Snowboarding Through Hokkaido: A Week of Powder, Local Eats and Hidden Retreats

Arrival: We landed in Asahikawa after a long journey, facing a nine-hour delay. Thankfully, Faye travel insurance covered the costs — $100 for flight rescheduling and an additional $200 for the inconvenience, which we received immediately after sending the information via the app.

Airport to hotel: The airport is small, making baggage claim quick and easy, but very crowded. No taxis were available for some reason, and the Go taxi app also was unable to find available cars. The alternative was taking a bus to the train station (20 minutes, 750 yen). Unfortunately, we missed the last bus at 9 pm. If you arrive late, go directly to the tourist desk for assistance with bus tickets.

Accommodation: The Lampstand is a charming Christian-themed coffee shop with rooms upstairs. Important note: The front desk closes at 10 pm, so check in before then.

Late-night snack: Visited a nearby 7-Eleven for dinner, but found the options too carb-heavy. Later in the trip, we discovered that Lawson’s and Family Mart offer better meal choices, especially for dessert.

Tips:

• If arriving late, ask the tourist desk for bus ticket assistance.

• Choose a hotel within walking distance of the train station.

• Bring cash — there's an ATM upstairs at the airport, but taxis accept credit cards.

• Lawson’s and Family Mart have better food options than 7-Eleven, in my opinion.

Change of plans: Due to our late arrival, we had to cancel our car rental, which we had planned to use for Funaro Resort.

Guided experience: Our guide picked us up and took us to Kamui Links, where we enjoyed no lift lines on a Friday and deep snow on off-piste terrain.

Lunch: The ramen at the resort was excellent — highly recommended! Ordering is easy: insert cash into a vending machine, select your meal and receive change. A full meal costs around 2,000 yen.

Dinner: Mutton BBQ at Daikokuya has cook-your-own lamb cuts. The restaurant has a waiting system where you get a number and can wait in a lounge across the street with self-serve beer (cash only). We ordered four plates of meat, kimchi and rice (about 4,000 yen total).

Tips:

• Sushi is famous in Hokkaido since much of Japan’s seafood is sourced from here.

• Mutton is a regional specialty and worth trying with a small group (tables seat up to six).

• Book a guide three or more months in advance during high season, December through early February. Depending on your level and the weather, try boarding Asahidake, an active volcano, or Tokachi, a mountain that has a natural rock hot spring nearby that you can drive to.

• If flying in again, consider New Chitose Airport (near Sapporo) instead, as Asahikawa is very quiet.

Train experience: We walked five minutes to the train station but had trouble with the ticket machines.

Solution: Go to the ticket booth — staff are very helpful. Reserved seats were unavailable, so we opted for unreserved cars and lined up early to secure seats together with luggage space.

Cost: 4,690 yen one way; trains run every 30 minutes on the Kamui or Lilac lines.

Car rental: Picked up our rental car at Sapporo Station and drove 15 minutes to our hotel, the Sapporo Prince (parking was 1,200 yen per day).

Dinner: Conveyor-belt sushi at Katsuissen. Didn’t find it remarkable — would recommend researching Google Maps for better options.

Tips:

• Arrive early for unreserved train seats.

• Consider reserving a seat a day before for guaranteed luggage space.

• Look up sushi restaurants in advance to find the best spots.

Snowboarding experience: Felt more like an international resort with well-marked tree runs and food options. Backcountry skiing is available — book through the resort and ensure you have proper safety gear.

Parking: Arriving early secured us a great parking spot right by the entrance.

Side trip: Stopped by the Otaru wine gallery en route. Reminder: Japan has a strict no-drinking-and-driving policy.

Accommodation: Unwind Hotel — a renovated movie theater with a classic-modern aesthetic. There was a small fee for parking overnight, around 1,500 yen.

Evening perk: Complimentary wine service at 6 pm, and a high tea breakfast!

Dinner: Yabuhan Soba — highly recommended. Expect a wait, and note that they stop accepting customers 30 to 60 minutes before closing.

Tips:

• Purchase reserved lift tickets in advance on the web for a stress-free rental experience.

• Arrive early for premium parking.

• Don’t miss Kiroro’s tree runs or backcountry skiing.

• Get to dinner early, especially for popular spots that do not accept reservations.

Accommodation: Chalet Ivy Hirafu, located right next to the base gondola.

Skiing experience: Arrived at noon and still got a full day thanks to night skiing until 7:30 pm. The ski rental shop stored our shoes and held our boards overnight.

Evening relaxation: Private onsen booking, around 5,000 yen.

Dinner: Alpine — steak and fondue. Reservations recommended.

Food truck village: Offers sushi, crepes, gyoza, mochi burgers and more.

Nightlife: Bar hopping, including Bar Gyu+ (arrive late on weekdays to avoid lines).

Tips:

• Weekday visits are less crowded.

• Explore different resorts nearby, like Rusutsu.

• Backcountry skiing is popular but requires preparation or a guide.

• Make dinner reservations in advance.

• Visit Nikka Distillery for whiskey tasting.

Skiing: Iwani offers incredible sea views, but skiing options are limited unless booking CAT skiing (around $1,000 USD).

Accommodation: Kogen Ryokan — traditional Japanese inn with an exceptional seafood dinner.

Craft beer: Japan’s first craft brewery is located in the same parking lot — great for a pre-dinner tasting.

Tips:

• Icy conditions — bring ice picks for shoes.

• Expect minimal skiing unless opting for CAT skiing.

• Staying in a traditional ryokan was a highlight — highly recommended for an authentic experience. If you want the ryokan without skiing, try going further south to Hakodate, about four and a half hours from Sapporo.

• Rental cars in Hokkaido often require pickup and drop-off at the same location.