Country

Resort

6. Nozawa Onsen (Japan)

This was by far the hardest reservation I had to make. First, the typical third-party booking sites like Booking and Expedia did not give me many options. Second, any option I did find was astronomically priced. Luckily, I turned to Reddit for help, and someone mentioned booking through a Japanese rental agency. They recommended Nozawa Holidays.

I emailed them, and at first, things were not looking great. The first option they offered was way out of my price range. The second option was an attic room with a shared bathroom. They thought I would not want it, but they were wrong. It was perfect. I had my own cute little room, and it was by far the cheapest option I found. I booked it immediately. All I had to do was put down a 10% deposit, with the remaining balance charged shortly before my trip.

The place I stayed is called Nozawa Springs, and the location could not be better in relation to both the lifts and the town. It is about a five-minute walk to the nearest lift and a 10–15 minute walk into town. I would have given this place five stars if not for one small hiccup that the accommodations really could not control. There was a stink bug issue, which seems to be common around town.

These bugs look like small flying beetles and are apparently harmless, but they like to live in warm spaces such as attics. Unfortunately for me, I am very squeamish about bugs, and I had trouble sleeping the entire week. They can fly, and I was constantly worried one would end up on my face in the middle of the night. If you are not afraid of bugs, everything about this place was amazing. However, if bugs really bother you, you might want to consider staying somewhere else.

7. Hakuba (Japan)

If you get the chance to stay in the same place, you are going to love the owner! He is such a sweet older man and is always trying to help as much as possible. Since I was traveling by myself, I asked if he could pick me up from the bus station and he did! He also dropped me off on the day I left, which was super helpful, especially with all my bags.

The property itself does not have a kitchen for guests, so be aware of that. However, the owner does operate a small Italian restaurant if you do not want to go out. I ended up going out every night, so I did not get a chance to try his restaurant.

The pension is very close to the main street of Echoland where there’s a lot of great restaurants and bars. You can walk there in about 10 minutes although the sidewalk will probably be covered in snow/slush/mud. If you are looking for a major supermarket, the closest one I found is called The Big Hakuba, which is about a 25-minute walk from the pension. I walked there a few times, but just be warned that you do go down a random back street for a bit. If it is dark, it might feel a little scary since there are no lights except from the houses. That said, I walked it using my phone’s flashlight and it was totally fine.

8. Lotte Arai (Japan)

9. Rusutsu (Japan)

Finding reasonable accommodations in Rusutsu was not easy. The immediate area surrounding the main gondola is not really built up like most big ski resorts. I believe there are only 2-3 major hotels there and they are super expensive. A little farther out of the village, there are more reasonable accommodations, but then the problem is that my friend and I did not have a car. Luckily, I found this place where they have a daily shuttle service to and from the resort.

This place has various sleeping options form private rooms to hostel bunk beds. Since I was on a budget, I opted for the bunk beds. They are at least capsule-style so you do get some privacy but I’m not going to lie, the mattress was thin and the pillows were flat. We were there for only a couple of days so it wasn’t too bad but I feel like staying a week would have hurt my back. 

As for amenities, the property has a ski and drying room where you can store all your gear. There is also a small on-site restaurant if you do not feel like cooking. Otherwise, there are two kitchens available for guests to prepare their own meals. A Lawson convenience store is within a five-minute walk, which was super convenient. If you want to eat out, there is a neighboring town called Kimobetsu where we dined on a few nights. It is about a 15-minute walk and also has a 7-Eleven.

8. Niseko (Japan)

I booked this stay entirely on points for three nights. At the time, Park Hyatt Niseko required a minimum three-night stay, with each night costing 40,000 points. I shared the room with three friends, so we split the points four ways, meaning each of us only paid 30,000 points.

If you are not familiar, Hyatt allows you to transfer points to other Hyatt members every 30 days. It did take some coordination, but luckily I had the full 120,000 points upfront, so I booked the room first and had my friends pay me back later.

If you want to book this hotel on points, you unfortunately need to book right when availability opens. Hyatt releases award availability 10-13 months in advance depending on the property. That means you not only need all the points ready, but you also need to plan about a year ahead. I booked our room in February 2024 for February 2025.

9. Sapporo (Japan)

• Marriott Bonvoy Bold: 60,000 Point Sign-Up (Subject to Change)
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless: 125,000 Point Sign-Up + 1 Free Night (Subject to Change)
• Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful: 85,000 Point Sign-Up (Subject to Change)

We also made a day trip out to Sapporo Tiene to snowboard which you can do by train and bus. It takes roughly an hour to get to the resort from Marriott Courtyard Sapporo. 

10. Furano (Japan)

This was probably the best accommodation deal of my entire trip. Yes, it is a hostel, but the bunk beds are capsule-style and very roomy. I could sit up comfortably with room to spare, and each bed has a curtain for privacy. If I can stay next to a mountain for $34 a night, sign me up! With that being said, LADIES, I highly suggest you book the all-female room. I extended my stay and they only had the mixed-dorms left and the amount of male snoring was OUTRAGEOUS. I didn’t get sleep at all one night. It was to the point that I moved out of the dorm room to sleep in the living roon.

I know this is not the most “luxurious” but if you’re trying to save money and are planning on snowboarding/skiing Furano, you will be gone most of the day anyway. I actually stayed at the hostel one day to work, and it was completely empty. The hostel is also conveniently located right in front of the bus stop for the ski bus to the resort, and the staff provides a full bus timetable.

11. Asahikawa (Japan)

I wanted to visit Asahikawa because it is Hokkaido’s second-largest city after Sapporo. Unfortunately, I got sick again. This time it was full-blown sick. Yes, I had both the COVID booster and flu shot before this trip, but sadly, that did not help much. Because of that, I ended up staying in my hotel for most of the three nights. On my very last day, I finally made it out to a small ski resort called Kamui Ski Links.

There is a direct shuttle bus from the train station, but FYI, the bus stop is actually outside the station, across from the mall. I almost missed it because I could not find it inside the train station. I finally spotted a map and realized the bus stop was across the bus plaza on the other side of the street. Once on the bus, it takes about 30 minutes to reach Kamui Ski Links.

The resort itself is very small, and you can probably ski the entire mountain before lunch. It is a great place to get a quick snowboarding fix or to practice. I loved it because it was completely empty. I never waited in a lift line once. One thing to note about tickets: you can buy either a 4-hour pass or a full-day pass. You will also need to pay a 500-yen deposit for the ticket, which you get back when you return it. I purchased mine through the machine, and it was easy.

12. Tokyo (Japan)

The final stop of our Japan trip was Tokyo. I could have flown home from Sapporo, but I wanted a few days in Tokyo to eat, shop, and do some sightseeing. At the time I booked, the Hyatt Regency Tokyo was a Category 4 hotel and cost 12,000, 15,000, or 18,000 points per night. Today, it is a Category 5 property (likely due to its recent renovation) and now costs between 17,000 and 23,000 points per night.

I also had a Category 4 free night certificate at the time, so one night was essentially free. While this hotel is a bit far from some of the main tourist sights, I really like it because it is one of the main stops for the airport limousine bus. If you are traveling with a lot of luggage, like a snowboard bag, it is extremely convenient to walk right outside the hotel and hop on the bus.