Hello and Welcome to the 2026 Hokkaido / Tohoku Ski Tour

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Ohio kazimas and thank you for your interest in the 2026 SST Tour to Japan.  Although this tour is arguably the best tour to Japan that we have ever offered, compared to the cost of previous years SST Packages, get ready for a bit of sticker shock.  If you have been keeping up to date on what's going on with Japanese accommodation prices over the past 5 years or so, you will be well aware that prices have been skyrocketing.  Not only that, demand for premium services and prime dates have been selling out earlier and earlier each year.  As it turns out, our current offer must be accepted no later than May 30 this year.

 

Undaunted, I have been busy pulling from my resources and contacts built up over the years and have found them to very loyal and accommodating.  As a result, this years offering although not cheap compared to previous years, will not disappoint with the value we have been able to put into this package.  

 

The Package will take you to the iconic island of Hokkaido and a week of skiing at Niseko United and then for a week in the less well known but authentic Japanese mountain frontier of Tohoku and to the resort of Appi Kogen. Without further ado, here is the 2026 SST offering for Japan.

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You will be flying into Sapporo, Japan the gateway to the island of Hokkaido.  Flights from North America typically arrive around 10:00p in the evening so you will gather your luggage and make your way to the included hotel in Sapporo for the first evening, January 15.  See below for the best air itinerary outline.

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The next day, after a 3 hour transfer by bus to the 4**** Green Leaf Hotel, Niseko Village, you will check-in to your home for the next 6 nights.  The hotel is located right on the slope and the lift to the Niseko United complex goes right out from the hotel.  For 5 ski days, your guides will choose where to ski based on their knowledge of where the best snow conditions will be and will include skiing Niseko Annupuri and may include day trips to adjacent resorts such as Rusitsu, Kiroro etc.

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On January 22, you will transfer back to Sapporo and catch a short 1 hour flight (not included*) south to the Tohoku Region located on the top of the south island.  From the airport, it's a short 1 hour bus ride out to the Appi Kogen Resort to your home for the next 7 nights, the ski in/out 4**** ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel.

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For the next 6 days, you will have the Appi Kogen Resort at your disposal.  The snow found in this region is world famous for low humidity quality yuki (snow) and compared to the north island, an uncrowded experience awaits.  The resort has undergone large development over the past years and has modern lifts and has great in bounds and slack-country powder skiing.  The last time we were here in 2020, we didn't have the best luck with the snow conditions so guides were deemed as unnecessary.  The package this time leaves guiding services as an option which helps to economize and keep the package price as reasonable as possible.

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Both resorts include western style beds, breakfast & dinners at the resorts, spas and Japanese onsens as well as ski in and out from your locker rooms, lift tickets, wifi etc; a thing of beauty it is.

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Alas all good things for this tour will come to an end on January 29.  As you lost a day traveling to Japan,  you gain it back starting with a transfer to the airport and the first leg of your return flight and arriving back home; all in the same day.**

 

Stay tuned for further details as they break.  The plan is to have both the 2026 Booking Form and the link to make the Nominal Initial Deposits live by next weekend, May 24 if all the stars align. 

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As an aside and a departure from the normal modus operandi for SST Ski Tours, Manon and I won't be hosting this one.  We learned from doing two tours back to back from Whistler to Europe then on to Japan and then back, that it is a super onerous itinerary.  In the end though, if it would have been possible to make the two schedules link up together which it wasn't, we would have made the effort to be your host on both of them.  

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Both tours are on very specific schedules to take advantage of the best value propositions for each and in the end, the two schedules overlapped.  We will be hosting the Swiss Ski Tour only and long time SST coach and previous Japan Ski Tour client, Brian Rode has graciously agreed to be the man in charge on the ground in Japan for the 2026 Ski Tour.  More news to follow as we move along.

 

*Flight from Sapporo, checkout the following flight itinerary choosing the 10:10a departure

JAL Airlines

Jan 22 - Sapporo (CTS) to Hanamaki (HNA).

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**Flying from Vancouver, checkout the typical flight itinerary as follows:

ANA Airlines

Jan 14 - Vancouver YVR to Sapporo (CTS)

Jan 29 - Odate Noshiro (ONJ) to Vancouver (YVR)

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