A look back at Hidemitsu Okada and Mirai Nakagawa's Hokkaido Powder Belt trip with photos | Asahikawa, Furano, and Tomamu

The area of ​​Asahikawa, Furano, and Tomamu in Hokkaido is known as the Hokkaido Powder Belt. Located inland of Hokkaido, this area is surrounded by the Daisetsu Mountains and the Tokachi Mountain Range, so it receives a lot of light snow. Hidemitsu Okada and Miki Nakagawa, who usually live in Sapporo, took a short trip to experience some of the lightest snow in Hokkaido. Let's take a look at their trip and the appeal of the powder in the Hokkaido Powder Belt

Photo: Ayako Niki

The first place the two headed to was Asahikawa City. Asahikawa is Hokkaido's second largest city, and is home to 12 ski resorts within an hour's drive. While surrounded by ski resorts each with their own unique character, the city center is lined with restaurants and other establishments, making it a great place to enjoy gourmet food and sightseeing

"Ski City" Asahikawa is a place where you can enjoy both the city and the snowy mountains

Of the many ski resorts in Asahikawa, the one they wanted to go to was Kamui Ski Links, commonly known as Kamui. An astonishing 30% of the ski resort is made up of ungroomed snow and tree run areas. It's a ski resort where you can fully experience the light snow that falls in Hokkaido's powder belt

The two particularly recommend the deep powder course at the northern end of the ski resort. This is an 800m long course for advanced skiers, with a steep slope of up to 32 degrees. The terrain is varied, and you can even use the jump points and undulating terrain for freeriding. As the slope faces north, the snow quality remains good for a long time

After skiing on the deep powder, there are still other ungroomed runs such as "Todomatsu," "Bumps," and "Royal." The secret to Kamui's popularity is its wide variety of runs, from gentle runs and fun tree runs to open runs

If you come to Kamui, you definitely want to ski the "Gold" course. It is divided into "Gold 3," "Gold 2," and "Gold 1" from the top, and together they are about 3km long. "Gold 3" and "Gold 2" have slopes that are 150m wide, allowing you to make spectacular turns while skiing

A city hotel that warmly welcomes skiers

After skiing down Kamui, the two returned to Asahikawa and checked into their accommodation. Their accommodation in Asahikawa was OMO7 Asahikawa by Hoshino Resorts. Located in the heart of the city, it offers a city feel while also offering comprehensive services for skiers

First of all, there is a ski drying room in front of the entrance, and the room for two people has space to store snow gear, so you can dry gloves, boots, etc. Around Asahikawa, temperatures of minus 20 degrees are common. Frozen gear can cause problems when skiing, so it's great to be able to dry your gear

Other great services include the OMO Ticket Counter, where you can purchase lift tickets for nearby ski resorts, and Today's Powder Information/Live Broadcast, which forecasts the best powder spots for the day and connects you to local ski resorts. The OMO Wax Bar offers around 30 types of wax for free, providing a wealth of services for skiers. Another great feature is the free shuttle bus service to four ski resorts: Kamui Ski Links, Daisetsuzan Asahidake Ropeway, Pippu, and Santa Present Park

Enjoy your stay in Asahikawa at night

At night, let an OMO Ranger, who knows Asahikawa inside and out, show you around town. For a guided tour fee of 1,000 yen, you'll be shown around Asahikawa's tourist spots and the bars where snow bums gather. If you want to get to know the city more in-depth, this is the one to go for

Immerse yourself in skiing for ultimate relaxation

After enjoying walking around Asahikawa and the powder snow, the pair headed next to Hoshino Resort Tomamu. Tomamu is a three-hour drive south of Asahikawa. Hokkaido is so vast that a three-hour trip was no big deal for the pair. As soon as they arrived, they headed out onto the slopes

Tomamu's inland climate means that only dry powder accumulates. Furthermore, Shimukappu Village, where Tomamu is located, is also the village that recorded the lowest temperature in Japan since 2000. The temperature was a whopping -35.8°C, so once it accumulates, the powder stays cold forever. A "Super El Niño" climate is predicted nationwide this season, meaning a warm winter, but Tomamu will likely be unaffected by it

Among the recommended ungroomed runs are "No Gravity" on the Tower Mountain side, which has a maximum gradient of 35 degrees and a steep slope of 770m, and "Glory," a run along the ridge. A surefire routine is to ski "No Gravity" first thing in the morning, followed by the other ungroomed runs. After skiing the ungroomed runs, head to the "Advanced Ski Area." This is an area for advanced skiers, and requires registration for the Yukiyama app, acceptance of the philosophy agreement, and wearing a helmet when skiing. There is still powder hidden here. Both of them have found some great snow at Tomamu in the past, describing it as "unforgettable."

Tomamu's strengths lie in its excellent snow park, despite the fact that it receives such superb powder snow. Okada, who comes from a park background, and Nakagawa, who has recently been practicing jumps, were immediately captivated by the park. Both were engrossed in the well-maintained park.
Okada commented,
"While it's commonplace for ski resorts overseas to have parks, Tomamu is the only resort in Japan that has a park this well-maintained
.

One of the great things about Tomamu is that there is a variety of ways to ski, such as skiing on the piste runs and ungroomed areas in the morning while the snow conditions are good, and then moving to the park in the afternoon

Luxury to be enjoyed within Tomamu

After enjoying the ski slopes, the Tomamu way to spend your time is to relax at the hotel.
Risonare Tomamu offers all-suite rooms, each with a spacious interior, private sauna, and jacuzzi. Among them, the "Skiers Suite," the only one of its kind at Risonare Tomamu, is a must-see for skiers. It is equipped with a dedicated rack and boot heater for drying boots and clothing, and the wallpaper features photos of the ski resort. There is a long, narrow storage space under the bedroom for storing ski bags. Furthermore, the interior even includes a chair made from a repurposed single-person chairlift that was actually used in the past. It is a room that will surely delight the hearts of ski lovers.

After dinner, the two headed to Ice Village. Inside the ice buildings, there are bars, restaurants, general stores and more, making it a great place to enjoy sightseeing. There are also activities such as a skating rink and zip line. Tomamu also has plenty of other things to do besides skiing, such as Minami-Mina Beach, where you can enjoy the summer atmosphere in the pool even in the middle of winter. You can fully enjoy your stay in Tomamu without having to travel repeatedly

A complete CAT tour

The next day, they took a CAT tour. They were taken to the foot of Mt. Karifuri in a shuttle car from Tomamu. From there, they boarded a CAT and were taken to a deserted, untracked slope. The runs were mainly on the northeast slope. They usually skied around six runs a day, each about 200-450m long. The upper part of the mountain was open, while the lower half was in the forest, offering a wide range of enjoyable situations. There had been no snowfall the day before the two arrived in Tomamu, but powder remained in the area where they would be skiing on the CAT tour

At noon, we enjoyed a sumptuous lunch in a large tent called a "yurt." On this day, we had sukiyaki (contents subject to change)

Okada and Nakagawa laughed, saying, "We've never experienced anything like this before—being guided to a place with powder without having to walk a single step, and then having sukiyaki for lunch!" It was such a luxurious experience

The Hokkaido Powder Belt is known for having some of the best powder snow in Hokkaido. The true essence of the Hokkaido Powder Belt lies not just in skiing in one area, but in enjoying a longer stay while experiencing the powder.
For the ultimate powder experience, we recommend allocating a longer period and staying in all three areas to fully enjoy the experience.

OMO7 Asahikawa by Hoshino Resorts
Location: 1-9, 6-jo-dori, Asahikawa City, Hokkaido
Price: From 20,000 yen per room per night (tax included, meals not included)
URL:https://omo-hotels.com/asahikawa/
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Hoshino Resorts Tomamu / Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Tomamu
Address: Nakatomamu, Shimukappu-mura, Yufutsu-gun, Hokkaido 079-2204, Japan
Phone: 0167-58-1111 (Main number)
Number of rooms: 735 rooms (Tomamu The Tower: 535 rooms, RISONARE Tomamu: 200 rooms)
Check-in: 15:00~ / Check-out: ~11:00
Rates: Tomamu The Tower: From 11,400 yen per night, RISONARE Tomamu: From 21,900 yen per night (Prices are per person based on double occupancy, including tax, service charge, and breakfast)
Access: Approximately 100 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport, approximately 90 minutes by JR train (with transfers, free shuttle bus from Tomamu Station, no reservation required)
URL:https://www.snowtomamu.jp
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Karifuri-dake CAT Tour
Operating Period: January 26, 2023 - March 10, 2023
Price: 50,600 yen per person
Apply here:https://www.snowtomamu.jp/winter/ski/expert/cat.php

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