In search of Japan’s perfect powder

There are just five of us on the ferry to Rishiri on a cold February morning. Beneath leaden skies, the 500-capacity ship lurches over petulant waves for almost two hours.

I keep a wary eye on a sickbag until I see a white mountain emerging from the gloom. Its peak is lost to the clouds but what I have come for is plain to see: Japan’s most remote backcountry, ready to be skied. 

Rishiri is a volcanic anomaly 20 km off the northwest tip of Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands. The island’s name, which it shares with its lone summit, translates as “high island” in the indigenous Ainu language. In Japanese, it is often called ukishima (the floating island) for the way its snow-capped form appears to hover above the sea. When I do finally see the island’s peak, it resembles a Patagonian ridgeline, breathtaking spires rising to a height of 1,721 metres, sculpted by wind and ice. 

Toshiya “Toshi” Watanabe is the island’s only backcountry guide, and sports the goggle tan of someone who spends his life outdoors. In winter he skis; in summer he surfs. And in both seasons the other islanders consider him slightly mad for his pioneering spirit. So far north, and without any protection from the prevailing winds, the weather on Rishiri is often cruel, and few others see the same potential that Toshi does. Before he brought backcountry skiing to the island, the peak was most commonly used as a training ground for climbers hoping to summit Himalayan eight-thousanders. But the winter storms also bring an abundance of the light dry snow that is the stuff of skiers’ dreams.

A shuttle picks me up at the ferry terminal and takes me to Rera Mosir, the simple lodge Toshi runs with his wife, Maki, and one of the few hotels that remains open on Rishiri during winter. There’s a communal onsen — a natural hot spring — for a post-ski soak, and a spacious, glass-fronted dining room with views toward the peak. 

Over dinner, I watch the sunset and enjoy a meal of grilled hokke (a local species of mackerel), served with homemade pickles, sake and endless bowls of rice. As the evening draws to a close, Toshi comes to my table, armed with a map of the island and photos of the skiable lines he has tirelessly mapped out over two decades. “Even though Rishiri is just one mountain, it is many mountains in one,” he says with a smile. “You can access every face and, no matter the conditions, there’s always somewhere to ski.”

For the past two and a half years, Japan’s celebrated powder has been off-limits to foreign tourists. Border closures introduced as a result of the pandemic have blighted two ski seasons, and visitor numbers at the big international resorts like Niseko and Hakuba declined by more than 50 per cent. Several smaller resorts filed for bankruptcy. 

Finally, though, Japan removed restrictions on tourists this week, prompting hopes of a fruitful season to come. The yen has weakened significantly against the dollar and euro since 2019 and Japan’s Meteorological Agency has predicted an above average snowfall for the coming season. Already, peak weeks in the better known resorts are booking up. 

Even in this potentially bumper winter, though, Rishiri will offer solitude and guaranteed first tracks. It is far more popular as a summer destination, when the ferry fills to capacity with hikers and gastronomists keen to try the island’s delicacies, including konbu (kelp seaweed — prized for making dashi soup stock), and uni (sea urchin) which is sold for up to ¥40,000 (£250) a kilo to Tokyo’s sushi restaurants. Come winter, the fishing boats are pinned in their harbours by thick, rime-crusted ropes and many of their crew leave the island for warmer climes. The stream of tourists dwindles, the island’s 5,000 residents hunker down. Toshi puts away his surfboard, and starts waxing his skis. 

On my first morning in Rishiri, I wake to clear skies. The peak is freshly capped with the previous night’s snowfall, and stands out a brilliant white against a sky still coloured by sunrise. Toshi eagerly bundles my gear into his van and we head south around the island’s ring road. “The wind is blowing from the west today,” Toshi explains as we pull off the road onto a snowbound forest track, “So we’ll ski the east face.” 

There is just one lift and one piste suitable for beginners on the island. Powderhunters must attach skins to their skis or splitboards to walk uphill, though we do get a little head start. Toshi has snowmobiles positioned at the start of most of the routes. When we park the van, he hops astride one and tows me to the trailhead, cutting what would be an hour or two of gentle uphill climbing to just 15 minutes.

A few kilometres inland, the purist in me is relieved when the gradient steepens and we start our ascent proper, cutting a fresh track up a neat ridgeline. We climb at a relaxed pace, taking in a view that grows more spectacular with elevation. 

To the east, I can see the western shore of Hokkaido, the city of Wakkanai and even Cape Soya, Japan’s most northerly point. To our north, the frozen shores of Sakhalin, Russia’s largest island, rise from the sea. At one point, Toshi stops us and thrusts a ski pole at a small island, faint on the horizon. “That over there is Moneron,” he says, surprise written across his face. “It’s 120 kilometres away.”

When we reach our goal, an outcrop that Toshi has named “1,003 Peak” for its height, I pause to tidy away my skins and catch my breath. Below, the sea fills my vision, gorgeous beneath the morning sun. Above, the clouds seem to be moving in fast forward in the rushing wind. On our sheltered ridgeline, all is calm. We are alone with the mountain.

Toshi breaks the moment and cuts the first line into the bowl beneath us, painting long, swooping turns across the blank canvas of snow. At the apex of each turn, he kicks a cloud of fine powder into the air and disappears from view, before reappearing 20 metres lower down the mountain, a speck growing rapidly smaller. 

He radios up and I drop into the bowl. I enter my own cloud of snow, make a turn, and enter another. The adrenaline flows, the morning’s ascent quickly undone as I race towards the sea. Never have I skied somewhere where the ocean feels so immediate, where the view is not another mountain but a vast expanse of water. While others on Rishiri might not see the potential Toshi does, out in this backcountry playground, it all makes perfect sense.

I catch up with a beaming Toshi. “Shall we go again?” he asks. We tuck into a quick lunch, and start climbing.

Rishiri is a two-hour ferry from Wakkanai (from ¥2,550 (£16.50) per person), Japan’s northernmost city; there are also daily flights from Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport. Tours with Toshi Watanabe can be booked through explore-share.com, from ¥14,433 (£90) per person per day

Deep snow and fresh sushi: more Japanese ski hotspots

Niseko — Where powder dreams are made

Niseko’s reputation precedes it. On average, the four resorts that make up the area see an astonishing annual snowfall of 15 metres, meaning fresh powder is nearly guaranteed in January and February. Niseko’s combined area has more than 30 lifts and on the rare bluebird day, its runs overlook volcanic Mount Yotei, a bucket-list mountain for backcountry skiers and boarders. Niseko is the base of Japan’s only heliskiing company, Hokkaido Backcountry Club, which uses nearby Mount Shiribetsu as its playground. The night skiing in Niseko is the most expansive in Japan, and a bonus during the short midwinter days. Niseko is a 2.5-hour drive or shuttle bus from Sapporo, the capital of Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. 
CrystalSki.co.uk is launching package trips to Niseko from the UK this winter, prices yet to be announced

Furano — A worthy challenger

If Niseko is Japan’s worst-kept powder secret, Furano might be its best. Furano averages only 9 metres of snow per year, but what it does get is finer to ski on because of its distance from the coast. With 10 lifts, it has runs that will challenge skiers of all abilities. It has significant backcountry access and is a good base for tours on the mountains of Furanodake, Tokachidake and Asahidake. Furano is a one-hour-40-minute train ride from Asahikawa City, or a two-hour-20-minute train ride from Sapporo. 
MabeySki.com has a 10-night guided “powder chaser” trip to Furano and Otaru from £3,995 excluding flights

Madarao Kogen — The tree run special

Many resorts reluctantly allow tree skiing; others confiscate lift tickets from visitors caught off-piste. But Madarao leans into the potential of its forested slopes, with dedicated areas for tree skiing. The resort has 16 lifts and is less well-known than nearby Nozawa Onsen, meaning emptier runs and shorter lift queues. Combine Madarao with the connected Tangram resort to get the most out of the terrain and access some gnarly tree runs off the backside of the resorts’ shared ridge. Madarao is three hours from Tokyo on bullet train and bus.
Madarao.jp has details of accommodation and lift tickets, Go-Nagano.net has more info

Nozawa Onsen — The hot spring town

Nozawa is the perfect ski town. Its 25 lifts lead to the summit of Mount Kenashi, where there is brilliant “sidecountry” skiing to be found. And, as its name suggests, it has a wealth of freely accessible onsen. Despite its popularity, Nozawa maintains a traditional feel and, if you’re in town for January 15, you’ll be treated to the Dosojin Fire Festival, which has run annually since the mid 19th century. For a trip through time, visit The Japan Ski Museum, which exhibits gear from Japan’s experiments in skiing at the beginning of the 20th century. Nozawa Onsen is three hours from Tokyo using a combination of bullet train and bus.
SkiSafari.com has a 10-night package, including flights from London, from £2,750

Hakuba — The big mountain destination

The Hakuba Valley is home to 10 resorts, and gets an average of 10 metres of snow per year. Happo-One (One is pronounced o-nay) is the best-known resort, with 23 lifts and a wide variety of pistes, plus excellent lift-accessible backcountry. The ridgeline is a favourite location for snowboarders such as Travis Rice and Jeremy Jones. Signs of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics are everywhere: the valley hosted the ski jumping, downhill and cross-country skiing at the. Hakuba is three hours from Tokyo using a combination of bullet train and bus.
InsideJapanTours.com offers a 13-night “winter sport and culture” trip, with five days skiing at Hakuba and guided tours to Tokyo and Nagano, from £3,070, excluding flights