​Tohoku Storm Chaser Itinerary
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Days 1-5 base in the Hachimantai (Appi Kogen) Area

• Ski up to six different ski hills, each with its own weather conditions and specialties with very little competition for our powder (on weekdays, certainly)!
• Storm chase on any given day to the best possible hill with the highest chances of the best pow
• Get out of ski towns and stay in real towns not overrun by tourists
• Travel at 320kph/200mph as you take the bullet train to access the untracked Japow
• Cat ski for half a day at an extinct resort that has a powder zone exclusively reserved for JST trips
• Food is key. All seven incredible dinners are included in the price of this trip. Check out details on the food here!
• While lift-access powder is the goal, we'll put in some work to get those freshies if we need to. Touring rigs (AT skis/split boards) can be rented during the checkout process.
  
  Ability level note: guests need to have logged 10 days on AT equipment before showing up!
  

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Days 6-8 base in Hakkoda Area

• Ski what is fast becoming the next slack-backcountry sensation in Japan; the Hakkoda Ropeway. Offering up an immeasurably huge annual snowfall, fun terrain and good steeps, skiing Hakkoda is truly a must for powder hunters
• Hakkoda is finally getting attention but there's so much more on offer in this region than is at first visible 
• We stay in the heart of Northern Tohoku--Aomori. Isolated from mainstream Japan for most of its existence, the people of Aomori have their own deep traditions, dialect and  let's not forget about the food!
• Watch live music performances, learn traditional dancing, and eat the best regional specialties in this unique northern gem (optional dancing of course)

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​Day 1: Meet the group!

Two options to meet up with the group

Option 1: Meet at Morioka Station South Exit at 2:45pm.
Morioka Station is a bullet train station located just over 2 hours from Tokyo. To get there by 2:45pm, we recommend catching the 12:20pm bullet train from Tokyo Station. 
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Option 2: Meet the tour at the Hachimantai Mountain Hotel at 4pm.

Thinking about coming from Hokkaido? Fly into Hanamaki airport (HNA) and take the bus to the Morioka Station meeting point! Directions on google maps here.

How do you get there? See our Logistics page for more information. 

​Days 2-5: Storm Chase in the Iwate region
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The area surrounding Hachimantai is exploding with ski hills in every direction. Depending on the conditions, we'll hit Geto Kogen, Tazawako, Hachimantai Panorama, Shizukuishi, Appi Kogen or one of the smaller Shimokura, Amihari or Iwate Snowpark ski hills. With so many options sometimes it can be hard to choose!

​One of the days we'll hire out a Cat for a half day and ski down an abandoned ski hill. More info about what to expect from the Cat here.

​This section of the trip does involve a fair amount of driving. Every day you can expect to travel 10 minutes to 1.5 hours to a ski hill in one of our 4x4 Adventure Vans.

Each night we'll be heading back to the Hachimantai Mountain Hotel and Spa, nestled at the base of Mt. Iwate--the region's big volcano. Aside from eating at the voluptuous hotel buffet for two nights, we'll also be going out for two nights to local authentic restaurants (see our food page here).

On the afternoon of day 5 we'll pack up our things and head 2 hours north to Aomori--where the next destination of Hakkoda is located. 

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​Days 6-7: Ski Hakkoda in Aomori 

Hakkoda is the crowning jewel of the Tohoku Japow universe. In the same fashion as Asahidake in Hokkaido, Hakkoda is a single tram that opens up incredible backcountry terrain. Depending on where we want to go, one run can take 30 minutes or 3 hours, which is why we spend two days at this incredible hill. At Hakkoda, it's all about the quality of a run, not the quantity. 

Our two days in Hakkoda are backcountry days which are accessed by a tram. That means that while the tram takes care of 90% of elevation gain, we'll still be hiking anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes per run on terrain that varies from flat traverses to moderate climbs. Since we'll be doing 2 runs per day, that means we'll be touring for between 1-2 hours per day.

More than just skiing, Aomori is a unique and interesting culture with its own traditions, dialect and yes--amazing local food. In this town we'll be eating sushi, seeing two musical performances and can even learn some traditional dances (participation optional!). 
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Day 8: The end of the tour
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We drop off the group at Shin-Aomori bullet train station at 10am, in time to catch the 10:39 Shinkansen departure which will get you back to Tokyo by 2pm or Narita Airport (NRT) by about 3:30pm.
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Pro tip: If you're planning on staying in Tokyo for a few days at the end of the trip, note that you can mail your ski bag for about ¥4,000 (≈ US25) straight to the NRT or HND airports. That way you won't have to lug your bags around! More information on this is in the Logistics section. 

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