Loading

You are:

 

Central Hokkaido

DIY Train / Road Trip around Central Hokkaido (10 days)If you are looking for something a little different for your next ski holiday to Japan, here is a really easy and cheap do-it-yourself tour that starts and ends in Sapporo.

You could squeeze this trip into 10 days (as shown below), however based on our experience you would want to allow at least 2 weeks.

This trip includes the ski areas of Kamui Links, Asahidake, Kurodake, Furano and Tomamu. It is also possible to add in Sapporo Teine and Sapporo Kokusai if time permits.



View Larger Map

Day 1 - Arrive (New Chitose Airport) Sapporo & Travel to AsahikawaThis trip assumes you are flying into New Chitose Airport, however another option would be to fly into Asahikawa airport and commence the trip from Asahikawa. Most flights into Sapporo will arrive in the afternoon so there should be ample time to catch a train directly to Asahikawa (about a 2 hour train trip). If you arrive late in the day or you don't want to rush things, another option is to get a cheap room in Sapporo. Sapporo is only 35 mins by train from the airport.

For Asahikawa accommodation we can recommend the Terminal Hotel. It is a pretty basic hotel and the rooms are quite small, but it is inexpensive and very well located (about 50 paces from the Asahikawa train platform) within easy walking distance of restaurants, bars, shopping and car rental outlets.

Day 2 -  Ski Kamui Links /Overnight AsahikawaKamui Links is only 20 minutes from downtown Asahikawa and is accessible by shuttle bus or car. If you hiring a car, ToCoo! is a good option and is only 50 metres from the Asahikawa train station and the Terminal Hotel. Alternatively you can hire a car from Europcar at the airport.

Kamui Links is reasonably small however there are some nice little powder stashes in and around the resort boundaries. Kamui Links is reasonably relaxed about tree and off-piste skiing so you can wear your brightest ski suit here if you wish!

Day 3 - Ski Asahidake / Overnight AsahikawaAsahidake ski area is an hour drive east of Asahikawa, or a 90 minute bus ride. If possible, it is best to ski at Asahidake after or during a storm as the entire ski area is off-piste with the exception of a couple of small access trails - a powderhounds delight!




Day 4 - Ski Kurodake / Travel to FuranoKurodake ski area is only open from late January onwards (and the actual date varies from year to year so check if it is open before heading in that direction). Kurodake is similar to Asahidake in that the skiing terrain is accessed via a ropeway (cable car) and provides an amazing backcountry type experience. Kurodake is located on the opposite side of the mountain to Asahidake and is approximately 1:30 drive from Asahikawa.

Day 5 & 6 - Ski FuranoFurano is a reasonably big ski resort and has some of the best, if not the best, groomed runs in Japan. Unfortunately for powderhounds, riding out-of-bounds is strictly prohibited, as is tree skiing inside the resort boundaries (of course with care and a camouflage outfit it's possible!). You can organise a backcountry tour with Hokkaido Powder Guides and access some incredible steep and deep terrain around the resort. This is a must do if you hit Furano and want to ski pow.

The two base areas of the ski resort, Furano and Kitanomine, both have accommodation. There is not much choice on the Furano side and very little in the way of restaurants and bars so we would recommend you either stay in Kitanomine or in downtown Furano (which is about 10 mins away by shuttle bus). Click here for  Furano accommodation.

Day 7 - Ski Furano / Travel to TomamuTomamu is just under 2 hours by train from Furano; or a 1 hour bus ride. The train takes longer because it does a detour to Shintoku so if time is an important factor, getting a bus could be the best option. The other advantage of getting a bus for this leg of the trip is that they generally do pick ups close to your hotel and will deliver you right to the door of your accommodation in Tomamu.

Tomamu accommodation is limited to several large hotels.

Day 8 & 9 - Ski TomamuEven though Tomamu is only a medium sized ski area, there is some superb powder skiing to be had at Tomamu. The resort allows off-piste skiing and boarding in the trees, provided you register at the start of each day and wear a brightly coloured bib.





Day 10 - Ski Tomamu / Travel to Airport or SapporoFrom Tomamu you can can travel by train directly to the airport in a little over an hour. However, if time permits, it is well worth spending at least a night in Sapporo to check out the sights, shopping, bars and restaurants. If you happen to be in Sapporo in the first week of February, you can also experience the Sapporo Ice Festival where they have hundreds of ice carvings on display.

Here is a list of Sapporo accommodation options.

If you have a few extra days you could also visit local ski areas from Sapporo such as Sapporo Teine and Sapporo Kukusai.


..............................................................................................................................................................

Booking Your Personalised TourYou will not find this DIY tour in any travel agent brochures. The great thing about the internet is that you can create your own unique holiday in a matter of minutes. To make life easier, we have created an inventory list based on the above itinerary. You can modify this to suit your own needs and time frames.

FlightsBooking flights on the internet has never been easier. With flight aggregators such as Zuji, you can find the best priced flights in seconds. See our recommended flight booking options here.

Car HireJust like flights, you can get the cheapest deal on a car in an instant. See our recommended car hire booking options here.

Lift TicketsYou will need to allow for the cost of lift tickets which will vary depending on the number of days you choose to ski at each resort. You will find information about lift ticket costs on the "lifts & terrain" pages for each respective resort.

AccommodationYou will find accommodation recommendations and links on each of the respective "Accommodation Pages" on Powderhounds.com.

For example, for Furano accommodation visit this page: http://www.powderhounds.com/Japan/Hokkaido/Furano/Accommodation.aspx

If we don't have any accommodation on the relevant page; you can literally search tens of thousands of properties here.

Ski Travel InsuranceLast but by no means least, you should look at taking out ski travel insurance. We have compared several ski travel insurance providers here.