Your Complete Guide To Hakuba This Season

The Hakuba Valley boasts an incredible variety of terrain across its 11 resorts, meaning there is something for everyone. Plus, for ease, they’re all accessible on the one lift pass. The five major resorts are Tsugaike, Cortina, Happo-one, Iwatake, and the interconnected Hakuba 47/Goryu. Each mountain has a mix of intermediate runs, off-piste tree areas, open powder bowls, steep leg-burning groomers, and a number of terrain parks. This guide to Hakuba has all the tips and tricks for the ultimate experience on the slopes.

Insider Tip: Epic Pass and Australian Epic Pass holders can enjoy five consecutive days of complimentary skiing with their Epic Pass. Just head to a designated ticket office, show your epic pass and ID and you will be handed a 5-Day Hakuba Valley Lift Pass.

Tsugaike Kogen

Beginners and intermediates are best suited to start their skiing at Tsugaike Kogen. The slopes are wide, gentle, and devoid of trees making it the best place to build your confidence. The main street at the foothill of Tsugaike has various izakayas as well as Western-style restaurants for you to explore. All in all a very charming experience.

Insider Tip: “Kane-no-naru-oka” (The hill where the bell rings) is the best run for families and beginners. This mellow run is 1,200m wide, 980m in length, and has a comfortable 9-degree average gradient. It also has night skiing.

Cortina 

Powder hounds heading to Hakuba will of course have heard the great lore of Cortina and its off-piste tree runs and unmatched side country. It receives the highest and driest snowfall in the valley and usually gets nearly twice as much snow as neighbouring resorts! The snow patrol team at Cortina is quite relaxed, and off-piste skiing is not an issue. Ridgeline runs that drop into near-perfectly spaced trees will delight those wanting to earn their turns and get waist-deep in the pow. Cortina is also interlinked with the neighbouring Norikura, giving you access to all 25 combined runs.

Insider Tip: GO HERE ON A POWDER DAY. You can basically ski any of the tree runs, and most on the front side of the resort. It is not to be missed!

Happo-One

The largest and most central resort in the valley is Happo-One (pronounced On Ay), spreading across 220 hectares. The pitch is on the steeper side with a 1701 vertical metre drop and is best suited for intermediate and advanced skiers. Beginners at Happo should visit Saka where the terrain is more mellow. Terrain park dudes are in luck, the Happo Banks Terrain Park may be the best park in the valley. On a powder day, our suggestion would be to check out the tree runs on Skyline.

Insider Tip: On a clear day, head up to Reisen Grat, the resort’s highest peak, and ski all the way down through Alpen, Usagidaira, and Panorama, coming onto what was once the Women’s Slalom course and finishing up at the bottom of the Kokusai area.

Iwatake

Iwatake has terrain for every skill level and is a great option for families or groups with a mix of abilities. Just 10 minutes from Hakuba Station, the resort is easily accessible from Happo Village. Once beginners build confidence, they can take an easy run from the top of the mountain all the way to the base, there are also more challenging intermediate routes that branch off from this run. Advanced skiers can stay busy with high-speed runs, powder skiing, and a terrain park.

Insider tip: One of the best ramen shops in town is located at the base of the ski resort. Come out from the gondola entrance and cross the road to a wooden shack with skis and snowboards out the front. Enjoy!

Hakuba 47

Connected to Goryu, this resort sits right next to Happo-One (the two have reciprocal views of each other) and is adjacent to Goryu and Echoland villages. This is another resort that’s great for the family, with a large variety of beginner and intermediate terrain and some challenging blacks thrown in the mix. A few good days could be spent here, as the tree runs are mint when the powder is on and the terrain park is perfect for firmer conditions.

Insider Tip: Sign up to the “Double Black Diamond Club” and you’ll have access to the formidable off-piste and backcountry. It’s free to register and you’ll receive a bib that gives you access to the exclusive terrain.

From Narita Airport

1. Option 1: The fastest route (just under four hours) requires two trains and a bus. Take one of the frequent trains from the airport to Tokyo Station. From there, take the scenic bullet train AKA Shinkansen to Nagano Terminal, make sure you pre-book to secure a seat. From Nagano, take a bus to Hakuba Station.
2. Option 2: Take the Nagano Snow Shuttle from Narita Airport straight to Hakuba. This trip will take just over five hours in total, but it’s the most direct route and will save you from having to lug your things around from station to station.

From Haneda Airport

• Whether you are an absolute beginner or a freestyle guru, Hakuba Snow Sports School has well-trained, friendly, and professional instructors to help you get the most out of the mountain. Choose from a group lesson at Iimori Snow Resort or a full/half-day private lesson at any resort in the area.
• Operating out of Hakuba 47 Winter Sports Park, Hakuba Ski Concierge is the area’s boutique ski school. Different from the more conventional ski schools, the ski concierge exclusively offers private lessons and fully customisable guided experiences.
• The largest ski school in Hakuba, Evergreen International Ski School, offers everything when it comes to getting you to the next level. And, with Rhythm Snowsports around the corner, it’s somewhat of a one-stop-shop with the two running shuttles to and from.

Rental Equipment 

• Rhythm Snow Sports has an enviable selection of attire and equipment to either rent or purchase, as well as a small café (Rhythm & Beans) with some of the best coffee in town! The range of premium and standard rental packages available at Rhythm suits all budgets, skill levels, and ski conditions. Plus, the friendly, English-speaking staff will happily order shuttles so you don’t have to lug your new gear back to your accommodation.
• If you’re after demo skis & boards, Central Snow Sports has the largest and widest range in the Hakuba Valley. Not only that, they have a huge range of gear for hire regardless of your ability. Head to one of their three stores: in the Gondola area of Happo-One, Echoland, and the Sakka area of Wadano.

Snowmobiling

Driving through fresh powder on a powerful machine is one of the best ways to spend an hour when you need a break from the skis or snowboard. Check out Lion Adventures website for more details.

The world-famous Snow Monkeys are the only known monkeys to bathe in hot springs and they’re easily accessible! We recommend going on a full-day tour to witness these incredible creatures, as well as historic temples like the 7th Century Buddhist Temple, Zenkoji. Plus, an awesome lunch is included.

Matsumoto Castle Self-Tour 

Monkeys not your thing? How about a trip to one of Japan’s oldest standing castles? Nicknamed “Crows Castle’ for its unique black colour, it’s one of the few castles in Japan constructed on an open plain. It’s about 90 minutes on the JR train from Hakuba Station.

Day Trip to Nagano

A day trip to Nagano is a great option from Hakuba. You can take a bus from Happo to Nagano station or alternatively, you can hire a car. There are plenty of things to do here, including visiting RoundOne a multi-level building full of games and arcades, shopping the town’s many second-hand and vintage stores, visiting the Kids Ninja Village or the Togakure Ninpo Museum and sightseeing at the Zenkoji Buddhist Temple. If the thought of all that exploring makes you feel like a drink, there’s also an awesome tour experience at Yoshinoya Sake Brewery.

Guide to Hakuba’s Accommodation 

As ski towns go, Hakuba is definitely on the vast side and therefore has plenty of options to choose from when it comes to accommodation. The valley is separated into various boroughs – we recommend staying in the Echoland, Happo, and Wadano areas of Hakuba. This will not only give you easy access to more ski resorts but more après options (bars, restaurants, cafés and shops) too. Whether you want to experience the luxury of Hakuba or you’re on a budget, there are plenty of options to suit in our guide to Hakuba’s accommodation.

Guide to Hakuba’s Restaurants and Après 

The Hakuba Valley is blessed with an array of delicious restaurants spanning a seemingly endless number of cuisines and price ranges.  It’s the type of place where you can try a new restaurant for every meal during your stay, and still have so much to discover! Read our guide to Hakuba’s restaurant scene below and start planning your culinary adventures!

There are plenty of options when it comes to western eateries in Hakuba. And, the great thing is, plenty of our favourite spots are open all day, meaning you can enjoy coffee and breakfast at sunrise through to après at sunset! Our top pick for this especially is The Rabbit Hole in upper Wadano serving up delicious breakfasts, through to toasties and burgers and plenty of happy hour deals at the end of the day. The Clubhouse, Cantina and Calico (coming soon to Hakuba) also deliver when it comes to an epic Aussie breakfast and brunch and come alive in the evening with music and plenty of cocktails.

Fancy fine-dining? There are plenty of memorable gastronomic experiences in Hakuba to enjoy after a day on the slopes. Helmed by head chef, Andrea Ferrero, who previously worked as executive chef in some of the world’s finest hotels, The Clubhouse by Stars’n Cacio is new this season – bringing with it incredible Italian food, American nibbles, and innovative cocktails. There are two crowd favourites that deserve a mention here too, Mimi’s Restaurant and Bar offers a memorable tasting menu at the Phoenix Hotel in Wadano and Hybrid serves up modern fusion like nowhere else in Hakuba.

As the sun goes down, Hakuba’s restaurants and bars come to life. Our pick this season is the new double-level Hakuba Après bar on Nakiyama! the first floor is home to an indoor-outdoor après-ski bar with a focus on mulled drinks and beer, while the second floor is an upmarket speakeasy lounge bar serving mostly whiskeys, cocktails, wine, and champagne. Other top picks are The Rabbit Hole, in Upper Wadano Bar Refuel at Happo Village and Mockingbird at Echoland.