Itinerary

Day 1: Travel to Furano

There are two options for where to meet the group:
1. Meet at the Asahikawa AKJ airport at 1:30pm or
2. Meet at the Natulux Hotel Furano at 5:15pm, accessed on your own or by the Resort Liner Bus with service from CTS airport

More information on how to get to the meeting points can be provided.

You'll settle into the hotel on the evening of day one and do a welcome dinner together as a group. The hotel is centrally located and within walking distance to all the amenities that the rural town of Furano has to offer. The hotel features western style rooms in a sleek environment.

Day 2-3: Storm Chase Furano and Surrounding Areas for 3 Days

Days 2-4 are spent skiing the best possible resorts in the region on any given day including Furano, Tomamu, Sahoro, Asahidake (if conditions permit), and Kamui Ski Links. The exact date the group will ski any one of these resorts depends on conditions and will be determined based on the upcoming forecasts.

Your guides will make dinner reservations (optional to attend) each night within walking distance of the hotel. The restaraunts are selected for authenticity, deliciousness, and meeting a variety of price points.

Day 4: Storm Chase Furano Area/Transfer to Otaru

After the third ski day in the Furano area, you'll transfer bases to southern Hokkaido. After a 2.5 hour drive, you'll land in the quaint port-side town of Otaru. Mostly undiscovered by ski-travellers, Otaru provides lots of interesting ski and snowboard options as well as nightlife and apres options.

Day 5-6: Storm Chase Out of Otaru

Following the format of the first 3 days, your guide will select the best possible options to ride out of the Japow buffet of Niseko, Sapporo Kokusai, Teine, and Kiroro with a possibility of exploring the utterly untracked and tiny hills of Tenguyama and Asari if conditions are favorable.

Day 7: Final Day of Skiing and Drop-offs

On day 7, the group snags one last day of skiing in before heading to CTS airport for the drop off. The ski day ends slightly early at 2:30pm. You have a few options here depending on your timeframe; either fly out of CTS airport on a late flight or get dropped off at your hotel of choice in Chitose City, located right next to CTS airport.

Accommodation

General 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 it's 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, you're able to walk around town for 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 rather 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 the 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 $US50 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.

On this trip the group typically indulges in Shabushabu, Yakiniku, Teppanyaki, Sushi, traditional Soba noodles, and Tonkatsu.

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.

2021 Rates, Inclusions & Add-Ons

310,000 yen + tax per person for a group tour

Private tour bookings price - please enquire.

• Price is per person
• Base invoice currency is Japanese Yen. Convert here
• Price does not include tax 
• Lodging is twin share in separate single beds
• 50% deposit required to secure booking
• Balance due 1 month before trip

Inclusions

• Guided off-piste & orientation tours (max 1:4 ratio)
• 6 nights 3 star accommodation (twin share)
• Daily breakfasts
• 6 days of lift passes
• Arrival transfer from Asahikawa Airport
• English-speaking guides
• Departure transfer to Chitose Airport or Chitose hotel
• All ground transport to/from ski areas

Add-ons

• BACKCOUNTRY GUIDING: Guided backcountry isn't included in this trip. If you would like a day of guided backcountry, they can recommend a company that specializes in this service
• Single supplement upgrade pending availability
• Avalanche safety gear rental (beacon, shovel, probe)

Not Included

• Flights in/out of Hokkaido - search for cheapest flights here
• Ski travel insurance - buy travel insurance 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

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.