Hakuba Valley hosted the alpine and ski jumping events of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and today links ten ski resorts — including Happo-One, Goryu, and Cortina — across a single valley beneath the jagged 3,000-metre Hakuba Three Peaks. The region receives some of Japan's deepest powder snowfall, regularly exceeding 10 metres per season, drawing backcountry enthusiasts alongside resort skiers. The village retains strong international infrastructure built for the Olympics: English-speaking instructors, diverse restaurants, and ryokan offering post-ski onsen experiences make it uniquely accessible to first-time visitors to Japan skiing.
- Type
- Experience
- Category
- Adventure
- Season
- Winter
- Month
- December–March
- Region
- Chubu
- Prefecture
- Nagano
- City
- Hakuba
Highlights
- ◆10 linked ski resorts on 1998 Winter Olympic terrain
- ◆Average 10+ metres of annual snowfall — true 'Japow'
- ◆Happo-One's panoramic Northern Alps summit views
- ◆Backcountry and cat-ski tours into pristine powder bowls
- ◆Onsen villages at the base for après-ski soaking