Tiny Resorts

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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Set in a quiet corner of Akita, the ski area is modest in size. It’s not built for crowds, but instead for the local community. It has shaped how people …
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Driving into the mountains of Hanamaki, the pulse of modern Japan begins to fade. While the country is famous for powder destinations and high-end resorts, Namari Onsen offers a different …
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Settled on the lower slopes of Mt. Chokai, Chokai Kogen Yashima Ski Resort in Akita feels like stepping back into the carefree days of skiing in childhood. Not because it …
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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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