Hello Explorers! We hope you’re enjoying the winter weather!
Our good friends at Iwanai Resort are open for business!
The small town of Iwanai, Hokkaido, offers exceptional powder snow with small town warm hospitality. Iwanai resort provides a unique skiing experience. The Iwanai slopes are a 45-minute drive from the busy and crowded town of Niseko. During the winter season, the price of everything goes up exponentially! Lunch and a beer elsewhere would cost you below ¥1,000 whereas in Niseko it can cost 2 to 3 times that.

Iwanai being a little further out of town offers untracked snow, beautiful unspoilt views and first-rate customer service.

The resorts biggest attraction is their CAT tour. A Snow CAT is a large closed cabin vehicle that moves snow. These days they are an excellent way to take Skiers and Snowboarders up to the top of the mountain. The tour costs ¥65,000 which includes a world-class sushi lunch. Below is an overview of a trip with a pick-up from Niseko.

Pick up Niseko 7:00-7: 30 am

Arrive Iwanai Resort 8:15 am

Day Briefing 8:30 am

Start Tour 9:00 am

Coffee & Donuts 10:30am

Lunch 12:30pm

Finish Tour 3:30 pm

Après ski till… 4:30-5: 30 pm

Arrive Niseko 5:30 -6: 30 pm

The resort also has a lift which started operating this year. The lift prices are:

2 hour pass / 2時間券 ¥1,500

4 hour pass / 4時間券 ¥2,500

1 day pass / 1日券　 ¥3,000

Season Pass / シーズン券 ¥25,000

So, there’s something to suit anyone’s budget.
Of course, you’re welcome to stay in the town. The town has a selection of budget and 4-star accommodation. Whenever my wife and I are in town, we stay at Iwanai Kogen Hotel. The hotel offers beautiful views of the town and the Sea of Japan. Excellent Kaiseki dining followed by a relaxing dip in a hot spring bath. Book with Trip Advisor

Getting to Iwanai can take a bit of time, but that is no different from Niseko or the other ski fields. Sapporo Chuo bus runs and a daily bus to and from Iwanai from the Sapporo clock tower (Tokei-dai) the trip takes under 3 hours. Remember that you’re free to eat and drink on the bus. Alcohol too. But, we recommend you don’t drink before hitting the slopes!

In special instances, Iwanai resort may be able to provide transport to and from Sapporo.
To find out more visit their website https://iwanairesort.com/
Keep exploring.