Category
Snow and Ice
ActivitiesSnow and Ice
Japan’s reputation for the best snow on Earth is well earned — Niseko’s international powder scene, Nagano’s dense concentration of resorts, and Tohoku’s quieter, heavier-snowfall hills that never quite make the international lists. Our complete guide to skiing and snowboarding in Japan covers all of it, region by region, alongside dedicated coverage of backcountry touring, avalanche awareness, and the annual Japan Snow Guide. Browse below for resort deep dives, trip reports, and season-by-season updates.
The X Factor
The X Factor
Ice Climbing. Hearing the words sends a chill through my bones. The advice I received from Japan-based climber Jeff Jensen, as I ...
Stay
Lodge Scole
It snowed heavily all night. The last beer and sake were tossed back around 10 p.m. and everyone called it an “early one” in anti...
Backcountry Skiing
Myoko Backcountry Ski School
Myoko Backcountry Ski School (MBSS) began with a bunch of locals who simply liked going into the mountains. It is now in its 22nd...
Snowboarding
Surf the Snow
Surfing powder is nothing new, but custom parks bringing the waves to the mountain is the latest craze. Enter the Surf Ride cultu...
Myoko Kogen
My Myoko
‘It’s the snow, stupid.’ Just ask the Baron. When people (usually the snow-addled locals) ask, “Why do you live in Myoko?” I ofte...
Ice Climbing
Raising the Veil on Ice Climbing in Hokkaido
The innate desire to explore the space between what is real and what exists only in our dreams has been part of the human conditi...
Skiing
A Lifestyle: Freeskiing
Skiing outside artificially sets limits. This is the foundation for freeskiing which breaks away from the restrictive confines of...
Snowboarding
Back to the Future: Noboarding
Snowboarding is cyclical. In the mid-1960s, Sherman Poppen came up with the Snurfer; it was a board with a rope attached to the n...