John Buckley Sep 10, 2025 30 min read
Japan Ski & Travel Guide
Niseko, Rusutsu & Japow AdventuresThis Japan Ski Travel Guide is built for independent adventurers chasing deep turns, real snow, and real experiences. I focus on Hokkaido — home to legendary resorts like Niseko and Rusutsu — where Japow lives up to the hype.
Whether you’re planning your first ski trip to Japan or returning for another powder fix, you’ll find honest advice, resort comparisons, gear tips, and original ski-inspired apparel — all created from firsthand experience on the slopes.
Hokkaido Ski Adventures
Japan’s north island is where skiing and snowboarding dreams come true. I’ve skied Niseko and Rusutsu back-to-back, and I’m publishing detailed guides that cut through the noise to help you plan the trip that’s right for you.
Japow Apparel Collection
Can’t find cool ski gear that actually reps your favorite Japanese resorts? I couldn’t either — so I designed my own.
While skiing Niseko and Rusutsu, I noticed a serious lack of stylish, resort-specific apparel. What little I found came with a premium price tag. So I built the Japow Apparel Collection: affordable shirts and hoodies inspired by Hokkaido powder culture, designed for skiers who want to take a little Japow stoke home with them.
Explore the collection below — with new designs dropping soon.
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Essential Japan Travel Info
Time in Japan: JST
Japanese Currency:
Yen ¥ (JPY)
USD $1.00 = ¥ 152.5
* Subject to fluctuation