AccommodationGeneral notes:
- 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 (subject to availability).
If you'd prefer to have your own room, please select this option. Single rooms are often times unavailable, but if they are, the hotel will charge an extra 12,000JPY-20,000JPY per night depending on the season.
- Each room has its own private toilet and shower
- The hotels serve a western-style breakfast every morning and also feature a lounge for a laid back apres ski
Furano: Nights 1-3
The hotel in Furano is the Natulux Hotel, located in the center of town next to Furano station. The primary reason for selecting this hotel is that its walking distance to the amenities that the town of Furano has to offer. Unlike many ski towns, the Furano "resort area" is quite spread out and lacks good options within walking distance. With this hotel however, we're able to walk around town for our evening meals and to get an apres beer or two.
The Natulux is a new and clean business hotel. While rooms here are considered standard size in Japan, they would be viewed as very small by western standards. The daily breakfast features some Hokkaido specialities with both Japanese and western options. The lobby area of the hotel features a sleek cafe which serves apres beers in the evenings.
Stats:
- Room size: 22 square meters or 236 square feet
- Bed size: two single size beds
- Entire hotel features free Wi-Fi.
- There are no safes in the room for your valuables, and the hotel recommends leaving valuables at the front desk where it is not kept under lock-and-key. While this has never been a problem as Japan is the safest country in the world when it comes to theft, you'll need to keep your valuables on you if this is a concern for you.
Otaru: Nights 4-6
In Otaru, you will stay at the Hotel Nord Otaru. This centrally located hotel is within short walking distance of the famous canal, a pedestrian avenue aptly named "sushi street", a fish market with live crabs you can order, a sake brewery we'll be visiting, and a number of bars.
Parts of the hotel have been newly renovated and feature simple, clean design but nothing particularly fancy.
Stats:
- Twin room size: 25 square meters or 269 square feet (this is quite small by western standards)
- Bed size: two single size beds
- Bar with big windows and a 180 degree view of the quaint port-town
- Entire hotel features free Wi-Fi.
- Each room has a safe
- Buffet breakfast serves both western and Japanese
- The hotel is centrally located and ideal for walking around town and exploring
Food
Every evening your guide has a reservation ready for your group to one of the favorite restaurants in the area. Skiing and snowboarding is about more than just the riding, especially when you're in a country famous for its culinary delights.
The criteria for selecting restaurants are:
- The guides choose restaurants based on what food is regionally famous in the area and personally tested for authenticity by locals and the guides.
- We understand that not everyone has $50 to spend on a meal--that's why restaurants are chosen which meet a variety of price points, usually between $10-$40 per dinner not including drinks.
Day 1: Shabushabu Welcome Meal
Shabushabu is the sound this meal makes when its getting cooked. Also called "hot pot" a pot of hot broth is placed on the table in front of you. You then take the provided thinly sliced meats and flash-cook them in the heated broth.
Like many meals in Japan, this one is served "family-style" this means that everyone shares from the same pot. Veggies and rice also come with the meal.
Price point without drinks: ¥1,500 per person. Not a friendly meal for: vegetarians, pescatarians, gluten free, vegans.
Day 2: Yakiniku
On day 2 you'll hit another "must eat" of your Japan food tour. Yakiniku literally means "grilled meat" and is a skiers' hardy dream come true. High quality raw meats are cooked as a community effort at charcoal grills embedded in the table. A huge variety of high quality beef and pork cuts are available on the menu and are grilled by you and your comrades to perfection. Sides include veggies, bibimbap (Korean style rice-based goodness), rice and salad.
Price point without drinks: ¥3,000. Not a friendly meal for: vegetarians, pescatarians, gluten free, vegans.
Day 3: Japanese Curry
If you've been to Japan before, you know that everyone is obsessed with curry. Unlike Thai or Indian curries, Japanese curry isn't spicy at all. If anything it's on the sweeter side. While curry is usually a basic cafeteria food there is one curry restaurant in Furano that's taken it up quite a few notches.
This locally run curry joint isn't to be missed!
Price point without drinks: ¥1,500 per person. Not a friendly meal for: vegetarians, pescatarians, gluten free, vegans.
Day 4: Ramen
Ramen is a great way to start off the trip and it's always one of the most highly anticipated since nothing compliments skiing better. Highlights at the restaurant include: specializing in miso flavored ramen broth as a base, they also serve salt and soy based ramen as well.
The meat on top of ramen are slabs of "Chashu" which is melt-in-your mouth pork strips marinated in a a secret "magic sauce" and then grilled and put on top of the ramen.
This ramen restaurant is in the izakaya style so it also serves yakitori, gyoza pot stickers, edamame and so on.
Price point without drinks: ¥1,500 per person. Not a friendly meal for: vegetarians, pescatarians, gluten free, vegans.
Day 5: Sushi from Otaru
We'll grab our sushi from one of the most well known institutions in Otaru, a quick walk from the hotel accommodation. This town is famous even amongst Japanese for the quality of its sushi, especially Uni (sea urchin). But it serves all the usual foods you'd expect from a good sushi joint; the highlights being the various cuts of very fresh tuna, delicious salmon and pretty much any other living and edible thing you can grab from the abundant Sea of Japan.
Price point without drinks: ¥3,500-¥5,000. This is a friendly meal for pescatarians and gluten free folk!
Day 6: Soba Noodles
For the last supper, you'll head to another well known institution in Otaru that specialises in serving soba noodles. Served in a traditional atmosphere, these buckwheat noodles are healthy and filling and a great way to end your ski trip.
Price point without drinks: ¥2,000. Not a friendly meal for: vegetarians, pescatarians, gluten free, vegans.
NB
The guides specialize in providing a local culinary experience that meets a variety of price-points and operate under the belief that well known restaurants and chefs are easy to find and experience, while a true local experience is what is difficult and sought after. As guides to these areas with years of experience, they've talked to locals and found some great gems. If you're looking for a high-end "resorty" culinary experience (such as Michilen-Star restaurants or food by famous chefs) this trip probably isn't for you.
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 which meals you are or aren't interested in at the beginning of your trip!
Also note that sometimes they have to deviate from the planned meals due to unforeseen events, so bear in mind that flexibility might be required.
Dietary Restrictions
Skiing in Japan and cultural experiences aren't mutually exclusive. That's why the guides 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.