Skiing near Osaka

[cpuer]

Anyone can recommend an easy to access skiing resorts from Osaka? Max travelling time is 120min from Osaka. I am planning for a fun family skiing trip in Dec 2014. TIA

 

[samtcy]

Anyone can recommend an easy to access skiing resorts from Osaka? Max travelling time is 120min from Osaka. I am planning for a fun family skiing trip in Dec 2014. TIA

Dec is kinda early for ski resorts to open though, since the temperature in Kansai region is not as cold as say Nagano, Tohoku or Hokkaido.
That said, you will have better chance of ski resorts opening if you go during end Dec.

You can consider these:
Hakodate-yama ski area (no overnight stay, not to be confused with Hakodate in Hokkaido which is a totally different place)
Biwako valley ski area (no overnight stay)

If you have JR pass or JR Kansai Area Wide pass:
- (To go Hakodateyama) You can take the Ltd Exp Thunderbird train (66mins, the only direct Ltd Exp train departs Osaka at 0810 and arrive at 0916, usual fare 3980yen for 1 way) or regular JR Special Rapid train (76mins, usual fare 1890yen for 1 way) from Osaka station to Omiimazu station at no charge. Then at Omiimazu station, take a bus (about 25mins bus ride) to the gondola station of Hakodateyama.

- (To go Biwako Valley) You can take the regular JR Kosei line train (43mins, usual fare is 570yen for 1 way) from Kyoto station to Shiga station. Kyoto station is about 30mins regular train ride from Osaka. From Shiga station, take a bus (about 15mins bus ride) to the gondola station of Biwako Valley.

These 2 places started their winter season in mid Dec, but someone I know from forum went to Hakodateyama a few days after they open in Dec and there was only enough snow for 1 slop. The grounds are not even covered in snow yet. So you'd probably have much better luck if you go during the last few days of Dec instead.

Alternatively, there's also ski area at Kobe (no overnight stay):
???????????????????? ROKKOSAN.COM

 

[cpuer]

sam, thanks for the detailed and helpful guide. I know about Rokkosan Snow Park, in fact it's my kind of "skiing". But my son has specifically asked for the real skiing. That's why I am a bit lost here. Also I was just back from Kanto area, so don't intend to go back to that area this year. Will look it up at Hakodateyama.

This round, we will be going in late Dec. But even then probably the snow is not a lot still, so that part maybe the deciding factor if we should travel all the way to Shiga's Hakodateyama or just simply have some snow ball fights and sledging in Rokkosan.

Thanks again.

 

[anyhowsaysay]

Why not just go for a 2 nights stay or something at ski resort in Nagano etc

Ski with onsen~

HAKUBA HAPPO-ONE WINTER RESORT

Hakuba in Nagano starts from Dec

 

[samtcy]

Why not just go for a 2 nights stay or something at ski resort in Nagano etc

Ski with onsen~

HAKUBA HAPPO-ONE WINTER RESORT

Hakuba in Nagano starts from Dec

Yeah, Nagano has more skiing areas with real snow.
Hakuba, Nozawa onsen, Shiga Kogen...etc...

Or you can take peach airlines to fly to Hokkaido.

Takes about 5hrs of train ride to reach Hakuba from Shin-Osaka (with train transfers at Nagoya and Matsumoto).

Between Hakodateyama and Biwako Valley, I believe Hakodateyama would be colder than Biwako Valley and thus a slightly higher chance of seeing snow. Anyway, for last Dec, Hakodateyama ski slopes opened earlier than Biwako Valley's ski slopes.

 

[cpuer]

Tanks for the further input, like I said, not intend to go kanto liao. And Nagano is so far from Osaka, its going to takes up too much of our time and cost a lot more than we wanted to spend.