Updated April 25, 2025
It sucks. Don’t go. Let me explain.
First off, the snow. There’s too much of it. It snows every day. Sometimes all day. You’ll wake up excited, thinking it’s gonna be deep. And it is. Too deep. Like, “spend 20 minutes trying to stand back up” deep.
You’re not riding powder—you’re surviving it.
I’ve watched good riders cry on their second lap. I’ve watched strong snowboarders get swallowed by the side of the piste because they didn’t have a tapered board and thought they’d be fine. No one came. They’re still stuck.
The trees will end you
Those dreamy, misty glades in your Instagram saves? That’s not what they look like in person. In person, it’s combat riding. Tight AF. Blind rollers. Drop-ins that look mellow and suddenly turn into a cliff band with a bamboo fence and a warning sign in a language you can’t read.
Your park board with twin stance? It’s useless here. Your ego? Also useless.
The food
It’s a problem. You’ll skip first chair because you “accidentally” ate a second breakfast. You’ll lose half a day wandering around trying to figure out which vending machine has that hot can of coffee from yesterday.
Also, the curry at the base lodge costs less than your usual energy bar back home. And it’s… good. Like actually good. Like “why do I even cook” good.
But yeah. Super inconvenient. Don’t come.
Everything else sucks too
- People are way too polite.
- The snow’s way too light.
- The mountains are too pretty.
- You’ll ruin yourself for any other kind of riding.
- The lifts are too efficient – it’s tiring.
No hype here. Definitely not worth the plane ticket.
Stay home.
Ride the icy home resort that hasn’t seen new snow this decade.
Tell yourself “it’s good for progression.”
Let the rest of us suffer in Japan in peace.
Final Thoughts
No need to thank us. We’ve got it covered.
We’ll just keep drowning in blower and pretending it’s awful.
Can’t believe I have to spend 3 more weeks here…
📝 TL;DR
Too much snow. Too many trees. Too good. Japan will ruin every other mountain for you. Do yourself a favour—don’t come.
