FIVE TIPS WHEN BOOKING A JAPAN SKI OR SNOWBOARD HOLIDAY

Heading to the ski slopes of Japan is more than just another ski vacation.. For many it is the ultimate dream, the trip of a lifetime – Japan's fabled powder snow combined with the allure of The East. And because this is more than 'just another holiday' then getting the itinerary perfect and all your travel arrangements absolutely right has an additional significance. You’ve got more at stake. 

An ‘itinerary’ should never – in Japan – simply mean that you book accommodation on the internet that feels okay, add a transfer, and then book your flights from Expedia. It just won’t work out like you expect it to.

In Japan a ski holiday should include trusted and characterful accommodation which is always ideally located, flights aligned with reliable and comfortable domestic transfers, bullet-train tickets when required, ski hire from the most dependable outlet, the best ski guides & CAT ski excursions, snow monkey excursions, sightseeing arranged in Tokyo or elsewhere, a stay in a traditional ryokan if possible, entrance tickets to major attractions…all hanging together in one carefully crafted itinerary (and then financially protected under our ATOL licence). When you are on the ground in Japan, you need the experience and support of Different Snow and our many specialist local partners.

Because Japan is different. Japan dances to a different drumbeat.

Just try book a traditional Japanese hotel directly online and the many differences will be laid bare. The language and cultural barriers are insurmountable for the average keyboard warrior. Just because you know how to book your own ski holidays in France, Norway or Canada, this does not mean that any old travel company can do the same in Japan. Whatever you do – use a Japan specialist tour operator, not a tour operator who has simply bolted Japan on as a new zeitgeisty destination to a global ski program to make a quick buck. Travel arrangements in Japan just don’t hang together using generalist, and not specialist, knowledge. Our on-the-ground relationships, nurtured over many, many years of successful operations are the lifeblood of what we do.

Also, if a tour operator only features two or three ski resorts in Japan…it means they simply don’t know it as a destination, and your choices will be severely limited.

Following are five tips for booking your perfect Japan ski holiday.

1. Choose the right ski resort(s) for you

The good news is that all the ski resorts we feature are wonderful. The universals remain in place – plentiful powder snow, tree skiing, comfortable and welcoming accommodation options, …etc. But the size, nature and feel of the resort, both on and off mountain, varies hugely. Niseko is most definitely not a one-size-fits all resort, and similarly Nozawa Onsen or Myoko Kogen are not for everyone! You need to know you are talking to someone who knows what they are talking about, borne from extensive first-hand experience. We have a choice of 11 on the website, though we have several other amazing ski mountains up our sleeve – Hakkoda, Madarao, Appi Kogen, Tomamu, Kamui Ski Links, Minakami – for those more intrepid skiers.

From a personal perspective and at the latest count (August 2025) – I have skied in 24 different Japanese ski resorts. I head to Japan each and every year, spending an average of 5 weeks in Japan (I also lived there for 6 years) and when I am there I inspect the hotels, meet the ski guides, eat in the restaurants, explore new regions and research new opportunities, build relationships with the best local partners  and, most importantly, spend as much time as I can on the ski mountains. My colleagues are every bit as experienced and do exactly the same each and every year. You will benefit from this accumulated knowledge when we plan, and then operate, your itinerary.

2.         Book early!

Japan is popular, with repeat travellers making up the bulk of the market (warning – there is no such thing as going skiing to Japan just once. You’ll see!). And repeaters know to book early, because it results in choice – of resort, of accommodation, of the best guides, of bespoke experiences…etc. Then there are some compelling early-booking discounts to factor in. For me, one of the most compelling reasons to book early is simply because you then have more time to look forward to it!

So – when is booking early? It is usually impossible to book international flights until circa 11-months before your return date, but once these are within range then I would suggest you get cracking. We are at our busiest between March to end June with guests meticulously planning for the following ski season. Many early booking offers end either end-May, end-June and some end-July – book any later, and you’ve missed them. And these can save you anything up to 30% on accommodation, which is a huge saving on the overall holiday cost.

Flights and accommodation have nowadays embraced the new world of dynamic pricing, and therefore as availability reduces then costs go up, rarely (never in Japan’s instance) down!

That is not to say it is impossible to book later – the post-summer Autumn months are also a busy period for us and we can, and often do, pull rabbits out of hats. However, it’s not always straight-forward and we often find ourselves working the other way around in the more popular ski resorts – beginning with deep dive availability searches and then crafting an itinerary around what we are able to book. Fortunately, our long-standing relationships with local partners put us in a far better position than most.

3.    Hire a guide

Local knowledge delivers huge reward. Be it within resort boundaries or in the side / back country, a day, several days, a week with a private guide in Japan will deliver the best ski days of your life. You need to make sure it is the right guide – you don’t want a spotty teenager, straight off a plane from Melbourne or Adelaide clutching a newly acquired ski instructor certificate (it happens!). The ski and snowboard guide companies we work with only employ the best, most experienced, fully qualified, locally knowledgeable and long-term resident guides. These are the guys who will get you to the best snow and deliver you fresh tracks.

The exact same sentiment follows through to your time in Tokyo, Kyoto or elsewhere. A local’s insight? A street food tour? A saké sommelier? A local historian? Walking tours or cycling tours? Time spent with a guide in Japan is money well spent, as they can explain the otherwise incomprehensible, they orientate you and offer the anecdotes and local history which will make your holiday, and your appreciation of Japan, all the more memorable.

Which leads us on to…

4.         Embrace ‘Japan’

“Choose Japan. Choose geisha and sumo wrestlers. Choose enchanting temples and shrines, blanket-covered by snow. Choose hot bowls of ramen in backstreet izakayas. Choose rising a bullet-train under the shadow of Mount Fuji. Choose Tokyo, Kyoto, Kanazawa, and Hiroshima. Choose traditional Japanese inns, with tatami mat floors and futon beds. Choose snow-monkeys soaking in an outdoor onsen. Choose drunken late-night karaoke with a drunk salaryman in the heart of the city …”

If you have the time, then choose to explore Japan beyond the ski slopes. You will be passing through Tokyo anyway, so why not linger and include a city-break in the worlds’ most exciting city. And if you have more time, then there is so much more. The allure of Japan – beyond its powder snow – has Japan consistently considered the most popular destinations for long-haul travellers. And, believe us, Japan looks its best during the winter months…and without the crowds.

Make sure you use a tour operator who is equally enthused, knowledgeable and competent off-the-slopes. We have our sister company which does just that – Different Japan – because it is Japan we are passionate about, first and foremost.

5. Book restaurants well in advance

Okay, the final one is a dull one. But absolutely necessary. We are not talking about when you are in Tokyo, or Kyoto, or in one of the smaller and more obscure ski resorts. We are talking about Niseko, Hakuba and perhaps Nozawa Onsen only. It is a simple fact that there are not enough restaurants for the number of guests and the best ones get solidly booked out for the duration of the ski season. We will provide the restaurant recommendations, you need to make the bookings (the restaurants will only accept direct bookings, with credit card guarantees).

And the obvious last tip would be to….use Different Snow. And our choice of words is hers is key; “use” and not just “book with”. Use our knowledge, our know-how, our relationships and benefit from the financial security we provide.

Okay, we’ll be more modest. Use a quality tour operator, of which Different Snow is the best around.

Give us a call. Please don’t entrust this to anyone else.