HAKUBA VALLEY

The 2025/26 Winter Season will be Olympic in the Alps with the 25th edition of the Winter Games hosted by Milano Cortina taking place at a number of venues across Northern Italy in February and March 2026.

All eyes will be on Cortina d’Ampezzo Ski Resort in the Italian Dolomites which hosts the blue ribbon Alpine Skiing speed events 70 years after its first Winter Olympic Games in 1956 and on the back of the excellent Audi FIS Ski World Cup event this past January.

But there’s another Cortina in the ski world which is rapidly gaining international acclaim and reverence, one of 10 ski resorts in a valley with its own Olympic pedigree.

Step forward Hakuba Cortina Snow Resort in the Hakuba Valley in Japan one hour from Nagano on Japan’s main island of Honshu, gateway city to the world class skiing on offer in the Nagano prefecture and host to the 18th Winter Olympic Games in 1998.

Hakuba Cortina Snow Resort is widely considered to have some of the best in-resort deep powder tree skiing in the world and is the go to destination when the powder tap has been turned on!

Hakuba Happo-one Snow Resort – another of the 10 Hakuba Valley resorts – hosted the Alpine Skiing speed events (Downhill, Super G, Combined) at the 1998 Games, and snowboarding as an Olympic discipline debuted at Nagano.

The 2026 Games will introduce Ski Mountaineering as an Olympic discipline for the first time.

If the Games ever returned to Japan they’d have to invent a new discipline – navigating with your goggles covered in snow whilst simultaneously holding your breath for as long as you can!

For those who’ve been to the Hakuba Valley they’ll never forget the first time they saw snow falling in the village, snowflakes as big as cotton balls darkening the sky and quickly blanketing the landscape.

Nor will they ever forget the first time the deep, light powder invited them in, waves of snow rolling up the body and over the head into a world of white.

The fabled JaPOW!

But to dismiss the Hakuba Valley as an experts only powder paradise would be to miss out on one of the most underappreciated aspects of skiing in Japan.

With such consistent and almost continuous snowfall from the start of December through to mid-March the piste conditions are some of the best in the world.

The piste grooming teams have an abundance of new snow to work with unlike many ski resorts around the world who have to repurpose man-made and weeks old snow into something half-decent to slide on.

This makes the Hakuba Valley pistes the perfect platform on which to learn and improve, and combined with the extensive expert terrain amongst the trees and in the alpine is the perfect destination for families and mixed ability groups.

In addition to Hakuba Cortina Snow Resort and Hakuba Happo-one Snow Resort there are eight other resorts in the Hakuba Valley all with their own personality, terrain, and snow sliding fun.

All covered on the same all-mountain pass.

From the family friendly slopes of Jigatake Snow Resort, Kashimayari Snow Resort Family Park and the lakeside White Resort Hakuba Sanosaka; to the steeper terrain available at Able Hakuba Goryu which is connected to Hakuba 47 Winter Sports Park with its extensive snow park and long season running to the first week of May; take in the 360 degree panoramic views of the Hakuba Valley from Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field; enjoy the boulevard wide beginner slopes and “Tsuga-Pow DBD” powder zone of snow heavy Tsugaike Mountain Resort; and relax on the quiet slopes of Hakuba Norikura Onsen Snow Resort which is connected to Hakuba Cortina Snow Resort.

Across the 10 resorts there are 90 gondolas and chairlifts accessing 120 runs and 137km of piste which receive a whopping +11m of snowfall each Winter.

The Hakuba Valley is the closest Europeans will come to what they’re used to – multi resort skiing on one lift ticket – but think more Chamonix – a fellow Winter Olympics venue – than the Three Valleys, with only four of the 10 resorts linked by lift.

But there is an efficient and free shuttle for day & season all-mountain pass holders which runs throughout the day accessing all the resorts on the all-mountain pass.

And that lift pass is competitively priced with Winter 24/25 prices at approx £50 (£29 child) per day; approx £290 (£162 child) for a 6 in 11 day pass.

If you’re an Epic Pass holder you can ski for 5 days with no restrictions which may be the way to go now a number of European resorts are also included on the pass :

Crans-Montana, Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis and Verbier 4 Vallées in Switzerland; Les 3 Vallées in France; Skirama Dolomiti in Italy; and Ski Arlberg in Austria.

The Hakuba Valley offers a wide range of accommodation options to suit all pockets, from backpacker lodges, traditional inns (ryokans), and pensions to self catering condos & townhouses and luxury hotels.

The heart of the Hakuba Valley is found at the base of Happo-one Ski Resort, and along with the Wadano and Echoland areas are the most popular for international visitors.

Off the slopes, the valley features a vast array of dining options and lively après scene, including dozens of ‘izakaya’ (traditional Japanese pubs) through to elegant, fine-dining restaurants serving sushi, sashimi, Wagyu beef, ramen, rice & tempura dishes. Vegetarian and Vegan options are also available.

Try the local speciality ‘Shinshu soba’ – delicious buckwheat noodles – at Futaba Soba, Riki and Zen.

For drinks head to Mockingbird, Holy Smokes, Cherry Pub and Hakuba Taproom.

After a day on the slopes unwind with a relaxing and therapeutic soak in the numerous geothermal hot springs or ‘onsen’ which dot the valley floor.

The ancient and traditional practice of soaking in the onsen is still extremely popular with the Japanese and should be part of your Japanese Winter holiday experience.

There are many public onsens across the valley – including Happo Onsen and Mimizuku Onsen – and a wide selection of indoor & outdoor hotel onsens which non-guests are able to visit for a small fee.

Away from the mountains there are a number of attractions which have become synonymous with a visit to the area.

Observe the Japan Snow Monkeys (Macaques) bathing in the natural hot springs at Jigokudani Monkey Park, 2 hrs from the Hakuba Valley.

Visit the magnificent Matsumoto Castle, a ‘National Treasure of Japan’ and one of only 5 castles to receive this recognition. Dating back to 1592 it’s one of the best preserved and oldest castles in Japan.

In Nagano city visit the 7th century Buddhist Zenkoji Temple which is home to the first Buddhist statue brought to Japan. The 30-minute walk from Nagano Station takes you past craft shops, cafes, food stalls, and historic shrines. Photography heaven.

If you visit in mid-January you can experience the Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival (Dosojin Matsuri) which takes place on the 15th January each year. Dating back to the 1800s it pits the 25 year old and 42 year old males from the area against the rest of the villagers in a rite of passage.

The 25 year old males defend a wooden shrine from the villagers who are trying to burn it down, while the 42 year old males sit at the top of the wooden structure singing, chanting and drinking sake.

This is an experience not be missed.

Organised guided tours are available for these attractions and events which are all within 2 hours drive from the Hakuba Valley.

Locally, the Happo-one Fire Festival in February and the Tsugaike Kogen Snow Festival in March offer torchlight skiing parades; the release of glowing sky lanterns; celebratory sake serving; Shinshu Otari Taiko drum performances; and fireworks displays.

The Hakuba Valley is easily accessible from Tokyo and its airports.

Buses leave from both Haneda and Narita airports throughout the day with the 5 – 6 hr journey costing approx. £70 each way.

Travelling from either airport to the main train station in Tokyo to catch the Shinkansen (‘Bullet Train’) to Nagano and the bus transfer on to Hakuba takes 2 hours off the bus journey for approx. £75-90 each way.

If you’re bringing your own equipment and you decide to travel by train it’s advisable to forward your luggage on from the airport to your accommodation using one of the safe & efficient courier companies like Kuroneko Yamato with the nickname ‘Black Cat’.

You won’t regret it.

As wonderful as the Hakuba Valley is, travelling all the way to Japan just to ski would be a missed opportunity. Think of this unique trip as a Winter holiday with skiing.

Set aside time to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka (or all three) prior to going to the mountains, or after your time on snow.

January has become the go to month to visit Japan to maximise your chances of wallowing in the deepest, lightest powder. So much so that it’s become known as ‘Japanuary’.

A visit to Hakuba Cortina Snow Resort in January 2026 followed by watching the Alpine Skiing speed events at the 25th Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo a month later would bring the ‘curtain’ down on a truly memorable and unique Winter in the mountains.

For more information please visit the Hakuba Valley web site

https://www.hakubavalley.com/en

or come and speak with us at our stand at the London Snow Show 18-19 October 2025.