JAPAN’S 5 WORST SNOW RESORTS
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You’ve done your Japan trip. You’ve eaten your Lawson egg sando at 7am in a hire van with the heater cranked. You know the difference between a real Asahi can and happoshu.
So this one’s for you — a short, sharp roast of Japan’s weirdest, worst, most overrated resorts. The ones with epic potential, strange energy, or full-blown chaos. You’ve probably been to one. You’ve definitely heard the stories.
1. Kamui Ski Links – Asahikawa, Hokkaido
The Vibe: Great snow, no one to talk to about it
Kamui is what happens when someone builds a perfect sidecountry mountain and then forgets to tell anyone. Empty liftlines. Zero vibe. Cafeteria curry that hasn’t changed since the '90s. No one there under 45. Locals side-eyeing you for being too loud. You might score blower pow to yourself, but good luck finding a beer after.
Powder potential: 9/10
Everything else: 4/10
Vibe check: Quiet. Like post-apocalyptic quiet.
Rating: 3 damp neckwarmers out of 5
2. Fujiten – Yamanashi
The Vibe: Half a run and Mt Fuji for Instagram
You don’t go to Fujiten to ride. You go to take a selfie with Mt Fuji in the background and post it with a caption like “slayin pow 🔥”. The run’s over before you’ve strapped in. The park’s icy. And if it snows more than 2cm, they close it for safety. It’s basically a photo booth with a rope tow.
Notable features:
– Terrain park with more rules than rails
– Ice masquerading as snow
– Surprisingly solid vending machine game
Rating: 1.5 melted snowmen out of 5
3. Hakuba Cortina – Nagano
The Vibe: The hero’s coliseum
We get it — Cortina gets puked on. But on a proper day, it becomes a full-blown gladiator pit. Everyone within the Hakuba valley flocks there like it’s the only place in the country with snow. The first lift line starts in the dark. And once it opens, it’s a jungle of splitboard bros, Japow chasers, and every GoPro-wearing “content creator” who’s ever muttered the phrase “send it”.
Expect:
– People "riding" trees before learning how to keep their nose out of the snow
– Tension and scratched decks in the single lift line
– Poor onsen etiquette at Hotel Green Plaza
Pow stoke: 11/10
Peace and quiet: 0/10
Rating: 3 broken selfie sticks out of 5
4. Nozawa Onsen – Nagano
The Vibe: Hot springs, good terrain, and ski school trauma
Nozawa has legit terrain, sure — and when it’s quiet, it’s a good time. But it’s never quiet. The lower slopes are an obstacle course of ski school snakes, lost snowshoers, and dads who haven’t turned a snowboard since 2009. The town is beautiful, full of charm, craft beer, cedar and steam — and also full of loud groups of ten who didn’t book a table for dinner and now stand outside a tiny izakaya complaining like it’s the poor owner's fault.
But it’s in the onsens where things really heat up — literally. Step into one of the village baths and you’re immediately judged. If you so much as reach for the cold tap to take the water from "lava" to merely "scalding," an ojichan will emerge from the steam and silently destroy you with a look. You’re not bathing. You’re undergoing a ritual. And any attempt to make it comfortable is seen as spiritual weakness.
Unique issues:
– Finding food without a booking
– Too many helmet cams, not enough control
– Which beer to choose from Libushi
– Onsen etiquette policed by old men with zero mercy
Rating: 2.75 loud Australians and one volcanic bath out of 5
5. Rusutsu – Hokkaido
The Vibe: Theme park you have to snowboard through
Rusutsu has some of the best tree skiing in Hokkaido — and yet somehow still feels like you’re shredding past a haunted amusement park full of animatronic ghosts. The lift system requires a degree in advanced topography to navigate, and the only way to cross mountains is on a literal theme park monorail. Stay in the resort and it feels like you’re in a Wes Anderson fever dream where everyone wears bootcut pants.
Highlights:
– Tree runs that slap when the wind’s right
– Ghost hotel with a functioning merry-go-round
– Lift layout designed by someone who hates you
Rating: 3 powdered churros out of 5