Tiny Resorts

Iwate Kogen Snow Park is the kind of place that still feels built around family ski days and not the tour buses or destination hype. Tucked beneath Mt. Iwate, it …
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Nestled in the mountains of Akita, Akita Hachimantai Ski Resort is usually one of the first ski areas to open in Tohoku. By mid-November, enthusiastic skiers and snowboarders are eager …
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Riding the Tohoku Shinkansen north from Tokyo in winter is like watching a landscape transform in fast-forward. As the train speeds through the countryside, the snow deepens, blanketing rice fields, …
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While bigger resorts keep expanding, many medium-sized and smaller resorts are downsizing. Owani Onsen Ski Resort is one of these places that, in its heyday, must have been a great …
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Tucked away in the northeastern corner of Yamagata Prefecture, right on the border with Miyagi Prefecture, you’ll find Yamagata Akakura Onsen Ski Resort – often referred to simply as Akakura …
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Ani Ski Resort, with its minimalist approach and focus on adventure, is a haven for powder skiing. It’s not flashy or commercialized, but it offers some of the best powder …
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Okunakayama Kogen is a modestly sized ski area nestled in Ichinohe, Iwate Prefecture. Surrounded by larger and more commercialized ski areas, it stands out as a gem for those seeking …
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Tucked away in the southern mountains of Akita Prefecture, Jeunesse Kurikoma is a small ski area that charms visitors with natural beauty, minimal lift lines, and little foreign influence. This …
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There’s sometimes an obsession with size when it comes to ski resorts: more lifts, more runs, more vertical (yes, we’re guilty too) … more, more, more. No one wants to …
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