Where is Hakkoda Japan?
The Hakkoda ski area is in the Aomori Prefecture, the most northern part of Honshu (the main island of Japan), about 710km north of Tokyo.
Hakkoda is located near Oirase Gorge and Lake Towada District in the north of the Towada-Hachimantai National Park. Hakkoda is approximately 40 minutes by car from Aomori airport, 45 minutes drive from Aomori station, and 45-50 minutes (28km) from Shin-Aomori station. The Hakkoda Ropeway is 30km from
Kuroishi, which can be a nice spot to stay because it’s a halfway point between Hakkoda and Aomori Spring Resort.
Flights to Aomori
The Aomori international airport has flights from Haneda Tokyo, Sapporo, Taiwan Taoyuan and Seoul. You can look at
flight options here.
Travellers from Australia and other parts of Oceania will often find flying into Aomori via Seoul the cheapest and most convenient option (and often cheaper than just flying to Tokyo). Some flight schedules will require an overnight stay in Seoul in a 5 star hotel (which is sometimes included in the flight price).
Flights between Sapporo and Aomori take only 45 minutes, whilst flights between Tokyo Haneda and Aomori take 75 minutes. Be aware that some international flights into Tokyo arrive at Narita airport thereby necessitating a long bus trip across the city to get to the Haneda Airport.
Train to Aomori from Tokyo
The Shinkansen from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori only takes 3 to 3.5 hours. See
Japan Travel Navitime for route options, timetables and fares.
Train from Hokkaido to Aomori
If you want to combine some
Hokkaido skiing with a powder odyssey at Hakkoda and don’t want to fly, it’s easy to get a bullet train between Shin-Hakodate Hokuto in Hokkaido and Aomori that travels between the islands through a tunnel. Check Japan Travel Navitime for train timetables and fares.
If you have a car, there is a ferry between the two islands, but be aware that some car rental companies will not let you take a car on the ferry.
Taxi or Bus from Aomori to Hakkoda
There are a few buses to Hakkoda per day from Aomori and Shin-Aomori train stations. The latter is the station where the Shinkansen from Tokyo arrives. Check with Aomori tourism for the latest information on bus schedules.
Otherwise you can get a taxi from Aomori to Hakkoda. There are plenty of taxis at the train stations and at the airport. Be aware that not all taxi drivers will want to take you to Hakkoda, particularly if the weather or road conditions are not ideal, but you should be able to find someone who is keen for the fare.
Some of the
Hakkoda hotels offer shuttles from Aomori train station to Hakkoda with pre-arrangement.
The road up to Hakkoda closes in the evenings (from about 9pm until 7:30am) and also at other times when the weather is particularly foul. So if you need to get a taxi to Hakkoda in the evening, keep in mind that the taxi driver needs time to get to Hakkoda as well as return to Aomori before the road closes.
Driving to Hakkoda
Having a
rental car provides flexibility to visit other ski areas in northern Tohoku, and to head to
Aomori Spring Resort when the weather is not conducive to skiing at Hakkoda.
The Hakkoda Ropeway phone number for GPS navigation is 017-738-0343 and keep in mind that the road linking Hakkoda and Aomori City is closed from 9pm to 7:30am.
Multi-Resort Tours
The other way to travel to Hakkoda is part of a
multi-resort tour that takes in other Japan ski areas.
Other Ski Resorts Nearby
Moya Hills ski resort is the closest ski resort to Hakkoda, about 15 minutes away in the suburbs of Aomori city. It’s just a small ski resort, but is popular for night skiing.
Aomori Spring Ski Resort is 66km to the west of Hakkoda.
Iwakisan Hyakuzawa is 58km west of Hakkoda and sits on the other side of Mount Iwaki from Aomori Spring. This can be an option for bad weather days as it’s more protected from the winds compared to Aomori Spring.
Owani Onsen is 45km southwest of Hakkoda. It is a reasonably low elevation ski resort, but if temps are low it can pack a punch with some fun steep terrain.
Appi is 135km south of Hakkoda.