Japow
Thanks to cold Siberian winds and a warm current in the Sea of Japan, the powder is famously light and fluffy. And usually there’s plenty of it. It’s as good as you may have heard. You don’t have to be a fantastic skier; you’ll often hear “deep, not steep” as a description for the terrain here. You can find powder inbounds, through gates, or backcountry. I don’t do the latter due to lack of training / knowledge.
Chances are if you’re here, you’ve checked out Powderhounds’ site so there may not be much I can offer. Actual recommendations are sparse; it’s more about travel tips. Hmm, maybe this is more suited for a blog post.
I’ve been to Niseko a few times and Rusutsu once, though the snow was atypically not great when I visited Rusutsu. Both places have night-skiing.
Logistics
Transportation
When I fly into Sapporo (New Chitose airport), my connection through Tokyo usually puts me there quite late. I’ve nearly missed the last shuttle before, so I’ve started staying one night in the Air Terminal Hotel and spending some day time in Sapporo before catching the shuttle. The Hokkaido Resort Liner stops at various locations in both Rusutsu and Niseko and is super convenient. A link to their English page here.
Lift Tickets / IKON / Epic
Lift tickets are much more reasonably priced than the US. I think I bought a multi-day pass for Niseko in advance before IKON added them.
IKON lets you ski in Niseko, whereas Epic gives access to Rusutsu. Depending on your pass, of course.
Equipment
I’ve been perfectly happy renting skis and boots from various locations in the resorts. Mostly because I don’t want to haul them all over Japan afterwards. I do bring my own helmet, out of personal preference. If you usually have boot problems, consider bringing your own.
Niseko
Hanazono
Overall
Very popular with and caters more to foreigners. Lots of Australians and New Zealanders and English is more commonly spoken (relatively) by staff. Much more nightlife / bar scene than Rusutsu. I love the night-skiing in Grand Hirafu and cruising through the trees (they’re more spread out than the US).
Niseko is divided into 4 areas: (looker’s L to R) Annupuri, Niseko Village, Grand Hirafu, and Hanazono. You can access all areas by getting to the top (great views!) and traversing.
Annupuri
What I remember are big open, long runs. There’s also a little cafe mid-mountain that is great for a hot chocolate / snack break. Went through a gate around mid-mountain and found some powder to play in. This lets back out onto the resort so didn’t run into the same issue I had in Hanazono, haha.
Grand Hirafu
Seems like this is where the nightlife / party scene is. While that’s not my cup of tea, I’ve only stayed here. Lots of shops, restaurants, and fun terrain. Night-skiing here is my favorite. Places I’ve stayed:
Chalet Ivy Hirafu - Rental shop onsite, onsen, walking distance to the lifts.
Niseko Park Hotel - Across the street, haha. Not as nice as Chalet Ivy but perfectly fine, imo.
Niseko Village
I’ve read this area is more quiet and more families. What I remember were the runs were more narrow, in the shade (a few places got a bit icy). I spent the least time here as I was enjoying the other areas more.
Hanazono
I love Hanazono. Gates at the top make it so you don’t have to travel far to get some great snow. Though I did wind up lower than expected and had to hike a bit so just pay attention, haha. Strawberry Fields is a favorite run and the food in the lodge at the base is the yummiest. I may try to stay here next time I go!
Rusutsu
Lake Toya
Overall
Much more of a family destination than Niseko. There’s no village to wander around, though the Rusutsu Resort Hotel is a massively connected building with shops, a carousel, onsen, connection to other hotels, restaurants, etc. I had weird hours when I was here and it was quite a walk to the convenience stores to get food to have for middle of the night snacks.
Hotels
I stayed at The Vale Rusutsu, not long after they opened and used points. A very nice hotel but would be out of my price range for a week without points. While connected to the Rusutsu Resort Hotel, it was a decent walk to get to restaurants and such. Still, I would stay here again as it was quiet and very comfortable.
Ski lockers and being on the side with night-skiing made it super convenient.
General stuff
I did like being on the night-skiing side but found that during the day, I would take the gondola across the street to the rest of the resort. More terrain and variety. Powder skis won’t fit in the older holders on the gondola so I had to bring them in with me. On a weekday, I had it to myself and the mountain was pretty empty. Though it was an unusually dry time when I was there.