One departure · winter 2027
9 days across Hokkaido
- Dates
- 30 January → 7 February 2027
- Length
- 9 days / 8 nights
- Ski days
- 7 to 8
- Stages
- Niseko, Otaru, Furano
- Level
- 3/5
€4,500per person, excluding flights
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Japan · Hokkaido · 9 days
Japan ski trip: nine days across Hokkaido, from Niseko to Furano by way of Otaru
This Japan ski trip crosses Hokkaido in nine days, from 30 January to 7 February 2027: four nights in Niseko, one in Otaru, three in Furano, with seven or eight days on the snow. It costs €4,500 per person, based on six skiers, flights not included. You start and finish at New Chitose Airport, Sapporo, and in between the island changes around you, from the powder of Niseko to the canal at Otaru and the volcanoes around Furano.
Price€4,500per person, excluding flights
The trip at a glance
Japan ski trip, 9 days€4,500
Hokkaido winter · departure 30 January to 7 February 2027
- ArrivalNew Chitose Airport, Sapporo, then about two and a half hours by minibus to Niseko
- Length9 days / 8 nights
- Ski days7 to 8
- Group6 skiers per guide, 3 groups at most
- Skiing level3/5 check my level
- Fitness2/5 check my fitness
- Climbsup to +800 m on skins on the biggest days
- The stagesNiseko 4 nights, Otaru 1 night, Furano 3 nights
- Highlightthe onsen at the ryokan after a day in the trees
You’ll enjoy
- a private minibus that follows the group from stage to stage
- the birch forests of Niseko
- an evening on the canal in Otaru
- the volcanoes around Furano
- the onsen at the end of the day
Japan ski trip: Niseko, Otaru and Furano in nine days
Nine days take you from the west of Hokkaido to the centre of the island. You begin in the birch forests of Niseko, spend an evening by the canal in Otaru, then finish among the volcanoes around Furano. It is Japan powder skiing at a lively pace, with a private minibus following the group from one stage to the next.
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Other dates, or your own group
This route can be reserved for your own group, priced by the number of skiers. If you would rather choose the dates yourself, our fifteen days in Hokkaido are planned around your calendar.
Tell us when you would like to come and how many of you there are, and we’ll reply within 24 hours.
Niseko: four nights at a ryokan with its own onsen
The minibus collects you at New Chitose Airport and, two and a half hours later, leaves you at the ryokan in Niseko for the first four nights. Its onsen is fed by the hot springs, the rooms are twins, and breakfast is served each morning.
Around you lie the four areas of Niseko United, Annupuri, Hirafu, Hanazono and Moiwa, with Rusutsu and Kiroro within reach when they have caught more snow overnight. The birches here grow well apart, and you spend the first days finding their rhythm, turn after turn, before the onsen at nightfall.
Otaru, an evening on the canal
On the fifth day the safari leaves Niseko for the coast. Depending on the snow, you ski Teine or Kokusai, above Ishikari Bay, then come down to Otaru for the night, at a hotel facing the marina.
It is the one evening of the trip in a port town: a walk between the canal and the izakayas, a whisky distillery if you are curious, sushi from the market. Sapporo is forty minutes away.
Your ski days
Japan powder skiing: light snow between widely spaced birches
The chairlifts and cable cars take you up, and you are off-piste as soon as you pass the rope. Most of the skiing happens in the trees, in light, dry powder, and the guide picks each slope before the group drops in.
Skins come out when you want to leave the tracks behind, or to reach a volcano: up to 800 metres of climbing on the biggest days, at a moderate effort. Each morning, at the safety briefing, the guide reads the avalanche bulletin and chooses the area from the night’s snowfall and the wind.
Furano and the volcanoes of central Hokkaido
From Otaru the minibus heads inland to Furano, a ski town at the heart of the island, for the last three nights. You stay at a warm, welcoming place in the middle of town, with its own onsen, in twin rooms.
Far from the sea, the air is colder and drier, and the snow lighter still. Furano, Tomamu and the Daisetsuzan range see fewer skiers than the west coast. On Tokachidake, an active volcano of 2,077 m, fumaroles break through the snow; on Asahidake, at 2,291 m the highest summit in Hokkaido, a cable car takes you up before you climb on skins between columns of steam.
A private minibus by day, a different restaurant each night
The same minibus stays with the group for the whole trip. In the morning it drives you to the area the guide has chosen; in the evening it brings you back, snow still on your jackets.
Then come the onsen and dinner, somewhere new every evening: an izakaya, a bowl of ramen, a glass of sake, the cooking of the island. At this pace, the nine days go by quickly.
The programme
Japan ski trip: the nine days, day by day
Day 1 · Saturday 30 January
Arrival at New Chitose Airport, Sapporo. Flights from Tokyo land in the late afternoon, so depending on your connections a night in Tokyo on the way out can help. The minibus takes you to Niseko, about two and a half hours away, where the ryokan and its onsen are waiting.
Days 2 to 4 · Niseko
Three days on Niseko United, from Annupuri to Moiwa, with an outing to Rusutsu or Kiroro if the night’s snowfall points that way. A safety briefing every morning, and the area chosen for the snow and the wind.
Day 5 · Wednesday 3 February
Niseko to Otaru. A day at Teine or Kokusai, depending on the snow, then an evening by the canal.
Day 6 · Thursday 4 February
Otaru to Furano, at the centre of the island, skiing on the way when the snow allows, then three nights in town.
Days 7 and 8 · Furano
Two days between Furano, Tomamu and the Daisetsuzan range, with Tokachidake and Asahidake if the weather allows.
Day 9 · Sunday 7 February
Transfer to New Chitose Airport and the flight home.
The programme may change with the snow, the weather, the level of the group and your wishes; the guide chooses each outing and has the final word on every slope.
What’s included
Included
- Guiding by a BEES-qualified ski instructor specialising in off-piste, and/or a UIAGM mountain guide: six skiers per guide, three groups at most
- Lift passes
- Safety kit: avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe
- 8 nights in accommodation rated four-star by Japanese standards, twin rooms, breakfast included: 4 at the ryokan in Niseko, 1 at a hotel facing the marina in Otaru, 3 at a hotel with its own onsen in Furano (single room on request)
- A private minibus for the whole trip
- Transfers to and from New Chitose Airport, and between Niseko, Otaru and Furano
Not included
- Flights: allow around €1,200 from major European cities
- Lunches, dinners and drinks
- Cancellation and repatriation insurance
- Your ski touring kit: skis at least 100 mm underfoot (110 mm recommended), skins, ski crampons, poles with powder baskets, helmet and clothing
- Tips and personal expenses
Payment: 30% deposit on booking, balance no later than two months before departure, by bank transfer or card. Departures are guaranteed with a minimum of four skiers. Plan on two bags, a travel bag and a ski bag. Full details are in our terms and conditions.
Hokkaido in pictures
From Niseko to Furano, photographs from our ski safaris across the island.
A word from our founder
Picture a morning in the birch trees of Niseko and, a few days later, a climb on skins between the steam vents of Asahidake. In nine days you see three sides of Hokkaido, and the minibus takes care of the road in between. If you have a week and a little more, this is the route we suggest.
Boris Malesset, founder of PowderWeGo, holder of the French BEES ski instructor diploma, the Swiss level 3 ski instructor patent and the Austrian Schiführer diploma
What our travellers say
« Sur place : accueil au top dès l'aéroport, choix de l'hôtel nickel. … Les soirées ne sont pas en reste : Onsen, découverte de la gastronomie locale et de petits resto atypiques... »
Translated from French: On site: a great welcome from the airport onwards, a spot-on choice of hotel. … The evenings are just as good: onsen, discovering the local food and quirky little restaurants...
Olivier S. · Niseko · Google review « Le ski était tout simplement incroyable, avec des parcours ski touring fabuleux et des paysages à couper le souffle. »
Translated from French: The skiing was quite simply incredible, with fabulous ski touring routes and breathtaking scenery.
David B. · Hokkaido · Google review, 2026 « Organisation aux petits oignons pour mon séjour au Japon ... depuis la réservation , en passant par l'accueil à l'aéroport et pendant tout le séjour, un sans faute ! »
Translated from French: Spot-on organisation for my stay in Japan ... from the booking, through the welcome at the airport and throughout the stay, flawless!
Stéphanie F. · Hokkaido · Google review
A standard you can feel
A safety briefing every morning, the area chosen for the night’s snowfall, six skiers per guide: over nine days, that routine carries you from Niseko to Furano. We provide the avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe, and we plan each of our ski trips from Val d’Isère. Write to us and we’ll reply within 24 hours.
Japan ski trip: your questions
When is the best time to ski in Japan?
January and early February, the heart of the Hokkaido season that skiers call Japanuary. Our nine-day trip runs from Saturday 30 January to Sunday 7 February 2027, starting the day our week in Niseko ends.
How much does a ski trip to Japan cost?
Our nine days in Hokkaido cost €4,500 per person, based on six skiers, excluding flights. Allow around €1,200 for flights from major European cities, plus lunches, dinners and drinks. Guiding, lift passes, accommodation with breakfast, the private minibus and every transfer are included.
Is a ski trip to Japan worth it?
Yes, if light powder and tree skiing are what you travel for. In nine days you ski three parts of Hokkaido, and moving between them improves your chances of finding the best snow: depending on the track of the storms, it is Niseko that gets the snow, or the centre of the island.
Where do we stay?
Four nights at a ryokan in Niseko, with an onsen fed by the hot springs; one night in Otaru, at a hotel facing the marina; three nights in Furano, in the middle of the ski town, at a place with its own onsen. Accommodation is rated four-star by Japanese standards, in twin rooms with breakfast; a single room is available on request.
What level of skiing do I need?
Technical level 3/5 and fitness level 2/5: at ease off-piste in deep snow, with a little ski touring behind you, and happy with a moderate effort over several hours and climbs of up to 800 m. To check where you stand: your off-piste skiing level and your ski touring fitness level.
How do I get to Niseko?
Fly to New Chitose Airport, Sapporo, where the minibus meets you for the two and a half hours to Niseko. Flights from Tokyo land in the late afternoon, so a night in Tokyo on the way out may suit your connections. Our article on getting to Niseko from Tokyo covers the journey, and the Japan National Tourism Organization has practical advice for visitors.
What does the price include?
Guiding, lift passes, the avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe, eight nights in twin rooms with breakfast, the private minibus and the transfers from and to New Chitose Airport and between stages. Flights, lunches, dinners, drinks, insurance and your ski touring kit are at your own expense.
How do I book this Japan ski trip?
Write to us by email or on WhatsApp, +33 6 51 66 58 53, and we’ll reply within 24 hours. A 30% deposit confirms your place, with the balance due no later than two months before departure; departures are guaranteed with a minimum of four skiers.
Useful before you go: Japan National Tourism Organization · Niseko Avalanche Info, the avalanche report for Niseko · Japan Meteorological Agency.
These nine days are the shortest of our three Hokkaido safaris; the eleven-day route, the fifteen days built with you and our weeks in Niseko and Furano are set out side by side on our ski Japan page.
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Trip9-day ski safari · 30 January–7 February 2027Private trip for my group
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