu
Three mountains joined by lifts and gondolas, West, East and Mount Isola, with tree runs winding through broadleaf forest, where the canopy keeps the powder soft. On a clear day the view runs from Lake Toya and Mount Yotei to the distant Pacific.
Lake Toya, nearby
The runs of Kitanomine above Furano Hokkaido富良野
43°20′N 142°21′E
Furano
Deep in the middle of Hokkaido, far from the sea, where the inland cold gives some of the best snow on the island. Two zones, Furano and Kitanomine, rise above the town, a hotel stands directly on the slopes, and the longest run falls four kilometres.
Furano, the placeKiroro, in the mountains above Otaru Hokkaidoキロロ
43°05′N 140°59′E
Kiroro
In the mountains above Otaru, under some of the deepest snow on the island. You stay in a residence with ski-in and ski-out and a kitchen of its own, and the old port of Otaru, with its canal, is some forty minutes away.
Otaru, nearbyA run through the conifers at Tomamu Hokkaidoトマム
43°04′N 142°38′E
Tomamu
Two mountains in the middle of the island, twenty-nine courses between them, the runs reached straight from the hotel. Suites of more than a hundred square metres keep a sauna of their own, and high on the mountain, at the Terrace of Frosted Tree, the cold air freezes on every branch until the forest stands white.
Furano, nearbyA lane in Nozawa Onsen, under the snow Nagano野沢温泉
36°55′N 138°27′E
Nozawa Onsen
A hot-spring village beneath the ski runs of northern Nagano, steam drifting between its lanes and thirteen wooden bathhouses in the old style, each run by the families of the village. The ski day ends in the village, in water drawn from its own springs.
Nagano, nearby
a private ski journey
The ski journey, as we create it.
Grand Hirafu, Niseko, after dark
Grand Hirafu, Niseko, after dark the room
A suite with the snow at the door
It begins with where you sleep, and with the first warmth of coming in from the cold. You stay in the finest luxury hotels and ryokan in Japan, each one chosen personally by us for its luxury, its comfort and its setting. A residence in Niseko where the ski valet dries your boots overnight and the lift is a short walk across the terrace. A villa in the forest, snow building on the rim of its open-air onsen. A room in Myoko with the mountain outside the window. Or a chalet in Hakuba, with nobody in the building but your party.
The birches of Grand Hirafu, with Mount Yotei across the valley the mountain
The mountain, matched to each skier
The runs chosen for the whole party or for each skier alone: gentle first turns for the youngest skier, the deep snow between the birches for a strong skier, where each turn lifts a cloud of powder into the light, and the runs in between for everyone else. Lift passes, skis and boots are fitted and waiting before you reach the snow.
Frost on the stones of an open-air onsen the onsen
Hot spring water, and snow falling into it
When the lifts stop, the day ends in an onsen (hot-spring bath). Your cheeks are still bright from the cold as you step into water drawn hot from deep in the ground. Steam lifts off it into the falling snow, the flakes vanish on the surface, and the cold of the mountain goes slowly out of the legs. A private onsen is yours alone, in your own time.
Snow crab, the prize of the winter table the table
The winter larder of the north
Then dinner, at the pace of the evening rather than a dining room. Snow crab, sweet from the cold northern sea, and sea urchin that tastes of it; kaiseki brought course by course to a private room, the windows dark and the snow still falling; and sake from the snow country, where brewers work through the coldest months with water from the melted snow.
The torii at the foot of the approach to Togakushi Shrine, Nagano beyond the snow
Japan around the mountain
A ski week sits inside a journey through Japan: Tokyo before the mountain, Kyoto after it, Kanazawa between the two on the same railway line. From Myoko or Hakuba, a day on the snowbound approach to Togakushi Shrine, under cedars some four centuries old; from Hakuba, Matsumoto Castle; from Niseko, the canals of Otaru. A chauffeur meets you at the airport, and your Tour Director is beside you from the first evening.
why us
Japan is all we do.
From the first conversation to the last run: the hotel and the room, the runs chosen for each skier, the first-class seat and the car through the snow, and a Tour Director at your side the whole way.
The Michelin Guide awards its Key to the hotels we plan around in Niseko.
begin
Two ways to ski Japan with us.
the custom tour of japan
We plan and run it for you.
The mountain, the hotels, the onsen and the cities around them, created for your party alone and run by us from the airport to the last evening, with your own Tour Director throughout. From five nights, on your dates.
From $3,500
per person, per day
The design begins with a journey curation fee of $1,500, credited in full against your tour.
Your answers in the Journey form shape everything that follows: the mountain, the hotel, the runs and the days off the snow. A call with our team follows, and the journey is created around your party.
the expert japan itinerary
Your expert itinerary, to travel independently.
The same planning, set down in writing for you to travel on your own: which mountain, which hotel and which room, the trains and cars between them, and the cities before and after. Journeys of up to fifteen days.
From $550
the whole itinerary
Delivered in seven working days, with one revision included.
Tell us who is skiing and how well, and the itinerary is written for your party.
All prices in US dollars, taxes included.
the expert japan itinerary
Your ski journey, written by us, travelled by you.
Tell us who is skiing and how well, and we write the whole journey down, day by day, for you to book and travel yourself. Every choice carries its reason: Hakuba for the strong skier who wants long, steep runs, Niseko for a first week on the snow, the gentle slopes for your youngest, the carriage north and the car up the valley, and the day the skis leave by courier so that you board the train with nothing heavier than a coat.
Journeys of up to fifteen days, delivered in seven working days, with one revision included.
questions
Questions about skiing in Japan
Is skiing in Japan worth it?
For the snow alone, yes. Cold air from Siberia crosses the Sea of Japan and falls on its mountains as some of the driest, deepest powder skied anywhere: 13.5 metres of it at Niseko in the winter of 2025-26. Add an onsen at the end of every ski day and the food of the snow country, and a ski holiday in Japan becomes a journey.
Where is the best place to ski in Japan?
For a skier from abroad, Niseko, Hakuba and Myoko, because each runs in English. Niseko United joins Grand Hirafu, Hanazono, Niseko Village and Annupuri on one lift pass beneath Mount Yotei; Hakuba has the long, steep runs of the Northern Alps; and Myoko has Lotte Arai Resort, the hotel and the mountain under one roof.
Which ski resorts make up Hakuba Valley?
Ten: Hakuba Cortina, Hakuba Norikura, Tsugaike, Iwatake, Happo-one, Hakuba47, Goryu, Sanosaka, Kashimayari and Jigatake, strung along one valley beneath the Northern Alps of Nagano and skied on one Hakuba Valley pass. Happo-one, at the centre, is the largest. On a Custom Tour of Japan we set the days across the resorts to suit how each of you skis.
What is Happo-one like to ski?
Happo-one is the largest resort in Hakuba Valley, above Happo village, and the mountain of the 1998 Winter Olympic downhill: the men's course ran 3,289 metres, the longest Olympic downhill ever raced. Its runs are long and steep beneath the white peaks of the Northern Alps, and the onsen of the Happo hot spring wait in the village below.
Which are the luxury ski resorts in Japan?
Niseko, for the grandest hotels and the lightest snow; Hakuba, for long, steep runs beneath the Northern Alps; and Myoko, where Lotte Arai Resort puts the hotel, the onsen and the mountain under one roof. All three run in English, from the mountain to the front desk. We also create ski journeys to Rusutsu, Furano, Kiroro and Tomamu in Hokkaido and to Nozawa Onsen in Nagano.
Where are the luxury ski hotels in Japan?
Most are in Niseko, where the Michelin Guide awards its Key to the hotels we plan around, and where a ryokan of fifteen villas stands in the forest, each villa with two onsen of its own. In Myoko the address is Lotte Arai Resort, the hotel at the foot of its own mountain, and in Hakuba the grandest stay is a private chalet taken by one party.
Can you arrange private mountain guides in Japan?
Yes. On a Custom Tour of Japan, private mountain guides take your party across Niseko, Hakuba and Myoko, for the whole party or for each skier, with lift passes, skis and boots waiting before you arrive.
Do you plan ski holidays to Rusutsu, Furano, Kiroro, Tomamu and Nozawa Onsen?
Yes. Niseko, Hakuba and Myoko are where we lead, and we create private ski journeys to Rusutsu, Furano, Kiroro and Tomamu in Hokkaido and to Nozawa Onsen in Nagano too: on a Custom Tour of Japan, planned and run by us, or written as an Expert Japan Itinerary for travelling independently. Name the mountain, and we plan the hotel, the days on the snow and the Japan around them.
How much does a luxury ski holiday in Japan cost?
A Custom Tour of Japan is priced per person, per day, from $3,500, from five nights. The Expert Japan Itinerary, for travelling independently, is from $550.
How do you reach Niseko, Hakuba and Myoko from Tokyo?
Niseko is a flight from Tokyo to New Chitose, then about two and a half hours by road. Hakuba is about ninety minutes by shinkansen to Nagano and some seventy minutes on by car. Myoko is about two hours by shinkansen to Joetsumyoko, with Lotte Arai Resort half an hour beyond.
Can you write a Japan ski itinerary for us to travel on our own?
Yes. The Expert Japan Itinerary writes your ski journey down day by day, for you to book and travel yourself: the mountain chosen for your party and the reasons for it, with the hotel, the runs and every train and car set out around it. It is from $550, delivered in seven working days, with one revision included.
Is Japan good for a family ski holiday?
Yes, wonderfully so. All three resorts have broad, gentle runs for children, and the whole family can be on the snow together. Children travel with us on the Custom Tour of Japan, where every age is agreed when the journey is designed.
Can a ski holiday in Japan include Tokyo and Kyoto?
Yes, and it should. Myoko and Hakuba are both reached from the Hokuriku Shinkansen, so Tokyo, the mountain, Kanazawa and Kyoto follow one another by rail without a flight. Niseko is a short flight from Tokyo, and Kyoto is reached by air or back through Tokyo.
the japan edition
Reading on the snow
Begin with the mountain.
Tell us who is skiing, how well, and what else of Japan you want around the snow. We create the rest.
A lone fir in the snowfields of Biei, Hokkaido