How to get there
Flying to Japan
For advice on travelling to Japan, see our pages on
getting to Honshu and
travel to Hokkaido. From some countries it's quite difficult to get direct flights into Sapporo in Hokkaido, with flights generally going via Tokyo or another Asian city. Use one of our recommended
flight aggregators to search and compare flights to Japan.
Travelling Around Japan
How you choose to travel around Japan may depend upon your budget, your time availability, and the size of your luggage, and whether you need the convenience of being dropped at the hotel door.
Keep in mind that Japan has some great luggage courier systems if you don’t want to cart your baggage on trains, buses or in taxis. You can send your luggage between the airport and your ski resort hotel. It usually takes about 24 hours, so this service is particularly useful for travellers who are combining a ski holiday with a trip to Tokyo or Kyoto. Courier services cost about ¥1,500 to ¥3,000 per piece depending on the size and distance of travel.
Kuroi Neko (the courier service with the cat logo) is one example of a reputable company.
Using trains to get around
Trains are a fast, convenient and enjoyable way to travel around Japan. Train travel is also a great way to get into the culture of Japan. See our
Japan rail travel page for more information or to purchase a rail pass. Use
Hyperdia to search for train routes, schedules, and fares.
Using taxis to get around
Taxis are readily available in cities and large towns and are reasonably priced. Taxis are generally small sedans, so fitting in a large ski or snowboard bag may require some problem solving. Some taxis may have roof racks and they might only have small straps to affix skis, but not large ties to secure a big bag to the roof. It’s probably wise to pack your own octopus straps, or take your skis/snowboard out of the bag to fit them inside the taxi.
Using rental cars to get around
Japan is reasonably easy to navigate in a car considering that many of the road signs are in English or at least the roads are numbered. Road rules follow fairly typical international standards, and driving in Japan is nothing like the crazy driving in some other Asian countries such as Vietnam.
Most rental cars have a GPS which is in Japanese, but if you can get the rental company to enter the location for you, you’ll be able to follow the arrows on the screen. And more car hire companies are installing GPS that are in English, or BYO GPS to be on the safe side.
Cars drive on the left side of the road in Japan. In order to drive and rent a car in Japan, you will require an international driving license which you’ll need to organise through an automobile association before you go to Japan. These licenses are only valid for 12 months.
The rental cars will have snow tyres on them so chains generally won’t be necessary, but usual caution when driving on snow-covered or icy roads will need to be exercised.
Japan Multi-Resort Ski Tours
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Hokkaido Multi Resort Tours - 2 days+
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| If you have a hunger for powder and want to avoid the crowds, a Black Diamond Tours package could be just the ticket! Join a group tour or fully customize your own tour.. |
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Central Hokkaido & Niseko - 7/10/12 Nights
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Whiteroom Tours offer a Niseko-based and Furano-based tour where you head out to different locations as well as a 12 night ski safari to Hokkaido's best powder destinations..
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Ski Tours in Honshu
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Powder Recon - Myoko Powder Tours - 2 days +
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Powder Recon offer full-service hosted & guided tours to Myoko Kogen and up to 20 other nearby ski areas including Madarao/Tangram, Togakushi, Ikenotaira & more. Transfers, accommodation, lifts, guiding & more..
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