Itinerary

Day 1: Meet at Morioka train station 6:45pm

There are three options of where to meet the group.
1) Meet at Hanamaki Airport "Hana Shop and Cafe" on the first floor at 5:30pm
2) Meet at Morioka Station South Exit by 6:45pm on day-one of your tour
3) Meet at the hotel in Morioka by 7:30pm on day-one of your tour

Day 2-5: Storm Chase in the Iwate/Morioka Region

The area surrounding Morioka explodes with ski hills in every direction. Depending on the conditions, you'll hit Geto Kogen, Tazawako, Shizukuishi, Appi Kogen or Hachimantai Shimokura, Amihari or Iwate Snowpark ski hills. With so many options sometimes it can be hard to choose!

One of the days your group will have its own private snowcat to go cat skiing at an abandoned ski hill.

One thing's for sure though, there will be negligible foreigners there and there'll be very little competition for our pow, if any.

This section of the trip involves a fair amount of driving (by your guide) in one of the adventure vans. Every day you can expect to travel 45 minutes to 1.5 hours to a ski hill.

Each night you'll head back to the vibrant city of Morioka where you'll have the option to head to a great restaurant organised by your guide. And if you’re into nightlife, you’ll have an abundance of options.

On the afternoon of day 5 you'll pack up and your guide will drive you 2 hours north to the city of Aomori (near Hakkoda).

Fabulous cultural experiences

Incredible local cuisine

New lifelong ski buddies

Day 6-7: Ski Hakkoda in Aomori

Hakkoda is one of best undiscovered gems left to be found in the Japow universe. In the same fashion as Asahidake in Hokkaido, Hakkoda is a single ropeway (tram) that opens up incredible backcountry terrain. Depending on where you want to go, one run can take 30 minutes or 1.5 hours. At Hakkoda, it's all about the quality. However, because of its location it often shuts down due to bad weather. In this case there are some exciting backup options in the area that will still leave you satiated.

The two days in Hakkoda are backcountry days which are accessed by a tram. That means that while the tram takes care of 90% of elevation gain, you'll still be hiking anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes per run on terrain that varies from flat traverses to moderate climbs. Since you'll be doing 2 runs per day, that means you'll be touring for between 1-3 hours per day. But it's worth it and the snow quality is worth it!

If you have your own touring equipment, you will definitely want to bring it for these two days. If you don't have your own gear, the guides have snowshoes available for you to use for no additional cost.

More than just skiing and snowboarding, Aomori is a unique and interesting culture with its own traditions, dialect and yes - amazing local food. In this town you'll be feasting on sushi, seeing a musical performance, and can even learn some traditional dances (if you're in the mood).

Day 8: Drop Off Day

You'll be dropped at the Aomori bullet train station where you can take a 3.5 hour train back to Tokyo. Or you might choose to catch a train up to Hokkaido.

If you're planning on staying in Tokyo for a few days at the end of the trip, note that you can mail your ski bag to the NRT or HND airports. That way you won't have to lug it around!

Lodging

All of the hotels are 3-star rated, western-style, shared twin room accommodation with ensuite bathroom. Single room accommodation is available subject to availability. If one of your aims is to stay in "luxury" accommodation, this trip probably isn't for you since the hotel choices are clean, comfortable, and very nice, but not what anyone would consider luxury.

• Pricing and occupancy are based on shared twin rooms. This means that you will be sharing your room with another person in the group and yes, you will have separate beds!
• If you're traveling alone, we can't guarantee that you'll be paired with someone of your same gender. Ie, if you're a solo female traveler, we can't guarantee that you'll be paired with another female. If you're uncomfortable with this, please select the option for a single room upgrade.
• If you're traveling as a couple or as friends, you'll be paired together.
• An upgrade to a single room is possible subject to availability.
• Each room has its own private toilet and shower.

Morioka Lodging
The hotel in Morioka is the absolute best that this modest city has to offer, right at the perfect intersection of good facilities in a lively area, and directly across the street from one of the best pubs in town.

Each room features free Wi-Fi. Bathrooms feature shower/tub combinations, complimentary toiletries, and bidets. Twin room size is 31 square meters or 333 square feet. Beds are two single beds.

A buffet breakfast is provided, with a range of Japanese and western fare.

Aomori Lodging
Located in the heart of Aomori City, the hotel is the best this humble city has to offer. Featuring WiFi in every room, a superb buffet breakfast with western style options, and individual bathrooms with personal baths and showers, you couldn't ask for more to help you recover before your next big day crushing the pow at Hakkoda. Room size is a bit smaller than the first hotel at 23 square meters or 247 square feet. Beds are two single beds.

Deluxe business hotel accommodation

Private ensuite bathrooms

Daily buffet breakfasts

Food

JST thinks that skiing and snowboarding is about more than just the riding, especially when you're in a country famous for its culinary delights. The guides are excited to take you to the best possible food on any given evening. The guides will have nightly reservations for the group to favorite places in the areas. These meals are optional but highly recommended!

The criteria for selecting restaurants are strict:

• Most of the restaurant selections can't be found anywhere in English, don't have English menus, and the staff don't speak English (your guide will interpret for you)
• The guides choose restaurants based on what food is regionally famous in the area and personally tested for authenticity by locals and your guides.
• The guides understand that not everyone has US$50 to spend on a meal so they choose restaurants which meet a variety of price points, usually between $10-$30 per dinner not including drinks.
• They choose restaurants with an aim to provide you a diverse cross section of excellent Japanese cuisine from sushi to noodles, from rice to Japanese style BBQ!

Note that participation in dinner isn't mandatory and isn't included in the price of your trip. If you want to have dinner on your own--no problem, just let your guide know!

Also note that sometimes the guides have to deviate from the planned meals because they can't make advanced reservations for everywhere they want to take you, so bear in mind that flexibility might be required.

The areas you're going to on this trip are so remote and off the tourist track that it's almost impossible to find an authentic restaurant that is completely non-smoking. Most of the places aren't crowded but there's always a chance that someone sitting in your vicinity might light up a cigarette. Unfortunately, this risk is the price of admission for good food in this region. 

Dietary Restrictions
JST believe that skiing Japan and cultural experiences aren't mutually exclusive so they try as much as possible to give you authentic food options. Unfortunately however, in Japan it's pretty much impossible to have an authentic culinary experience with dietary restrictions such as gluten intolerance and veganism, even pescetarians and vegetarians have a famously difficult time. If you have dietary restrictions such as that listed above, your guide and selected restaurants will probably not be able to cater to your needs. This can be discussed with the guide but you should be prepared to eat grocery store food for most dinners.

2021 Rates, Inclusions & Add-Ons

Full Price: 319,000 JPY per person

• Based on twin share
• Base / invoice price is in Japanese Yen
• Does not include 8% Japanese consumption tax

Inclusions

• Your own bilingual, qualified guide – max 1:4 ratio
• 7 nights 3 star accommodation with ensuite bathroom (twin share)
• Daily breakfasts featuring western & Japanese options
• Lift passes for 6 resorts, 1 day cat skiing
• Ground transport to ski areas
• Arrival pick up from Morioka station (or Hanamaki Airport) & departure drop off at Aomori
• Use of snowshoes for Hakkoda if you don't have touring gear
• 2 days of guided backcountry at Hakkoda with local guide
• 3 visits to onsen

Add-ons

• Single room upgrade (pending availability)
• Avalanche safety gear rental (beacon, shovel, probe)

Not Included

• FLIGHTS: International flights in/out of Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) - book flights here
• TRIP INSURANCE: Highly recommended, as all subsisting costs will be charged in case of absence. Payment by credit card, Visa Premier or Gold MasterCard, may provide cancellation insurance. Check your contract. - buy online here
• LUNCHES, DINNERS & DRINKS: only those meals stated above are included in the price
• POWDER SKIS & POWDER BOARDS: It is highly recommended for maximum enjoyment that you have appropriate skis and snowboards for deep, deep powder
• TRAINS: to & from Morioka & Aomori, JR Pass

Japan Ski Tours Terms & Conditions

Updated March 27, 2020:

Here at JST HQ, we understand that due to continuing developments of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, you may be experiencing some concern and uncertainty with regards to your winter travel plans. As a Japan-based guide operator located in Tokyo, we're not going anywhere, and we're planning on running our trips as usual--someone's gotta shred that pow!

However, we understand that we can't be totally confident that global infrastructure will have recovered by winter 20/21 and that you'll actually be able to get to Japan for your epic ski trip.

In light of this increased uncertainty, we're relaxing our cancellation policy for bookings made the for 20/21 winter season to help our skiers book with confidence, and feel reassured in a "just in case" scenario.

For the 20/21 season, the following will apply:

Instead of the usual 50% deposit, this year a 25% deposit will secure your reservation. Guests can cancel by August 31 with no penalty (see below). To stay reserved, guests will be notified and the card-on-file will be charged an additional 25% on September 1. The final 50% is due two months before your trips departure, per our usual policy.

If you would like to cancel your 20/21 season trip, you can do so before August 31with no cancellation penalty. Your 25% deposit will be rolled into a credit which can be used to re-book your 20/21 trip later in the year or in future seasons. Note that the 25% deposit is credited toward your future trip but isn't refundable.

While our trips don't usually have a minimum group size requirement, for the 20/21season, JST reserves the right to cancel a trip if it doesn't have a minimum of four guests reserved by 60 days before the trip's departure date. If a trip is cancelled due to insufficient guest numbers, a 100% refund will be provided to all members of the cancelled trip. The best way you can ensure a trip meets the minimum of four is to invite your friends!

Bottom line: book your trip now with a 25% deposit and circle back to decide whether you'd like to 100% commit to this season by August 31!

As the situation develops and we encounter hardship together as a global community, we at JST are hoping for a shreddy ski season full of that Japow, but we're keeping an open mind and continuing to watch developments along with everyone else.