Hoshino Resort Tomamu Japan
Tomamu Ski Resort in Hokkaido Japan has lots of bells and whistles that make it incredibly family friendly. Tomamu is very upmarket for a Japanese ski area and the resort includes an 80 by 30 metre wave pool, glamorous restaurants, and peculiar looking hotel towers. One could be mistaken for thinking that Tomamu is a glitzy and busy ski area that powder hounds should avoid. Think again! The Hoshino Resort Tomamu is a treasure trove for powder hounds. There aren't that many people to share the famous Hokkaido powder with, especially when it comes to sidecountry and backcountry skiing and riding.
Tomamu is great for a day trip if you’re staying in
Furano and it’s also good enough to warrant a multi-night stay in Tomamu accommodation. Like its neighbour Sahoro, Tomamu Japan offers very different experiences depending on whether you stay at the all-inclusive Club Med Tomamu, one of the deluxe Tomamu Resort hotels, or go no-frills in the pension village.
Pros and Cons of Tomamu Japan
Pros
- Tomamu is incredibly child friendly and has an array of kids’ activities, plenty of beginner slopes, and group ski lessons in English for small children. Or for the ultimate in family friendliness, you can stay at Club Med Tomamu. We've rated Tomamu as the best family friendly ski resort in Japan.
- Powder days provide some good in-bounds skiing and snowboarding for advanced riders, plus great sidecountry and backcountry.
- The Tomamu Resort hotels are ski-in ski-out and provide a high standard of accommodation.
- Tomamu is close to other Central Hokkaido ski resorts, so it’s great to visit on a multi-resort powder chasing tour.
- The amenities are modern, especially by Japan ski resort standards.
- It’s a reasonably short transfer to Tomamu from the New Chitose Airport.
Cons
- There is zero nightlife at Tomamu, which is quite common at Japanese ski resorts.
- Some of the lifts and the gondola are very old and poorly maintained, and they have a very low threshold for going on wind hold.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
- The south facing aspect of the resort might be nice for beginners who like the sun, but it’s not so good for the in-bounds snow quality a few days after snowfall. On the plus side, low temperatures aid in snow quality retention, and the aspect of some of the backcountry zones is very favourable for immaculate powder.
- There is no little charming village or town at Tomamu. The resort is a resort in the truest sense and is very curated. The towering hotels seem somewhat out of place at the base of a ski resort and a few of the activities are classically Asian kitsch.
- Tomamu Hokkaido offers an opportunity to get away from the major western crowds as most international guests are Asians. There are enough English speaking staff to make your stay easy.
- If you’ve got the budget for it, Club Med Tomamu is another Tomamu accommodation option. It provides a very stress-free snow experience along with negligible Japanese culture.
Tomamu Ski and Snowboard Terrain
When you see the size of the hotel towers at the base, you’d think that the Tomamu ski area must be the size of Whistler Blackcomb. Then you remember you’re in Japan where the ski resorts are only small to medium sized, and Tomamu Ski Resort is no exception. Officially the ski resort is 124 hectares in size (which probably only refers to the piste) with 29 courses (ie trails) and a vertical drop of 585 metres (586 - 1,171m).
The Hoshino Resort Tomamu ski area offers a variety of terrain including great beginner areas, a handful of groomers for intermediates, and a few advanced mogul runs. The off-piste skiing is certainly a drawcard for the advanced skier and snowboarder, whilst the sidecountry and backcountry areas around Tomamu are a bonus, although more so for skiers than snowboarders considering the amount of traversing or trudging. As is somewhat typical of Japan, there are no super steep pitches, but with such great powder and awesome tree skiing, experts don't seem to mind.
See the
Tomamu Resort skiing page for more information on the terrain.
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Tomamu Snow
Tomamu Ski Resort receives about 8 to 9 metres of snowfall on average per season. In classic Japanese style the resort infers that it only gets 4.8 metres and under sells its finest asset. The powder falls very light and dry and the Tomamu snow is often well maintained thanks to low temps and high elevation. A potential downside is that many of the slopes are south facing, so the off-piste slopes can become a bit crusty when it’s sunny. Conversely, some of the sidecountry slopes are north facing and the powder can be absolutely delicious!
Where is Tomamu Hokkaido?
Tomamu Japan is situated in
Central Hokkaido, 150km east of Sapporo and close to the Hidaka National Park. It is just over an hour train ride away from the Sapporo International Airport. Nearby ski resorts include
Sahoro,
Furano, and
Yubari.
Shuttle buses to Tomamu are available from Sapporo City or New Chitose Airport (bookable from Sept/Oct onwards) or there are
private airport to Tomamu transfers.
Tomamu Accommodation
The resort operated Tomamu accommodation can be found in the towers at the base of Tomamu Resort.
Tomamu The Tower is a deluxe ski-in ski-out western-style hotel contained within two towers. The open plan rooms cater for 2 to 5 guests and most include a living area and 1 or 2 bathrooms. It is particularly popular with families due to the co-location of ski school and child care, and the main beginner lift and slopes are just out the front.
The Risonare is an upscale Tomamu hotel that is also conveniently ski-in ski-out via a beginner trail and contained within two towers.
Risonare Tomamu is an all suite hotel with spacious suites of at least 100㎡ with a living area and sleep up to 2-6 guests in separate bedroom/s. All suites include a luxurious bathroom with private sauna and jacuzzi and large floor to ceiling windows.
Club Med Tomamu is another option for well heeled holiday makers. The Club Med provides deluxe Tomamu accommodation as part of all-inclusive packages, with meals, alcohol, lift passes, child care, and group ski and snowboard lessons.
There are also a few pensions in the village about 5 minutes drive from the Tomamu Ski Resort. One example is the
Petit Hotel Gracey Tomamu.
Tomamu Accommodation Packages
Facilities & Activities
Tomamu Resort was purpose-built during the bubble era at a cost of around US$1Billion. The base of the resort has been revamped and it has substantial infrastructure and amenities for a Japanese ski resort. The resort has a range of facilities including souvenir shops, lots of restaurants, child care, ski and snowboard rentals, and ski school. It lacks some fundamentals such as a proper bar, except for an ice bar where you'll last 5 minutes.
The Hoshino Resort Tomamu has a major "resort" feel to it so there's the risk of catching "cabin fever" if you stay for a long time. And like a cruise ship, Tomamu has a plethora of activities on offer to keep you entertained including the over-the-top wave pool. Or for a cheesy instagrammable activity, you can look at or stay in the ice hotel, get a drink at the ice bar, or even get married in the ice chapel!