Chasing Powder in Japan by Train
Mountainwatch | Travel
One of the great things about travelling in Japan is the ease and efficiency of the rail system, particularly the multiple Shinkansen lines. The sleek Shinkansen, known as the Bullet Train, travels at speeds up to 320km/hour, transporting passengers in comfort across hundreds of kilometres.
The Tohoku Shinkansen is not only one of the fastest Shinkansens, but it also accesses one of the most beautiful regions in Japan, the mountainous Tohoku region in northern Honshu. Tohoku is also home to several ski resorts, including APPI, Zao Onsen and Nekoma and the Shinkansen is fast and convenient way to reach them.
It is a good idea to reserve seats with JR-East Train Reservation.
If you plan on visiting other resorts or towns in Tohoku, JR-East offer a pass that covers multiple regional train lines and destinations in Tohoku.
APPI Resort
Appi Kogen is, one of the biggest in Japan with 18 lifts, soft perfectly groomed on-piste runs and quality light snow. Like all resorts in Tohoku a powder day in APPI Resort is something you won’t forget, the snow that falls in this part of Honshu is as good as it gets. While popular with locals on weekend, the resort is uncrowded midweek, so you can literally ski to your heart’s content with no lift lines to worry about.
APPI Resort offers a great variety of slopes for every ski level. With its wide and long slopes, accessible side-country, and a fantastic terrain park, APPI Resort has a great variety of mountain activities for every preference. The lifts are modern with a number of express quad and double chairlifts and a fast bottom to top gondola. APPI Resort prides itself on its pristine groomers and the often-cited comparison to the best grooming you’ll see in North America is more than fair.
APPI Resort has five official tree zones that offer some playful open trees while there is also gated side-country access where we rode some steeper terrain in untracked snow. For those looking for a little more adventure there is a cat skiing option that takes you into some higher terrain. We had a couple of runs through untouched, super-dry powder. It was like our own personal playground. You can even go backcountry with a guide if you’re keen for a little more action.
Outside of the incredible skiing, APPI Resort is a great destination for adventure and fun in the snow! Beyond the super dry powder and immaculate slopes, a wide range of activities are provided that provides fun for some downtime – including snow bike, snow banana boat and snow shoeing.
But there’s more! APPI Resort offers everything you could need — from sushi restaurants to teppanyaki, a wellness centre, a games arcade, karaoke and even a lap pool. And after a long day of slashing powder the Shirakaba-no-Yu, APPI Resort onsen is the perfect place to relax. It’s an outdoor onsen with multiple baths, all fed by 100% natural onsen water. And trust me when I say, there’s no better way to relax before dinner than soaking in this outdoor dreamland!
The Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Morioka covers the 500km distance in just over two hours. Then head out the west exit to the bus terminal to catch a bus to APPI Resort. The buses to Appi run multiple times per day and will take you to Appi in under an hour.
Zao Onsen
Zao Onsen Ski Resort. Zao, located in Yamagata prefecture, is famous for its ‘juhyo’ or snow monsters, those eerie, frozen trees that look like something out of a movie.
The terrain at Zao Onsen is a bit more spread out, and the mountain has a wide range of terrain on offer for all levels. There are great options for families and intermediates but still plenty of opportunities for advanced riders to hunt down some powder in the open tree runs.
There are also a big variety of onsens, many of which are outdoors and after a day’s skiing or snowboarding there’s nothing better than soaking in a hot spring. The village is close to the mountain and has an authentic, laid-back vibe and the food scene is just as delicious as the ski conditions.
Zao Onsen is incredibly historic, with over 1900 years of history. As one of the country’s oldest hot spring villages, wooden-housed hot springs are abundant, connected by crooked side streets that sometimes feature Ryokans (traditional guest houses) and izakayas.
There is a wide choice of accommodation options available in Zao Onsen, including historical ryokan (traditional Japanese inns), hotels and other economical lodges to match all budgets and tastes.
Zao can be easily accessed on the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Yamagata which takes around 2.5 hour and then a 40-minute bus ride to the resort.
NEKOMA Mountain
NEKOMA Mountain was formerly two resorts, Alt Bandai and NEKOMA Ski Resort, which are on different faces of Mt Nekomadake. The former Alts Bandai is south facing, so receives a lot of sunshine and offers a great variety in slope options, an impressive terrain park and beautiful views of Mount Bandai and Lake Inawashiro. The ski in/ski out Bandaisan Onsen Hotel ensures a seamless transition between the slopes – and your bed.
NEKOMA Ski Resort is north-facing and having less exposure to direct sunlight for fewer days of the season, the snow retains its subzero temperatures for longer, creating “microfine snow”. A combination of elevation (above 1000 metres), a typically drier inland climate creates some of the driest snow on Honshu. It is relatively less crowded than other well-known Japan ski resorts, so you can experience fine powder snow in a comfortable environment. The off-piste areas and CAT RIDE tour are the best ways to maximise your powdery turns.
To get to Nekoma by train taking the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Koriyama Station, then transferring to shuttles from there to the resort.
Travelling by train through Japan is easy and efficient and a great way to see more of this beautiful country. The fact you can also access some incredible ski resorts like APPI, Zao Onsen and NEKOMA Mountain makes booking the train with JR East something you should definitely consider.
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