What an awesome trip. We went as 2 families, just the boys, so 2 men and 5 boys. 1of the boys had never skied before. Jase and his team of guides, who during our stay, were John, George, Liam and Dan were all so helpful and accommodating it made the trip so easy from the initial kitting out of gear to the final night we left.
We had skiers through from advanced to intermediate and beginner and the groups we were put into were perfectly matched to each skill level.
The guides provided excellent tips and advice during the runs that my personal skiing level increased dramatically, as did all of the boys in the beginner groups.
The guides provided concise instruction on techniques that I had never been told before that not only made perfect sense but instantly increased my skiing aptitude.
It was essentially one on one guiding for the entire trip.
Added to that the guys know the mountains backwards and can advise what runs are best to go on or what lifts/gondolas were likely to have small queues, I personally never once bothered to open the mountain map which allowed me to just ski with no concern of ever going the wrong way or being lost on the mountains.
The guides were so beneficial to the boys that they were skiing really well by day 3 - see video of my boy who had never skied before on day 3 and the commentary on John skiing beside him.
Even the bus rides to and from the mountains were painless and good fun... and informative.

We stayed in a Ryokan in Yudanaka that provided a great Japanese experience, the town itself was a great little town with lots of restaurants and bars down many little streets. We had some wonderful meals and fun out with the group and on our own including a meal down a wrong turn in the green light area.

The cultural experiences that were interspersed within the trip were very enjoyable and on one night ended up being interactive for the boys, which I'm not sure is the usual plan but was certainly wonderful for the boys.
On our final night just our family and a few of the guides had a cultural experience in a dive bar in Nagano where Jase pulled out some musical talents that left us and the guides comprehensively impressed!

At no stage during our trip was anything to hard to accommodate or facilitate.
I would highly recommend Jase and his team at Japan Powder Culture Tours.
See our video here

The Japan Powder Culture Team are a brilliant bunch to tour with, based in a quaint, as yet unspoilt town in shooting distance of over 18 resorts it's an ideal base to combine culture (monkeys, temples, castles, onsens etc) with world class powder and some of the highest resorts in Asia. The expert team take all levels & all ages out onto the slopes wherever is best on any given day for the conditions, so you aren't confined to a single location. Highly recommended! A super fun crew ready to welcome guests of all levels.
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We signed up for Nagano Beginner Packages and it was one of the highlights of our Japan holiday.
Night before 1st ski, Jase meticulously ensured that each of us were fitted properly. Some of the gears were even brand new.
He coached us personally on day 1, Tom on day 2 & Gus on day 3. For newbies like us, you can’t get any better care & attention than with Jase & team. When on the slopes, each of them were super patient, totally “with you”, coached us according to our levels & very encouraging. They were skiing with us, watching out and giving pointers throughout the whole day – literally from start till end of each day. Can tell that they thoroughly enjoy skiing and sharing what they know. This package is one of the best ways to get started (& hooked) on skiing. BTW, the “variety” of coaches was a bonus for me cos I got extra insights & pointers.
Jase got the 4 of us a family room at Hostel Aibiya which made us feel like we were in a hotel – spacious, private bath, quiet and clean. Yoshi & Seongmi were great hosts, and always helpful with advise and tips on where to eat & what to do.
Other bonuses included the stories from Jase during the bus ride, beer stop at one of the convenience stores, visit to one of the towns, getting Jase’s teenager son to accompany my son, getting to try different slopes & going to the slopes with the best snow each day.
Jase is very responsive to all emails, despite being on the slopes the whole day - very reassuring & shows how committed he is to making sure everything is AOK. Regretfully, we could not ski more days as my knees could not take it.
Thank you very much, Jase! Hopefully we can ski with you again soon!
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Still have such great memories of our last trip before COVID in Jan 2020. What a fantastic week of excellent snow / powder, no crowds, blue sky and sunny days, great company and excellent instruction and guiding! My son and I have skiied a little before and significantly improved our confidence, skills and control over 4 days skiing with Jase, John, Tyson and George. I'm amazed at the quality of skiing and absence of crowds in the Shiga Kogen area. We also enjoyed the traditional ryokan and onsen experience in Yudanaka, a lovely little town with awesome local restaurants, as well as cultural performances and side trips to various "hidden gems" such as the Tokagushi shrine. Truly an end to end local cultural experience - Jase and the team could not have been more helpful with every aspect of our trip. Highly recommend and hope to get back as soon as we can get out of HK and back without time-wasting and expensive quarantine.
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I wanted to see what I was told was the best powder in the world and I was not disappointed. What an excellent trip in all ways. As a beginner family with my 2 adult sons and 1 girlfriend I wanted them to have the ultimate snow experience. Yudanaka was a cultural delight from the onsens to the food and everything inbetween. Shiga Kogen the best. They took to snowboarding like it was second nature with their guide George who could not have given them more attention. Tyson far too experienced for me drew the short straw and spent his time on the bunny runs with 'the mum'. I would like to have become an amazing skier but I needed to have found snow too many decades ago to count. I had a great deal of fun and that was what it was about, loads of powder, beautiful surroundings, food and family, kick starting a new sport for my sons and the best memories. As bad as I am at skiing I would do this all over again in an instant. I will be recommending Jase and his guys to anyone who wants a cultural and snow experience of Japan. Thanks to Jase and all of the guides you may see some of us again.
See our video here