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Different Snow

Small Group Ski & Snowboarding Tours to Japan

Do you enjoy travelling with a small group of like-minded souls? Perhaps you are travelling solo, or with your partner or friends, and prefer to share the cost of ski guides and transport arrangements? These tours get you to the best untracked-powder in Japan, with guides and tour leaders adding value both on and off the slopes.

These itineraries include international flights from the UK, domestic travel within Japan to get you to the start and from the end points of the small group tour and then also a few nights in Tokyo and / or Kyoto at the beginning or end.

We operate these tours in conjunction with specialist touring companies based in Japan. Therefore, when you join the small group - either in Hokkaido, Tohoku or in the Japanese Alps - you will be travelling as part of a tour put together by one of our local partners. We have simply curated a selection of what we believe to be the best ski and snowboard tours of Japan, and then packaged them together with flights, travel within Japan and time in Tokyo / Kyoto to make them available to those travelling from the UK. Everything is taken care of, all under one booking.

You'll pay the same price you would if you were to book the tour direct with our Japanese partners - though, truth be told, many are not available for sale in the UK. However, booking through us means your holiday is all protected under our ATOL licence and you have a single point-of-contact for all the arrangements.

Most importantly, we only partner with the best ski touring companies; Japanese owned or operated, reputable, with the best guides and featuring ski resorts and on-mountain experiences we consider exceptional.

The Central Hokkaido Tour - Itinerary
Small Group Tour
£4,148 (early booking offer)

The Central Hokkaido Tour

Focussed on the lift-accessed off-piste and backcountry in the very heart of Hokkaido Island.

14 days
Furano (Asahidake / Sahoro / Pipu / Tomamu / Kamui) - Tokyo
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The Nagano Ski Safari - Itinerary
Small Group Tour
£4,996

The Nagano Ski Safari

Ski in the Japanese Alps, visiting several resorts. Also time for culture experiences & Tokyo.

14 days
Yudanaka Onsen (Shiga Kogen - Madarao - Tangram - Nozawa Onsen - Togakushi - Suginohara)
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The Inter-Islander Tour - Itinerary
Small Group Tour
£5,450 (early booking offfer)

The Inter-Islander Tour

Best of Hokkaido and Honshu's Tohoku region. The ultimate Japanese powder adventure.

17 days
Furano - Otaru - Kuroishi (Hakkoda Ropeway) - Morioka - Tokyo
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The Western Hokkaido Tour - Itinerary
Small Group Tour
£4,275 (early booking offer)

The Western Hokkaido Tour

Travel to Japan's ski epicentre...though this tour also includes several off-the-beaten-track gems.

14 days
Otaru (Kokusai & Teine) - Niseko (Kiroro - Moiwa & Rusutsu) - Hakodate (Nanae Snow Park) - Tokyo
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The Myoko Adventure - Itinerary
Small Group Tour
£3,795

The Myoko Adventure

Tokyo first, then a week in Myoko Kogen with a group and a guide. Finally Kyoto, then fly home.

14 days
Tokyo - Myoko Kogen - Kyoto
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The Unknown Powder Tour - Itinerary
Small Group Tour
£4,444

The Unknown Powder Tour

Go find the best snow on Hokkaido, wherever that may be. Begin in Tokyo, end in Sapporo,

13 days
Tokyo - Niseko - somewhere on Hokkaido Island - Sapporo
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Hokkaido Backcountry Tour - Itinerary
Small Group Tour
£3,788 (early booking offer)

Hokkaido Backcountry Tour

Sheer unadulterated, untracked Ja'pow all the way. This is the flagship tour...as good as it gets!

13 days
Furano - Niseko - Tokyo
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The Powder Belt Tour - Itinerary
Small Group Tour
£3,746 (early booking offer)

The Powder Belt Tour

Base yourself in central Hokkaido and explore the endless - and bottomless - backcountry.

13 days
Tokyo & Central Hokkaido (Furano - Tomamu - Kamui - Asahidake - Sahoro - Tokachidake)
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The Tohoku Powder Tour - Itinerary
Small Group Tour
£5,490 (early booking offer)

The Tohoku Powder Tour

The northern reaches of Honshu Island - explore Japan's best-kept powder snow secret.

16 days
Tokyo - Zao Onsen - Morioka - Kuroishi (Hakkoda Ropeway) - Kyoto
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What our customers say

5 star rating

Our customers rate us 'Excellent'

I can’t rate Different Snow highly enough...

They put together a well thought out and carefully researched tailored three week trip. Different Snow’s guidance notes and travellers’ aid pack were comprehensive and really well thought out. Their recommendations for hotels, sightseeing, entertainment and dining were spot on.

David  ·  Los Angeles, USA

Niseko in January

I gave Different Snow a tight brief and they provided what I asked for and also helpful timeous responses to emails. Anytime I had a need to talk to Nick he was engaging and added value to the discussion. I would have no hesitation to use them again.

Gordon  ·  Canada

Please visit our Trustpilot page to read the full reviews.

Begin your journey
How to book

It's pretty straight forward. You simply need to take the first step by getting in contact with us...

Contact

Give us a call, or fill in the enquiry form, or send us an email. We’ll listen, give advice and make suggestions.

Itinerary

We create a tailor-made itinerary proposal and email this to you. Together, we then refine it until it is just as you want.

Deposit

A 20% deposit secures the booking. The balance payment is not due until 10 weeks before departure.

Travel Pack

We post out your comprehensive travel pack, which also includes all our local contacts and our invaluable ‘How To…’ guides.