35th Parallel - adventure travel & sports community

Accompanied by your western tour leader and local guides you’ll experience challenging tree runs, deep Japanese powder and magical off-piste skiing. You’ll soak up the Japanese culture in more ways than one with regular onsens (hot baths!), snow monkeys and historic temples, as well as quality accommodation and delicious local cuisine.

Check out the great photos and videos from other travellers in our community!

Highlights include:

Hakuba

Hakuba is arguably the most popular winter sports region in Honshu. Set against an impressive mountain backdrop, it is home to a number of resorts lined up alonga 30km stretch of mountains.  The main resorts within the Hakuba village area include Happo-one, Iwatake, Tsugaike Kogen, Hakuba 47 and Hakuba Goryu. The men's downhill and super giant slalom as well as the ski jump and nordic combined events of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics all took place in Hakuba.

Zenkoji Buddhist Temple

Zenko-ji is a Buddhist temple, located in Nagano, Japan. The temple was built in the 7th century. Nagano City, established in 1897, was originally a town built around the temple. Historically, the Zenko-ji is perhaps most famous for its involvement in the battles between Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen in the 16th century, when it served as one of Kenshin's bases of operations. Currently, the Zenko-ji is one of the last few remaining pilgrimage sites in Japan. We stop off to explore this ancient temple when we transfer from Hakuba to Nozawa.

Nozawa Onsen

Nozawa is about an hour from Nagano City, and another of the more popular Japanese snow resorts.  Nozawa has that magical blend of culture, charm and powder skiing! From the cobblestone streets and natural hot spring-fed onsens, to the abundance of groomed runs and opportunities for off-piste and tree skiing, this old-time Japanese village offers the chance to experience one of the best single ski resorts in Japan. Owned by the tiny village, great care is taken in maintaining the resort and making guests feel welcome. The friendly atmosphere, 13 public onsens and unforgettable powder skiing, make Nozawa a 35th Parallel favourite!

Japanese Snow Monkeys

Groups of wild Japanese monkeys are found living in Jigokudani Yaen-koen, located in the mountains in Nagano. You can see these famous monkeys all over the park. They are used to being around people and some say they live as if they are humans! An outside hot spring was purpose-built for them and in the winter you will see them soaking themselves in the hot water while snow falls.

Check out the great photos and videos from other travellers in our community! 

Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo, Transfer to Nagano Prefecture

Konichiwa and welcome to Japan – a country famous for it’s unique blend of modern technology, ancient history and customs. On our Japan ski trip we meet at Narita, Tokyo’s airport. We know you’re all addicted to powder, so we don’t waste any time – transferring to Hakuba in the Nagano prefecture. It’s a long day, so we check in late and head straight to bed!

Day 2: Ski Hakuba

There’s no rest for powder fiends and the best way to get over your jetlag is to get amongst it out on the slopes! The Hakuba Valley is a huge expanse of resorts offering an incredible variety of terrain for skiers and snowboarders alike. Situated in the heart of the Japanese Alps, the alpine scenery is truly spectacular with huge rugged peaks towering above the town below. From one end of the valley to the other and with 10 resorts accessing over 200 runs, Hakuba is the skiing mecca of Japan. We take it easy on our first ski resort night as usually the travel and the first day on the slopes leaves plenty of tired bodies needing rest!

Day 3: Ski Hakuba

To begin with, we ski the three ski areas of Sun Alpina - Hakuba 47 and Goryu-Toomi as well as the Olympic ski resort of Happo-One, situated in the heart of Hakuba. These first couple of days are a chance to find your ski legs again and get the lay of the land. There’s plenty of night life too, and in the evenings we all dine at a local restaurant and explore the town.

Day 4-7: Ski Hakuba

By now, the jet lag will be wearing off and the ski muscles starting to strengthen. We spend several days really getting to know the Hakuba Valley. We have the choice to stay with what we know or venture to a new resort at the northern end of the valley. Wherever we end up we’ll be starting to get the hang of that deep, deep Japanese snow and the fun will be really starting. Generally, we dine as a party in a new restaurant each night. In each town, we also nominate a free night to allow people to team up, or for couple or singles to get out and explore the town on their own. Of course, some may choose to stay in and just relax, Japanese style!

Day 8: Transfer to Nozawa, Visit Zenkoji Temple

Today is a great blend of rest and culture as we transfer to the second resort in our powder road trip. We check out after a relaxed breakfast and head to Zenkoji, one of Japan’s most famous Buddhist temples. Later, we continue on to Nozawa Onsen heading for more local vibes, off-piste skiing and Japanese culture. We have time to check into our lodge and get to know the town before a group dinner in a local restaurant. Of course onsens are now a part of our daily ritual and we take time to soak our ski muscles ready for more action tomorrow.

Day 9: Ski Nozawa

This is our first day to explore Nozawa’s ski resort and no doubt much of our time will be spent on the quad chairs up the top of the mountain skiing the trees for fresh powder stashes. There are some hidden runs into deep valleys and great chances to watch other members of our group from the chairs. Nozawa has enough terrain to keep us entertained for days, and by night, the lantern-lit cobblestone streets will charm even the hardest off-piste skier or boarder.

Day 10: Ski Nozawa

At this stage of our trip, most people have had some experiences off-piste. Nozawa has enough skiing off the beaten track to keep us searching for powder lines. You’ll have to be nimble on your feet as there’s plenty of trees to deal with. Hopefully by now your confidence in powder will have increased and the last few days is an opportunity to explore all that Nozawa has to offer.

Day 11: Ski Nozawa & Snow Monkey Tour

Depending on the snow and the energy levels of the group, there’s another full day of quality skiing to be had. As an option, a half day skiing the freshies followed by an afternoon tour across to see some snow monkeys basking in the hot pools makes for a great diversion and a good excuse to rest the legs ready for the final couple of days. Tonight we participate in an important saki ritual in a local bar…

DAY 12: Ski Nozawa

These are our last full days on the slopes and we make the most of it. Hopefully we end our trip with some fresh, dry powder and some more deep Japanese powder turns. We reward ourselves with more local onsens, and celebrate the trip with another fantastic local dinner on our final night. Most likely saki induced conversation will have us debating how to take an onsen home with you! Nozawa grows on you and it is hard to leave this place once you’ve found it.

DAY 13: Optional Morning Ski or Shopping, Transfer to Tokyo

For the absolutely super keen, there’s a morning of skiing and riding to be extracted out of this day. Others might want to spend the morning exploring the streets of Nozawa Onsen. There are great sights to see and gifts to buy and more of the town’s charm to soak up. In the afternoon we transfer to Nagano and catch a train across to Tokyo, staying in a small, inner city hotel.

DAY 14: Explore Tokyo & Depart Home

On our final day, our group may need to head off to catch flights home at different times. For those with flights in the late afternoon or evening, Tokyo offers a crazy, urban experience! We aim for a great blend of culture and technology on our explore Tokyo day. There are options to visit Sensoji and Zojoji Temples, as well as Harajuku – one of Tokyo’s most famous fashion and shopping areas. Of course, no trip to Tokyo is complete without visiting Electric City - centre of electronic consumerism and home to the latest gadgets. We say our goodbyes as a group later that day as everyone heads home – their powder dreams complete and enough memories to last until next year! Siyonara!

Land Cost

Rates quoted are per person, based on sharing double or twin accommodations.  If you prefer single accommodations, you must pay the Single Supplement Fee.  If you’re travelling alone and wish to share accommodations, we’ll try our best to find you a roommate.

A 3.5% credit card processing fee will be charged to all payments.  To avoid this fee, contact us to arrange payment by bank transfer. See our Terms and Conditions of Travel for more information on cancellations and refunds.

What’s Included

All accommodation, ski passes, and meals as indicated in the itinerary are included.  Further inclusions are:

• Experienced Western trip leader
• English-speaking Japanese guides where required or beneficial
• Airport transfers to Hakuba in our own vehicle
• Transfer to Nozawa Onsen in our own vehicle
• Entry fees into Zenkoji temple
• Lunch on the transfer day
• Snow monkey tour & park entry fee
• Transfer to Nagano train station
• Shikansen (Bullet train) transfer to Tokyo
• Group tour of Tokyo
• Transfer to Narita airport for departure flight

What’s Not Included

International airfares; optional activities; optional tipping to leader/guides; gratuities; meals not noted as included on the itinerary; travel insurance (we strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance - 35th Parallel can provide this if you like); excess baggage charges; airport taxes; costs of medical immunisations; and items of a personal nature (sodas, alcoholic beverages, laundry etc.).

Optional Extras

The following are all optional extras and will incur an additional cost:

• Ski or snow board rentals
• Ski clothing rentals
• Guided back country ski tour of Hakuba
• If you wish to commemorate the experience, we can provide hats, t-shirts and soft jackets with custom printing or embroidery.

Sporting Conditions

Many of the sporting activities we do are weather dependent.  Whilst we make every effort to ensure the conditions are right by selecting the most suitable time of year and location, the actual conditions on tour are of course completely out of our control.  For this reason, there are no refunds due to lack of suitable weather conditions. For further details, please see our detailed Terms and Conditions of Travel. 

Air Travel

Airfares to and from the departure point for this trip are not included in the land cost.  We are happy to provide a quote for your domestic and/or international travel, or you can source your own airfares via the internet or your preferred travel agent.  Please be sure to confirm the details of your trip with our staff before purchasing or obtaining your tickets.  We also need to verify your arrival and departure schedule and ensure we have enough participants to operate the trip.

Seasonal Considerations

The weather in Japan will be very cold both during the day and night (approx -5 to 5°C).  You will be staying in ski resort towns at altitude during the main winter season. The Japanese alps receive literally metres of snow blown in from the Siberian plains. Wind chill can push outside temperatures down to -15°C. Average ski resort temperatures are in the -5°C  to 0°C . You should be prepared for winter conditions and pack accordingly - the pre-departure information pack provided once you've booked will outline exactly what you'll need for this trip.

Accommodation

To maximise the “local” aspect of our adventures, wherever possible we avoid staying in large hotels or “tourist traps”.  We prefer to stay in accommodations that would normally be frequented by the locals, thereby giving us more opportunities to travel like locals, and meet locals.  On this tour the accommodation are mainly small ryokan or Japanese ski lodges set in small towns or ski village areas. We also stay in a hotel in Tokyo for one night prior to our departure. There are no igloo options in the Japanese alps!

First Aid

Japan is a modern, industrialised economy with very good quality medical facilities. For our Japanese Powder Ski road trip, we rely on having access to modern hospitals in the event of emergency. Our Trip Leader carry’s a basic First Aid kit to handle any minor situations. You should bring any essential personal medical or first aid items that you need and obtain Travel Insurance before departing on the trip. Please be sure to read the comprehensive pre-departure pack for this trip to get an understanding of what to expect and what to bring.

To book your place on this great trip, you just need to do a couple things:

STEP 1	If you haven't already, click here to become a member of the 35th Parallel travel community and join the travel group relating to the trip and departure date you want to join.  You'll then get to meet the other travellers and even your guide!
STEP 2	Click here to complete the online Trip Registration form and pay the deposit for your trip using your credit card.
	Or, if you'd prefer:
	Download the PDF Trip Registration form, complete it and fax it back to us on +61-8-9200-6247

If you've got any questions, please don't hesitate to give us a call:
In Australia: +61-8-9463-6642
Toll Free from USA/Canada: 1888-460-1280