Gemma Clarke gives us the lowdown on Hakuba: from its powdery mountains to its revitalising onsen.
Picture carving your way down a powdery mountain after 15cm of overnight snowfall, stopping to slurp up a nourishing bowel of ramen for lunch, then soaking your tired, happy body in an onsen overlooking the craggy alps.
Just under four hours from Tokyo – in Nagano Prefecture – lies Hakuba Valley: a stunning winter playground known for its deep powder snow.
Hakuba’s easy access to the capital makes it a fantastic option for visitors to Japan, as after a dizzying whirl through the alleyways, crossings and bright lights of Tokyo, you can head out to the snow in less than a day to get some fresh air and stretch your legs.
Here, 10 different ski resorts and eight villages are spread across 40km of terrain. The alps themselves are 3,000 metres tall – blanketed with snow in the winter months, and carpeted in wildflowers (and ripe for hiking!) when it’s warm.
From north to south, the ski areas are Jiigatake, Kashimayari, Hakuba Sanosaka, Hakuba Goryu, Hakuba47 Winter Sports Park, Hakuba Happo-one, Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field, Tsugaike Kogen, Hakuba Norikura Onsen, and Hakuba Cortina.
Here’s a handy guide to the region (and how to pronounce everything).
From Tokyo, the cheapest way to get to Hakuba is via a highway bus, which leave from Shinjuku Bus Terminal (across the road from the train station).
These buses have toilets on board, are clean and safe, and will stop once or twice at Japan’s sensational highway convenience stores along the way, where you can stretch your legs and buy onigiri and whatever other seasonal, regional snacks the shops are slinging.
Journey time is around five hours.
There’s no direct shinkansen (bullet train) to Hakuba, but if you want to travel by train, you can travel from Tokyo Station or Ueno Station to Nagano Station, then get a bus from there.
This journey time will cost about double the fee of the highway bus, and will get you there in three hours.
Google maps is your friend when it comes to times (just set the interface to the ‘public transport’ setting instead of walking or driving).
You can reserve your shinkansen ticket on the JR website (note that you usually have to pick these up from the station via an automatic machine or the ticket office, unless you have a SUICA transit card you can link it to).
You can also drive to Hakuba – though make sure you get a car with snow tires (a 4WD is usually recommended) or chains. Journey time is around three and a half hours.
Be aware that Japan’s roads operate on a toll system, which you can pay manually with cash or have the car rental place fit you with an ITC Card which will charge you at the end. The route to Hakuba from Tokyo will cost around ¥7,300 ($73AUD at the time of writing).
If you’d prefer someone else drove, a chartered taxi is expensive (with $1000AUD around the median price), but that’s also an option – and can be made more cost effective if there are many of you. Several companies offer a service like this, such as Kinoko.
Two of Japan’s main alphabets, hiragana and katakana, are phonetic.
What this means is that unlike English, where only one in five of our common words are spelled like they sound, in Japanese, pronunciation is easier – as once you understand what sounds each symbol makes, you’re guaranteed to say the word right.
Hakuba is pronounced ha-koo-ba, with short vowel sounds and no particular emphasis on any syllable except perhaps the first. (You may hear Australians and Americans emphasise the ‘koo’, but this is incorrect).
Another thing to note is that because the language is phonetic, there are no magic silent ‘e’ sounds you have to mess with – instead, that ‘e’ is pronounced as a short vowel sound ('eh').
This means that Happo-one – which is the biggest resort in Hakuba Valley, is pronounced ha-poh-oh-neh: not ha-poh-wan.
Tsugaike may look tricky at first, but when you break it down – tsu-ga-i-keh – it’s not so much of a tongue twister.
Happo-one is perhaps the most famous ski area in Hakuba Valley – celebrated for its lengthy runs and spectacular views, especially from the summit, where you can see the full stretch of the Japanese Alps. With a variety of terrain, it’s ideal for intermediate to advanced skiers.
Its central village offers a mix of traditional Japanese inns (ryokan – and they’re beautiful), as well as modern hotels and hundreds of local and international restaurants and bars. In peak season, the party scene can be strong.
Goryu (meaning five dragons) is pretty and forested with a public bath and a handful of yummy restaurants in town. There are places to party here also when it’s busy.
Goryu boasts three alpine skiing areas to frolic in, with 17 runs, and the resort is actually interconnected with Hakuba47 (a lift ticket for either will give you access to both).
Goryu is the only place you can currently doing night skiing, and Hakuba47 offers a great snow park with jumps and rails for freestyle enthusiasts (wear a helmet!).
Tsugaike Kogen is another fantastic spot with expansive, gentle slopes, ideal for beginners and families – but it also offers backcountry terrain for advanced adventurers.
Tsugaike is particularly famous for its “powder bowl” areas, where off-piste enthusiasts can find plenty of fresh snow.
Here, the culture of skiing is tied closely with nature, and the views of the valley surrounded by snowy pines make for an especially scenic experience. If you happen to be there in summer, Tsugaike Nature Park is a magnificent hike on a boardwalk on top of the alps.
For more off-the-beaten-path options, Cortina offers a wilder skiing experience with more relaxed rules on off-piste areas and its steep, well-spaced tree runs.
You need to be at least a strong intermediate to enter many of the areas of this resort, as the slopes here can get challenging. The vibe tends to be a bit more laid-back than other areas of Hakuba.
If you’re looking for somewhere to bathe, check out this guide to onsen and sento (bathhouses) in the area.
Before you get in the water, be sure to brush up on the rules and etiquette of public bathing in Japan (i.e. wash well the sit-down showers before getting in the bath and go fully naked in the water).
You can buy passes for individual mountains or you can get passes that allow you to ski and snowboard all of the valley’s resorts. These can be purchased online or at each mountain’s ticket office.
If you’re hiring equipment, you’ll find the rental system efficient and easy to navigate. It’s also a lot cheaper than hiring gear in Australia.
Though English is not exactly widely spoken in Japan, in most rental places workers will have at least some language due to the international guests streaming through the ski resort. There are also many foreigners working out in Hakuba during the winter season.
Tourism in Japan is popping off in a big way, but the way some Australians travel – in loud, obnoxious groups combined with heavy drinking – is very different to the way Japanese people travel and move about. Manners matter a lot!
It’s so important to be respectful when you travel Japan, which you can do by learning a few common phrases, curbing your alcohol intake (which is a good safety mechanism anyway when you’re in a snowy area) and being mindful of your noise, presence and impact on those around you.
Hero image 📸 Delphine Ducaruge
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