I just got back from my first trip to Japan and it was amazing. I loved reading everyone’s trip reports to help plan for our trip, so I hope this one is useful to others!
Our full trip was 15 days, but this post focuses just on our ski/snowboard trip to Niseko, otherwise this post would be massive. General itinerary was:
* HND (Tokyo) – CTS (New Chitose) flight
* 1 night in Sapporo
* Ski at Niseko for 3 days
* CTS – ITM flight for part 2 in Kyoto
# Travel to Sapporo:
We had an on-time arrival at the international terminal of HND, with 2.5 hours to make our HND-CTS flight which we booked separately through ANA. We went with ANA over a cheaper budget airline like Peach or Skymark because ANA had flights to Sapporo pretty frequently, so if we missed our flight due to long lines, we figured we could get on the next flight an hour later. Picking up checked bags, going through customs, and getting to domestic terminal 1 was a breeze however, and we got to the baggage counter with an hour to spare.
Unfortunately our flight was on hold due to a snow storm at CTS, and communication with the agent at the counter was difficult even with Google Translate to figure out what to do with our bags and what next steps were. After going back and forth for a while we were told we’d just have to wait at the couches nearby until they had further news. The flight then got cancelled but we were first in line to rebook and were put on a flight just an hour later when the storm was anticipated to die down, and finally checked our bags. ANA domestic flights include 1 checked bag for free and luggage limits are \~44 lbs compared to 50 lbs in the US, so keep that in mind.
With the extra time, we got a quick dinner at [Ginza Kiya](https://maps.app.goo.gl/VtCTfDEMTRsStLCu5) and ordered udon with dipping sauce, chicken/egg rice bowl, and fried octopus. It was fantastic. And cheap. And fast. Great first impression of the food in Japan. One note is that we had our carry-ons with us which wasn’t allowed inside the restaurant, but they let us leave it outside within eyesight of the cashier and covered it with a tarp.
We then made our way through security and to the gate. I thought the slippers they provided at security to wear when you take your shoes off was an interesting cultural difference (and throughout the trip I noticed that wearing slippers is a big thing for cleanliness). Also loved that ANA provided beef consomme as a drink option. No snacks for these short domestic flights though.
At CTS, we picked up our bags (note there’s no designated area for oversized, it all comes out the same place). Then we went to the JR counter to buy tickets for the train to Sapporo. I regret not taking the bus instead here, see the end of the post for an explanation.
# Sapporo
**Lodging:** Cross Hotel Sapporo. I booked this place because I thought it was close to the Chuo bus stop to Niseko (I was wrong, more on that later). The room was small but I loved it here because of the outdoor and indoor onsens on the top floor and the lounge that had a view of the Sapporo TV Tower. Enjoyed the onsen for a bit and then hit the bed to pass out after a long day of travel.
**Food:** For breakfast, I had my first 7-11 famous egg sando, strawberry cream sando, curry croquette, and onigiri. Onigiri and croquette were great, I thought the sandos were too mayo and cream heavy for me. My boyfriend went to a [seafood donburi restaurant](https://maps.app.goo.gl/guYZQyKNKTVWsZiK6) at Nijo market afterwards because he was still hungry and said it was the best uni he’d ever had.
**The city:** We only had the morning to explore before heading to Niseko so we walked to Odori Park and the TV tower which was nice but overall the city was pretty dead. It was much more bustling at night when we arrived but at the time we were too tired to go out.
# Niseko
**Transportation:** We booked the 9:20 am Chuo bus from Sapporo to Grand Hirafu. I recommend doing this in advance since it books out. NOTE THAT THE CHUO SKI BUS IS DIFFERENT THAN THE CHUO BUS TO NISEKO. We almost made this mistake but I’m so glad we went to the info counter to double check beforehand. The ski bus’s first stop is actually near the JR station taxi stands, I had booked our hotel further south where I thought the bus stop was going to be. The Chuo staff at the info center was able to change our start location to the Grand Sapporo Hotel (2nd stop on the bus route) to save us some walking time. The ski bus has a few stops throughout Sapporo to pickup, and there’s a halfway stop for a restroom break. There’s a tiny bathroom in the back of bus too but it’s TINY. The bus route goes through a mountainous area which was actually kind of scary because it was still snowing and visibility was not great. The driver was awesome though, took it slow, and it ended up being fine. We got off at the Grand Hirafu welcome center around 1pm.
**Lodging**: We stayed at Niseko Park Hotel in Grand Hirafu which is one of the few hotels in the area with an onsen. They are firm about not allowing check-in until 3 but do have a luggage storage and changing area on the 2nd floor if you want to hit the slopes beforehand, so that’s what we did! They also have a ski storage area with a heated room to dry off your boots. We booked a Japanese style room with tatami mats which was hard for me to sleep well on, but it had a nice view of Mt. Yotei when skies were clear. It’s not ski-in/out, so it’s a bit of a uphill hike to get to the main lift, or you can walk downhill to a lift that leads to a family-friendly green area where you can then get to the main lift. The hotel has a breakfast buffet that we really enjoyed. I stuffed myself every morning. There’s salad, bacon/sausage/eggs, pastries, drinks, and rotating versions of pasta, fruit, croquettes, soup, and other hot dishes.
**The mountain:** Niseko consists of 4 resorts (Grand Hirafu, Hanazono, Niseko Village, and Annupuri) that are interlinked at the summit. Someone at the hotel told us the mountain was more like hills and we found that to be true — there’s a lot of intermediate terrain here. Grand Hirafu has the largest town so this is where most people (including us) were and has the best view of Mt. Yotei from the slopes. Hanazono is bougie af and has the automated hooded lifts which was amazing. My favorite areas were actually Annupuri and Niseko Village though. Those two resorts were quieter and weren’t as skied out by the afternoon, and the gondola in Niseko Village has amazing views! My favorite run was through one of the gates in Annupuri because it wasn’t too steep and had nicely spaced trees. If you’re an expert skier and the upper gates are open, you’re in for a treat because JAPOW IS REAL. I will say that signage everywhere was terrible though and I could not figure out what trail I was on most of the time. Lift lines were nearly non-existent except for one very windy day where you couldn’t access other resorts so everyone was stuck in Hirafu. The weather changed so often on the slopes. It would go from being cold and snowy to cloudy with some sun within the hour. Views of Mt. Yotei would appear and disappear within minutes. Snap those photos when you can!
**Food:**
* Hokkaido Cheese Tart: Food truck with cheese tarts, yogurt drinks, and cheese. Came here twice and then decided it was worth the trip to Milk Kobo to see the full selection because it was so good. The combo of the warm rich cheese tart with the tart yogurt drink is really good together.
* Bo-yo-so: Mid-mountain restaurant on the Hirafu side that’s only accessible via black runs. They have the old school ticketing system to order where you put in coins into a vending machine and select the item you want which prints out food tickets for you to hand to a person. I liked the curry a lot here but not as big of a fan of the katsu (a little dry) and the tempura udon was meh. Affordable prices though, which is really hard to find in town.
* Milk Kobo: Dairy farm with a few buildings, one for chocolate, two with restaurants, another for ceramics and other souvenir goods, and another with the cheese, tarts, and other cheese/milk related foods. Loved the chocolate cheese square from the chocolate building, and I’m still dreaming of the Hokkaido ham salad from the pizza restaurant. The cheese and ham and kiwi in it were so good!! – If you have an all-mountain or Ikon pass, you can take the Niseko United shuttle for free which has a stop at Milk Kobo.
* Musu Bar & Bistro: Overpriced tapas. The chimichurri steak was the only thing worth ordering for us.
* REN: Izakaya that’s reservation-only. One drink minimum per person. Ramen salad was decent but all other dishes we ordered were not good. Also overpriced. Disappointed by this place given the rating.
* Overall though, lots of options for different cuisines, given that Niseko is basically Australian at this point. If you can’t make a reservation anywhere, there are tons of food trucks around too.
**Luggage Forwarding:** Our hotel offered luggage forwarding via Black Cat/Yamato which is a very reliable and widely used service. We used this to send our ski/snowboard gear to HND so we could pick up when we left Japan. Our departure date was over 7 days away, which is the max that the airport will hold onto your luggage, so the hotel was able to keep our luggage until that 7 day mark and then send it over, even after we had left. It was super convenient and cost about 4k-5k yen for a heavy bag with gear for 2 people.
# CTS Airport
**Transportation:** Leaving Niseko, we took the White Liner shuttle from Grand Hirafu to CTS. Although pricier than the Chuo bus, it’s faster and the timeline worked out better given our flight departure time. This is a shuttle that has \~10 seats, not a big public transportation bus like the Chuo bus. The midway break is at a rest area with a food hall that’s very mushroom oriented. We bought fried mushrooms for the bus ride which had the best seasoning. I don’t even like mushrooms that much but it was so good. The route goes through a national park which had great views.
**The airport:** Ok, the food hall at the CTS airport before domestic departures is absolutely insane. There are so many stalls to get food and souvenirs at it’s overwhelmingly fantastic. I would plan some extra time here just to explore this area. They even have movie showings on the top floor, and a chocolate history exhibit. Security line was a bit longer here compared to HND but still fast. Boarding was so efficient and took 20 minutes.
# What I’d do differently:
* Take the airport limousine bus from CTS to Sapporo or buy reserved seating for the train. Especially if you have a lot of luggage like we did. We were so tired at this point in the day (it was like 3 or 4am back home and obviously we hadn’t adjusted to the time zone change by day 1) and then had to stand on the train for an hour to hold the snowboard bag up. With the bus you can store luggage underneath and have comfy seats.
* Choose a hotel near the bus stops. For example, the Grand Sapporo Hotel is a stop for both the airport limo bus AND the Chuo ski bus so that would’ve been the most convenient. I wish I had booked here to avoid having to carry luggage through the sidewalks which still had some snow.
* If you do take the JR train and don’t need reserved seats and have an iPhone, figure out the IC card prior to arrival so you don’t have to figure out how to buy tickets and just tap your phone to pay instead. We did this later for Kyoto and it took 5 minutes to set up. I’ll elaborate on this in my next post.
* One extra day in Sapporo to try more food there.
* Book western style beds when possible.
* Spend more time skiing at Annupuri or Niseko Village. Quieter areas with fewer people on the slopes. I’m not big on night life so I would even consider staying here instead of Hirafu.
* (Maybe) rent a car. There’s not much to do in Hirafu other than shop for ski gear or eat and it’s always nice to have flexibility to go wherever whenever. I would have loved to go to Kutchan for affordable food and explore natural onsens further away. Only reason for the maybe is the mountainous drive and possible bad weather.
Overall though, the snow was amazing thanks to the timing of snow storm, which is what we came for. I liked getting to explore all four resorts and the variety it provided. It was the perfect number of days skiing in a row and being able to go to an onsen to relax at the end of every day was the best. There are definitely lessons learned about traveling with a snowboard bag that I’ll improve on next time!
by Various_Tree3757