Appi Kogen has been on the radar of international skiers and snowboarders for some time, but even Appi is relatively unknown compared to Niseko, Furano and the big Nagano ski resorts. The other Iwate ski resorts are even lesser known, and have generally only been the playgrounds for adventurous powder hounds who enjoy road tripping. The lack of international tourists and skiers and snowboarders is a major part of the appeal of Iwate. Fresh tracks are easy to come by, English isn’t widely spoken, and you get the full taste of Japanese rural culture. It’s also reasonably inexpensive (with the exception of Appi), especially the lift tickets, food and drink.

Our thoughts on the pros and cons of skiing in Iwate are outlined on the Iwate overview page.
See our video here