Ski Aizu
The Aizu ski region is starting to gain a tiny little bit international attention as a new spot for powder hounds to visit. There are about a dozen Aizu ski resorts in the Fukushima Prefecture near Mount Bandai, plus more in the lesser known Minami Aizu (ie south Aizu). Fukushima skiing ranges from well developed ski resorts with lots of bells and whistles that attract lots of Tokyo-ites, to low frills local Aizu ski resorts that are completely off the beaten track, even to most Japanese people.
Pros & Cons of Aizu Ski Region
Pros
- The Aizu ski region has a high concentration of ski areas, so you can sample lots of different terrain.
- Unlike westernised destinations such as Niseko, an Aizu ski trip provides the full Japanese cultural experience.
- An Aizu ski holiday can be very affordable with respect to accommodation, lift tickets and food.
- The ski resorts are delightfully quiet (those with easy access from Tokyo can be busy on-piste on weekends).
- The region has plenty of options for onsen soaking.
- There are some nice Aizu activities such as a visit to the Tsuruga Castle in Aizuwakamatsu (aka Samurai City) and the Ouchijuku village.
Cons
- Like most Japanese ski resorts, each Aizu ski area is not large and has enough terrain for only 1-2 days of playing.
- Also common to the majority of Japan ski resorts, Fukushima skiing has only minimal piste terrain for advanced riders, so if you don’t like to ski or ride in the trees, you’ll be bored senseless.
- The elevation of the Aizu ski resorts is not particularly high, and recent years have seen a decline in the reliability of the snow.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
- Most of the Fukushima ski resorts are not geared up for non-Japanese speaking guests, but this is all part of the cultural experience you’ve been longing for (and your google translate app wants a workout!).
- The area has struggled to attract tourists because “Fukushima” conjures up concerns about the events of 2011. There are no issues with the Aizu region and undoubtedly the locals would love your support.
- Some ski areas are still very conservative with respect to off-piste skiing and riding. If you can be simultaneously discrete and respectful all should be OK, and no one else is likely be off-piste so there will be plenty of fresh lines.
- There is a distinct lack of shuttle or public transport options to get around to sample various Aizu/Mt Bandai ski resorts. This helps to keep the gaijin crowds away, which is ideal for those on a multi-resort tour or with a car.
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Where is Aizu?
Aizu is located in the Fukushima Prefecture, which is part of the
Tohoku region (northern Honshu) in Japan. Some of the Aizu ski resorts sit on the flanks of the impressive Mount Bandai, whilst others are located near Mt Adatara. The Minami Aizu ski resorts are in the region to the southwest of Lake Inawashiro.
The small city of Aizuwakamatsu is the capital city of Aizu.
Koriyama is the common gateway Shinkansen (bullet train) station, and the train ride takes only 80 minutes from Tokyo Station. From there you can
rent a car, and considering the progressive English navigation systems, it’s really easy to drive around. Or even easier, if you’re on a
multi-day tour your guides will drive you around.
Or if you’re just planning to go to one ski area, you can catch a local train and most ski resorts or hotels provide a shuttle service.
Aizu Accommodation
Some of the Aizu ski areas have on-mountain ski-in ski-out accommodation, such as
Minowa,
Grandeco, Listel Ski Fantasia and
Alts Bandai. Otherwise there are various options for onsen hotels and pensions. The two main accommodation regions are Inawashiro (south of Mount Bandai) and Urabandai (north or back of Mt Bandai). From either of these areas, it’s easy enough to do a day trip to any of the Aizu ski resorts.
Aizu Accommodation Listings
Aizu Ski Resorts
| Adatara Kogen |
E of Mt Adatara |
1,160 |
8 |
4 |
33 |
| Nekoma (south) (formerly Alts Bandai) |
S of Mt Bandai |
1,280 |
* |
8 |
29 |
| Grand Sunpia Inawashiro |
S of Mt Bandai |
1,200 |
9 |
4 |
40 |
| Grandeco |
NE of Mt Bandai |
1,590 |
8 |
5 |
33 |
| Inawashiro |
S of Mt Bandai |
1,255 |
18 |
8 |
34 |
| Listel Ski Fantasia |
SE of Mt Bandai |
871 |
6 |
3 |
37 |
| Minowa |
NW of Mt Adatara |
1,500 |
11 |
3 |
34 |
| Nekoma |
N of Mt Bandai |
1,337 |
* |
5 |
33 |
| Nihonmatsu Shiozawa |
E of Mt Adatara |
925 |
4 |
2 |
35 |
| Numajiri |
W of Mt Adatara |
1,220 |
13 |
6 |
30 |
| Sannokura |
N of Kitakata |
780 |
3 |
2 |
22 |
| Urabandai Resort |
N of Mt Bandai |
1,200 |
3 |
3 |
35 |
Front Side of Mount Bandai
Hoshino Resorts Nekoma Mountain is made up of two sides and the south side formerly known as Alts Bandai has well developed infrastructure at the base. The terrain is pretty typical of a Tohoku ski resort (small, mostly beginner and intermediate runs, a little tree skiing). It’s good for park riding and it’s busy (on-piste) on the weekends with Tokyo-ites. It sits on the SW flank of Mt Bandai, 13km from Inawashiro town.
Inawashiro Ski Resort has nice views across Lake Inawashiro and amazing tree skiing, but only when the powder is fresh because the slopes are mostly southeast facing (it sits on the southern face of Mt Bandai). The ski resort is 4km from the town of Inawashiro.
Urabandai (Backside Of Mt Bandai)
The north side of
Nekomais connected with the south side via a chair lift. It has a respectable amount of off-piste tree skiing and sidecountry terrain, and Nekoma is also popular for its parks. The top elevation is a little higher than Inawashiro and the south side, and lots of the slopes are north facing, so the snow quality is often superior to some of the other Bandai ski resorts. Nekoma is 4km from the central zone of Urabandai.
Grandeco has well developed facilities. It’s mostly a very mellow ski area and requires a bit of route finding nous to get some decent tree skiing. Grandeco doesn’t have the best aspect for snow quality if the sun’s been out.
East
Minowa is our favourite powder skiing resort in Aizu. Minowa is 24km west of Urabandai on the NW flank of Mt Adatara. Decent elevation and aspect make Minowa a good choice for powder quality, and off-piste skiing is well tolerated compared to some other Aizu ski resorts.
Adatara Kogen sits on the other side of Mt Adatara from Minowa, and it possibly doesn’t score the same amount of snow as those to the west of Mt Adatara. It has some lovely off-piste terrain off the top that’s completely devoid of other powder hounds but unfortunately it seems that the gondola has been retired. Adatara Kogen is about 41km east of Urabandai.
Minami-Aizu Ski Resorts
To the southwest of Lake Inawashiro and southwest of Aizu-Wakamatsu, the samurai castle town, is Minamiaizu. Ski resorts in this area include
Aizu Kogen Takatsue, Oze Hinoemata Onsen, Aizu Kogen Nango, Aizu Kogen Daikura and Kita Nikko Takahata.