I Really Want to Gatekeep Furano, Japan
Skiing in Hokkaido, without the crowds.
This newsletter is brought to you by Sorel, a fitting partner since the first time I went snowboarding in Japan was back in 2018, when in fact I wore Sorels. The sheer amount of snow combined with sub-20 degree temps here will make nearly all of your other boots useless. If you want warm, dry feet and to not eat it on the slippery sidewalks walking to dinner, be like everyone else we saw in Furano and get yourself a pair.
For anyone who has a remote interest in skiing or snowboarding, I’m sure you’ve been inundated with videos of snowy scenes from resorts across Japan. Chances are they were filmed in Hakuba or Niseko, two of the country’s most popular winter destinations. I’ve been to both. Hakuba is easy to get to from Tokyo via bullet train. Niseko is amazing and our perennial favorite. You can’t really beat a place where there’s not only a stunning Park Hyatt but also a Ritz Carlton Reserve. The downside? Call it the Aspen of Asia as it’s gotten insanely expensive, even with a strong dollar against the yen, with crowds to match. After paying nearly $3,000 for five nights at a very overpriced Hilton last year that was last renovated in 1995, last year we decided to skip it in 2025. Instead, we went back to a place we first visited in 2018: Furano.
Like Niseko, Furano is also in Hokkaido which is the northernmost island in Japan. With a whopping 600 inches of snowfall annually, this year the weather has been even more impressive insane with a record breaking December and an equally as storm-filled early January. Head here and you’re almost always guaranteed some incredible runs. As for the town, it’s developed significantly since our last visit but it’s nowhere near as foreigner-friendly as Niseko. Cash and reservations are still king and the main town is an eight minute cab ride from the mountain area where most hotels are. It’s a quiet, relaxing place for people who love challenging runs during the day and good food at night — aka my idea of a perfect getaway.
Also if you’re reading this and you’re like but wait I don’t ski, the other ideal time to head to Furano is actually in the spring/summer. The town has incredible lavender fields that are extremely scenic and draw in just as many, if not more visitors. So, keep reading regardless of when you want to go there.
The Ski and Après-Ski Outfits
Daytime was pretty cold on the mountain, with highs in the mid-20s at the base and far chillier once you get to the summit. It also snowed a few mornings, which made for powdery runs but less than pleasant rides on the lift. I brought two ski suits, The North Face and Fusalp. Both were great at keeping me warm even though all I wore underneath was a Uniqlo Heattech top and either my The North Face or Halfdays leggings.
At night is when it gets absolutely frigid. You’ll have to do some short walks even if you’re taking taxis. I wore my Sorel Caribou boots everywhere. They’re on sale right now, making it the perfect time to get a pair. I recommend sizing down — I’m usually a women’s EU 37 and I wore a 6. Some backstory: the ones in these photos are identical to the pair I wore my first time in Japan. The only reason I have new ones (besides the brand sponsoring the newsletter) is that my old pair got so much wear over the years. After 8-ish years of snowboarding trips they started to smell. It was time to let them go.
You’ll be grateful for Sorels because' there’s no such thing as clear, shoveled streets in Furano. You’re either walking on packed snow or black ice both up and down hills. I’ve seen people try to get by with sneakers and those stretchy crampon-like attachments. They looked absolutely miserable teetering about like newborn deer. Plus, stores and restaurants hate it when you wear them inside as the spikes could damage their floors. I spotted at least 10+ other pairs of Sorels over the course of our five days there and for good reason — they had insanely good traction and kept my feet toasty warm. Plus, they’re extremely lightweight, a welcome relief after hours in heavy snowboarding boots.
On our first night I nabbed a spot at Robata (more info on all the restaurants later!) and it’s down a snowy, scenic alley. It was by far the coldest evening, clocking in somewhere in the negatives with the wind. I was an idiot and didn’t add on leggings under my baggy black faux leather trousers (a favorite purchase from Australia!) and I definitely felt the chill seep through. But otherwise this COS chunky cashmere sweater coupled with my Aritzia puffer did the trick, especially as we decided to do 10 minute post-dinner digestion walk to 7-11 for dessert.
Day two called for a late afternoon Lawson’s run. Convenience stores like 7-11, Lawson’s, Family Mart, and Seicomart are truly the best for snacks, water, and my personal favorite — vitamin C drinks to avoid getting sick. We make it a point to stock our room with plenty of combini goodies. In my bag was two massive bottles of water, Aquarius (Japanese Gatorade), a tomato ramen, and a miso ramen plus a few bags of rice cracker chips. The Aritzia puffer made a repeat appearance as did the leather pants but this time around I had the wherewithal to layer tights under. With an extremely thick Khaite cashmere sweater I was cozy and warm — great since we had a different snowy, scenic alley dinner at GYORO GYORO.
By the third morning our legs were screaming for a break. If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know that I’m a fan of going through ungroomed terrain and the best areas in Furano involve hiking about a half mile uphill. We did that…many times. My thighs and calves most definitely felt every one of those steps upwards. Also, I may have sorta fallen into areas by running creeks twice and had to hike out in knee high snow.
Suffice to say I was TIRED and all I wanted to do was stay within a five minute walk at our hotel. A deliciousHokkaido milk soft serve break from the cafe downstairs was well-deserved. Yes, I froze a teeny bit to get this shot. But I love a classic après ski look, albeit reinterpreted my way courtesy of a Sacai Nordic sweater and leggings from a Lafayette 148 ski capsule that have a petite inseam option. J.Crew makes a cheaper version that I like as well. As for dinner, we didn’t venture too far — the hotel across from us had amazing wagyu rice bowls so that was the perfect way to cap off the evening.
For our last night in Furano, we took a 20 minute taxi ride to Ningle Terrace, a scenic village right outside the Shin Furano Hotel. It’s full of local crafts and while we didn’t pick up anything, it was nice for a walk. Given how Instagrammable it is, you better believe it was full of girls getting their Red Note content. I’m not going to lie, I may have stalked that location tag on the app to figure out an outfit although I chickened out at taking off the leather pants at the end. I was more into the layered look anyway! It gave this cream Simone Rocha sweater a bit more edge when layered. Immediately after this pic was taken I put my puffer back on and walked 10 min in the dark and snow to head to the most picturesque bar for fondue and martinis.
Getting Here and Other Logistics
For us, and likely you too, Furano is but one stop in your Japan vacation. Usually we stack our schedule by flying to Tokyo for a week before heading to ski for the second half of the trip. This time around, I had a bit of work in Seoul and we first flew into Tokyo for 48 hours before heading up to Hokkaido. The best way to get there is by taking a one hour flight from Haneda to New Chitose Airport in Sapporo. Yes, there are trains available but a plane ride is not much more cost-wise and way easier. Also, get the kaisen don for breakfast at the domestic terminal Haneda, there’s no better way to start the morning than with a bowl of uni, crab, and salmon roe.
Once you land you can either rent a car (just remember they drive on the other side!), request a private transfer from your hotel, or take the ski bus. We opted for the last option, it’s super affordable ($35 each way) and drops us literally across the street from our hotel. The ride takes around 2.5 hours with a brief stop halfway. One caveat: wear a mask. Everyone was coughing and hacking up a lung each time we took it. One year we skipped the mask and boy did we regret it, I got the WORST cold.
While a lot of people tend to bring their own gear, we opted to forgo that — it’s a lot to schlep around, even if you’re using a luggage service like Yamato to send your luggage from hotel to hotel. We’ll pack our ski wear, helmet, boots, and googles and then rent a board and bindings from Rhythm Japan. They have both skis and snowboards plus full on outfits that you can rent. It costs around $40 per day for their premium setup (aka not the beginner stuff) and they have all of the major brands like Burton, Jones, Capita, etc.
And speaking of Yamato, use those types of services as much as possible. Once we land in Tokyo we head straight there (they’re in every airport!) to send our bigger suitcases to our hotels. It’s around $14-$20 per suitcase and worth every penny. Almost all hotels work with them as well. For this trip we arranged for our bigger luggages to go from hotel to hotel with any essentials packed into a carry-on for easy transport. In the case of the one that contained our ski clothes, it went from Furano straight to storage at Narita once we no longer needed it. Trust me from personal experience that there is no greater hell than boarding the Tokyo metro during rush hour with luggage. Everyone will absolutely hate you.
Where to Stay
Back in 2018 we didn’t have a ton of choices for accommodations in Furano. Wow, has that changed. You can technically opt for AirBnB and stay further out if you choose the rental car option but we prefer being close to the ski area. Slope side, or within a ten minute walk is ideal especially if you’re looking to get on the mountain early or you’re too tired after lunch. Thankfully a slew of new hotels have opened up in the last five years.
If I had booked earlier I would have preferred to stay at either Fenix Furano or Fenix West. They’re own by The Luxe Nomad, a hospitality group that has a huge presence in Niseko as well as properties in Bali, Samui, and Phuket. In Furano they offer both hotel rooms as well as apartment style rentals for bigger groups. They’re sleek, fairly roomy, and well maintained. The best part is that they’re literally across the street from the ski slope. Rhythm is located in the lobby of one while the other has Ronin Coffee, a great little spot for very strong lattes.
Unfortunately, we booked fairly late (October) and we found ourselves at the Nozo Hotel. It opened up in 2023 and everything is super clean and new. The downside? The rooms are pretty tiny and you’ll have to do some creative luggage maneuvering. Service was excellent with staff that spoke English and helped with dinner reservations. There’s also an onsen on site but I’m the type of person who does not like getting naked with other people so I skipped that. Next year I’m aiming to book earlier and get a better spot at either of the Fenix properties but I’d also return to the Nozo if need be.
Where to Eat
The ski area food is probably 50% of the reason why I like snowboarding in Japan. Why eat crappy burgers at some North American resort that cost $30 when you can get a bowl of ramen or a katsu curry for a fraction of that price? The only downside is that it’s almost too delicious. I overeat and find myself in a food coma, making it hard to get back on the slopes for another run.
Breakfasts are usually offered for an additional fee by your hotel. We opted to skip at ours, it looked rather mediocre. In the past, we’ve taken advantage of them with the Park Hyatt Niseko breakfast buffet being next level. They had hand-pulled noodles, huge Japanese breakfast spread, dim sum, congee, pastry spread, and so much more.
Dinnertime is when you really get a chance to sample everything Furano has to offer. Most of the good spots are in town and require a short cab ride. Reservations are also mandatory — I saw so many groups get turned away, thinking they could walk in. I messaged my hotel about two weeks out to take care of this for me and that’s the advantage of staying in one versus an AirBnB. They can call the restaurant since online reservations barely exist at the really good spots. Here are some of my favorite spots:
Inaka Soba Tamaya
14-8 Kitanominecho, Furano, Hokkaido 076-0034
This soba restaurant was steps away from our hotel and no reservations are required. We stopped in for a quick bite on the evening we got into Furano. They’re truly a mom and pop shop with only three people who work at the establishment. Take off your shoes at the door and be prepared to pay in cash. I ordered the classic with prawn tempura and Chris got the duck soba. Everything was soothing, warm, and delicious.
GYORO GYORO
12-21 Hinodemachi, Furano, Hokkaido 076-0025
GYORO GYORO is a modern izakaya with a young staff and that’s a good thing. They do a mix of classic favorites like an incredible sashimi plate and chicken yakitori skewers. What I really loved though, were the more experimental plates, like the crab miso tofu and a corn, chicken, seaweed pizza that sounds weird but was SO good. We had our hotel make this reservation for us — try to be flexible and give a range of dates and times if you can.
Robata
12-33 Hinodemachi, Furano, Hokkaido 076-0025
In contrast, Robata has been around for decades. It’s most famous for being featured in the Japanese drama From the Northern Country, which aired back in 1981 and has had a cult following since. The current owner (the business has been in the family for ages) is a character and his son now works there as well. From the hot sake warming on a wood fire in the center of the room to the rustic decor, it’s a cozy way to wind down. My favorites were the grilled eel as well as an oyster ponzu dish that was so flavorful that I wish I had the stomach space to eat more. Reservations are a must and only accepted via telephone. We made the mistake in 2018 of not getting one and were immediately turned away. I witnessed the same thing happen to countless other hungry patrons the night we were there.
Dobburi Furano
14-31 Kitanominecho, Hokkaido, Furano, 076-0034
All you need to know is that you’ve never had better beef than when you eat this torched wagyu rice bowl. Add in the egg yolk plus that sauce along with some scallions and yuzu kosho and you’ll be wanting a second bowl halfway through. But you don’t need it — the portion seems small but is more than satisfying. No reservations needed but some dishes tend to sell out as they’re also open for lunch.
Soh’s Bar for Miserable Smokers
Nakagoryo, Furano, Hokkaido 076-0016
After exploring Ningle Terrace, follow the signs to head to Soh’s Bar for a drink and fondue. It’s about a ten minute walk in semi-darkness on a path illuminated by spaced out light posts. Once you get there, you’ll know — a snowy cottage appears as if you were in a fairytale. With a huge window that overlooks the snow laden trees behind the bar and a big roaring fireplace, it reminds me of the infamous Bar Gyu+ aka the Fridge Bar in Niseko, except without the two hour wait. Reservations aren’t mandatory, we walked in without one but also doesn’t hurt.
As for the drinks and food? The martinis are strong and their fondue is made with Hokkaido milk, which has so much flavor but somehow digests easily. One caveat: like the name implies, you can smoke in there. I don’t mind it and I love seeing all the vintage cigarette boxes framed on the walls but some people might be sensitive.
And finally, because I never have time to go to all of the places I have bookmarked, these are high on my list for next year:
Yuiga Doxon
11-8 Hinodemachi, Furano, Hokkaido 076-0025
Curry is a big thing in Hokkaido and Yuiga Doxon is one of the best spots in town for it. There are no reservations for this rustic cottage and only three tables inside, so no matter what you’ll have to wait. The food looks amazing — it’s a Furano institution for a reason!
Masajin
12−23 Hinodemachi, Furano, Hokkaido, 076-0025
Genghis Kahn barbecue is another only in Hokkaido must and has nothing to do with the Mongolian warlord. Apparently the Australia and New Zealand lamb and mutton industries wanted to increase their exports and this dish was invented. You grill thin slices of meat at your table before dipping it into ponzu sauce. Wash it down with some Sapporo beer and it’s the perfect hot meal on a freezing day.
Fukuzushi
1-24 Asahimachi, Furano, Hokkaido 076-0026
My biggest regret is not going to Fuzushi for a meal. Hokkaido is best known for seafood, especially uni. Winter also happens to be crab season. According to the reviews the sushi here is on the large side but you can ask for a regular portion. Next time you bet I’ll be here.
Writing this makes me so sad that I’m back home! I really hope you get a chance to visit Furano, it’s such a special place. I know I’ll be there next January. And thanks again to Sorel for sponsoring this, it could not be a better fit for this newsletter. See you next week, which is…New York Fashion Week. Yes, it’s that time again even though it’s a rather diminished schedule. Highlights to follow!
Requisite disclaimer here: If you click on a link, I may get a small commission which helps support this newsletter. Also, sharing is greatly appreciated!