Introducing Undiscovered Tohoku
The Tohoku region is at the snowy northern tip of the main island
Located at the northern most point of the main island, is still undiscovered by most powder travelers who come to Japan. It's remote location means that a weekday can see as few as 20 ski patrons at an entire small resort. That means cheap lift tickets, zero lift lines, and days of powder skiing without any competition.
If you're a ski traveler fed up with the prices, lines and overall production of the bigger resort areas in Japan, you'll find Iwate to be an oasis of cultural authenticity and peaceful riding, with plenty of untracked powder.
Why Tohoku? Tohoku gets lots of high quality snow. The king of snow in Tohoku is undoubtedly Geto Kogen which competes with resorts like Niseko and Hakuba for the deepest snowfall each year. There are 7 ski resorts and 3 CAT operations within range of Morioka (the central point of arrival for skiing Iwate). Basing in Morioka City, that means you can access all kinds of climate zones within a 1-1.5 hour drive which keeps your trip flexible and allows you to Storm Chase the best snow on a given day.
If you're a ski traveler fed up with the prices, lines and overall production of the bigger resort areas in Japan, you'll find Iwate to be an oasis of cultural authenticity and peaceful riding, with plenty of untracked powder.
Why Tohoku? Tohoku gets lots of high quality snow. The king of snow in Tohoku is undoubtedly Geto Kogen which competes with resorts like Niseko and Hakuba for the deepest snowfall each year. There are 7 ski resorts and 3 CAT operations within range of Morioka (the central point of arrival for skiing Iwate). Basing in Morioka City, that means you can access all kinds of climate zones within a 1-1.5 hour drive which keeps your trip flexible and allows you to Storm Chase the best snow on a given day.
Plan your trip to Tohoku this winter
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Iwate prefecture is a convenient gateway to northern Tohoku and is easily accessed by both bullet trains and flights. The prefectures main city of Morioka, is midway between Tokyo and destinations in Hokkaido like Niseko or Furano so it's an easy stopover on your way to or from other ski destinations across Japan. Travel times to Morioka station (Bullet train stop)
See more details on how to get to Tohoku here. Iwate is the best gateway to the northern Tohoku region. With over eight high quality resorts on offer in this small area, basing out of the central city of Morioka, the backcountry zone of Hachimantai, or the high end resort hotels of Appi Kogen will all open up significant access to some of the best skiing on offer in this region.
What about the nightlife? Most skiers don't want to sit stranded in a hotel after a ski day. Most want to get out, walk around and have an après ski. If this describes your style, basing in Morioka is perfect for you. Downtown Morioka is a real Japanese city with innumerable bars and even a few craft beer facilities. Unlike the cold-shoulder-tourist feeling skiers can get in overrun ski towns, locals here are beyond thrilled that you've come to their little corner of Japan. See the map below to locate our recommended accommodation in relation to nearby ski resorts in the region. For full details on our recommended accommodation, see our accommodation page here.
The northern Tohoku region has four high quality back-country ski destinations, two back-country access trams, nine ski hills and one traditionally "resorty" ski resort destination. With so much on offer, it's hard to know where to start!
Below is an overview of which resorts specialize in which type of ski experience. See our dedicated page on this topic here for more detailed information. 
See more details here on where to ski in Tohoku
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JST trips in Tohoku
Hachimantai Cat Ski
The best and biggest Cat ski operation in the Tohoku region; The Hachimantai cat ski trip is an inclusive 3 day, 2 night experience, with 2 days of cat skiing.
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Tohoku Storm Chaser
8-days, 7 nights, 6 ski days, 2 bases. Explore the best of Tohoku, chasing storms at six different ski hills and two different regions.
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Private Tohoku Guiding
Looking to maximize your Tohoku powder experience? Customized privately guided trips, with Resort Powder Guiding, Lift Accessed Backcountry and Backcountry Touring services.
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