Revelling in the snow-blessed slopes of Nagano, Japan | Canada Voices

“Japow Season” is a powder skier’s favourite time of year: the six-to eight-week window from Christmas to mid-February where moisture-laden clouds from the Sea of Japan clash with frigid Siberian air, leading to lots and lots of fresh snow.

In the mountains, skiers and snowboarders share videos of themselves submerged in gossamer-light powder. Down in town, massive snowblowers clear a path through windshield-deep drifts for tiny delivery trucks and local buses.

From the crenellated spines of the Japanese Alps on the main island of Honshu to the symmetrical volcanic cone of Hokkaido’s Mount Yotei, seekers of the steep and deep come here for some very snowy skiing.

That’s what I was looking for when our group of Canadian skiers converged at Tokyo’s Narita Airport in January, 2025.

On the advice of an Australian friend, our group made sure to connect with hotelier Dan Solo, the “mayor of Madarao.” Located in the Nagano Prefecture in the heart of the Alps, Madarao Mountain Resort gets so much snow that the locals call it “Madapow.” Overnight dumps of 15 to 30 centimetres are common, and once or twice each year, a “Madarao metre” (that’s right, 100 cm) will fall within 24 hours.

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While in Madarao, we got lucky and two overnight storms dumped 40 and 20 centimetres of snow respectively, while temperatures hovered around -5 degrees.

A modestly sized resort by North American standards, Madarao (and the adjacent Tangram Ski Circus) is known for tree skiing; a type of riding that Japanese skiers have previously avoided due to superstition and safety concerns. Before foreigners (mostly Australian snowboarders) arrived in the mid-nineties, Japanese ski patrollers were reticent to rescue skiers and boarders stranded in the trees.

One of our group’s more adventurous skiers explored the resort’s vast lift-accessible backcountry on a guided tour ($200) that yielded snow up the mid-thigh; the deepest on our trip. And since many guiding companies throughout Japan are operated by Australians and Canadians, there’s no language barrier.

I did notice that the lift infrastructure at Japan’s smaller resorts is often in dire need of replacement. The uppermost lift at Madarao is a particularly quaint single-seat contraption (or faintly terrifying, depending upon your tolerance for heights) that local skiers call a “pizza box” since your butt rests on a wooden slat about the size of one.

In Madarao, we stayed at Snowball Chalet, a short walk from the snow-blessed slopes. It blends simple Japanese design with proportionally larger rooms and apartments to satisfy Western travel tastes. Breakfast can be homemade muffins and granola (included with your stay) or for an extra fee, you can choose from an assortment of omelets or waffles, washed down with freshly-squeezed juice or specialty coffee.

The chalet’s warm, inviting fireplace and living room is a great place to sip après-ski Japanese whisky while regaling others with tales from the day.

The Solos came to Madarao over nine years ago and have since acquired and renovated several resort properties. When we moved on to do some exploring – notably, the hot springs town of Yamanouchi in Nagano – we stayed at Yukimi at Sano, which has been their passion project for the past five years.

Located on a large lot with four buildings (a tea house, warehouse, rice storage building and main structure), it was built during Japan’s Meiji Restoration in the late-19th century, a period of civilization and enlightenment.

“As near as we can tell, the buildings were over 150 years old,” Solo says. “It took us two years of negotiating … in order to come to a deal. The home had good bones and came with an eclectic collection of family treasures that we’ve integrated into the decor.”

The property’s former owner is a Tokyo artist, who painted a large mural above the fireplace that would not look out of place in a Murakami novel.

An L-shaped corridor with floor-to-ceiling windows facing a courtyard connects the main house to an expansive tea room. The light-filled living space seems like a template for American architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s mid-century modern homes. Period pieces abound – fabric puppets, ceramic figurines and paper fans line the bookcase shelves. Tatami mats cover the hardwood floors and paper curtains delineate the space between rooms. An antique scroll hangs in the tokonoma with a poem about the intransigence of beauty.

We loved the change of pace we found while skiing in Japan. At home, lifts are faster, yet lineups are longer and day tickets cost more than courtside NBA seats. Not here. There are over a dozen ski areas nearby, some just tiny local hills, accessible through our accommodation’s complimentary four-wheel drive van.

We spent one day at Arai Mountain Resort (accessible with the IKON pass), where a high-speed four-person chairlift ascends above the treeline into a sparkling, wide-open bowl – a rarity in Japan.

On the bright January Saturday that we explored it, fewer than 2,000 skiers were spread across the entire mountain. Perfectly groomed cat-tracks led to treed runs, and we discovered tight chutes with fluffy powder left over from a storm four days earlier. From the top, we could see the Northern Alps that lay across a coastal plain, with the inky blue sea in the distance.

At the end of the day, we piled our gear into the car and began looking for a place to eat on the way back to our hotel. We pulled into a tiny shed illuminated with an Asahi beer sign that indicated some kind of food might be available. Four office chairs were lined up in front of a counter, where the owner informed us that his restaurant specialized in grilled yakitori. Beer was poured, soup and tea consumed, and then the chicken skewers arrived along with the bill. Four adults, $40. No tip expected.

That’s why I’ll be back to ski in Japan.

If you go

The Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Iiyama, Nagano, takes approximately two hours, followed by a 40-minute bus ride to Madarao. Free pick-up is available from Madarao Kogen Hotel.

In Madarao, the Snowman Apartments (two-bedroom, $1,225 per night and four-bedroom, $1,570 per night) are a short walk away from the slopes. Guests are welcome to snack on appetizers, sake and whisky at the nearby Snowball Chalet.

The Yukimi Sano house is located in the Nagano Prefecture, 100 minutes from downtown Tokyo by bullet train. Hire a taxi for the short trip to the guest house. The room sleeps five, for $785 per night. A four-wheel drive van is included with the rental. Major attractions nearby include the Jigokudani Monkey Park, the historic town of Yudanaka Onsen and the Sake Storehouse Art Museum. Shiga Kogen is the closest ski resort.

The author was the guest of Snowball Chalet group. It did not review or approve the story before publication.