Hokkaido Sports & Outdoors

Summer in the Daisetsuzan National Park

by idy

After the blooming of the cherry blossoms in spring, summer brings hikers and mountaineers to the Daisetsuzan National Park. The park covers 230,000 hectares of central Hokkaido, making it Japan's largest national park.There are four main trails in the popular Mount Kurodake vacinity - the Mount Kurodake course, the Mount Akadake course, the Kogen Spa course and the Aizankei course. Hikers doing the hour-long 1.7-km Mount Kurodake climb will enjoy a splendid panoramic view of the piosonous hot springs of the Ohachidaira Cauldron, Mount Hokuchindake and other surrounding peaks.Along the various trails, there are camping facilities and shelter available to hikers. Travellers may also vist to stop at the various hot spring spas that the region is well-known for. Camping equipment is recommended if you intend to sleep under the stars. Hikers should also have water, food, a map, first aid...

Winter on Mount Kurodake

by idy

From November to January, skiers flock to the slopes of Mount Kurodake. The lifts operate daily. In November, the operation hours are from 8am to 4.30pm. In December and January, the lifts operate from 9am to 4pm. The ropeway and lifts will close from mid-February to mid-March. They reopen in March to welcome the spring skiers until April, when spring begins to give way to summer.

Snowboarding in Hokkaido

by His_Beloved

If you live in Japan and want to visit Hokkaido for some winter fun, a local travel agent can help you find a packaged deal to fit anyone's budget. Five friends and I went to Hokkaido for five days and our travel agent found us a deal that cost us less than $400 for domestic flight and lodging per person, and that's cheap for Japan!

Rutsutsu Offers Great Skiing Terrain.

by AKtravelers

Ski Niseko for Awesome Powder

by AKtravelers