Japan · resort town weather
- Yudanaka — Onsen station town · gateway to Shiga Kogen
- Shibu Onsen — Traditional ryokan district · 600 m from Yudanaka station
- Yomase — Quiet farming village · base for Kita-Shiga resorts
- Nozawa Onsen — Historic onsen village at the base of the resort · 13 free public bathhouses
Iiyama · Nagano · Japan
- Iiyama — Hokuriku Shinkansen gateway · 35 min from Tokyo · bus links to every resort
- Madarao Kogen — Plateau ski village · ski-in lodges at the base of Madarao
- Togari Onsen — Quiet onsen hamlet at the base of Togari · minshuku & ryokan
- Kijimadaira — Valley village between the resort and snow park · family-oriented base
- Hakuba — Main Hakuba village · Happo, Goryu, 47, Iwatake and Sanosaka on the doorstep
- Otari — Northern Otari base · Tsugaike, Cortina and Norikura, the valley's deepest-snow corner
- Omachi — Southern lakes gateway · Kashimayari and Jiigatake at the quiet end of the valley
Myoko · Niigata · Japan
- Akakura Onsen — Myoko's main hub village · Akakura Onsen and Akakura Kanko on the doorstep, Seki Onsen up the road
- Ikenotaira Onsen — Quiet onsen village by Imori Pond · Alpen Blick's slopes rise straight behind town
- Suginosawa — Small village at the foot of Suginohara · lodges and pensions at the quiet south end
- Arai — Valley-floor service town · gateway to Lotte Arai's gondola on Mt Okenashi
Niseko · Hokkaido · Japan
- Hirafu — Niseko's main hub village · Grand Hirafu on the doorstep, Hanazono linked over the hill
- Kutchan — The area's working service town · supermarkets, everyday shops and the nearest train station to Hirafu
- Niseko Town — Quieter town on the south-west side · gateway to Niseko Village, Annupuri and Moiwa
Furano · Hokkaido · Japan
- Furano — Central Hokkaido's hub town · trains, winter coaches and a 10 minute run up to the ski resort
- Kitanomine — Ski village below the Kitanomine gondola · lodges and izakaya walking distance to the lifts
Sapporo · Hokkaido · Japan
- Sapporo — Hokkaido's capital · stay downtown, ski Teine, Kokusai or Bankei as day hills
- Jozankei — Hot-spring town in the Toyohira valley · closest beds to Sapporo Kokusai
- Tomamu — Resort village at the base of Mt Tomamu · hotel towers, the Ice Village and JR Tomamu Station
- Shimukappu — Small village 20 min west of Tomamu · quiet local beds and JR Shimukappu Station on the same line
Asahikawa · Hokkaido · Japan
- Asahikawa — Hokkaido's second city · stay downtown, ski Kamui as a day hill and head up to Asahidake for powder days
- Higashikawa — Craft-and-cafe town at the foot of the Daisetsuzan range · the road to Asahidake Onsen and the ropeway starts here
- Rusutsu — Small farming village on Route 230 · the resort hotels and lifts are right across the road
- Kiroro — Hotel village at the Kiroro base in Akaigawa · ski-in lodging at the Mountain Center, with Otaru about 40 min downhill
- Minakami — Onsen town on the Tone river · beds, baths and buses to every hill in the valley
- Kusatsu Onsen — One of Japan's most famous onsen towns · the Yubatake steaming in the middle, the ski hill 10 min up the road
- Manza Onsen — Sulphur-spring village at 1,800 m · among Japan's highest onsen, with the lifts right off the hotels
- Hachimantai — Spread-out city below the plateau · Obuke station is the rail gateway, the ski hills 25 min up the hill
Yuzawa · Niigata · Japan
- Echigo-Yuzawa — The snow country hub · shinkansen station, onsen street, and the Yuzawa Kogen ropeway right in town
- Ishiuchi — Quiet lodge and ryokan village at the north foot of the massif · Ishiuchi Maruyama's lifts on the doorstep
- Mitsumata — Old post-road hamlet on Route 17 · Kagura's Mitsumata ropeway base, with Naeba a short drive on
Zao Onsen · Yamagata · Japan
- Zao Onsen — Hot-spring village at about 880 m with 1,900 years of history · sulfur baths steps from the lifts, ropeways rising straight off the village streets
- Aomori — Prefecture capital on Mutsu Bay · the shinkansen gateway at Shin-Aomori, with the winter Hakkoda-go bus climbing to the ropeway in about an hour
- Sukayu Onsen — Historic sulfur bath house at about 900 m in the Hakkoda mountains · the winter bus terminus, in one of Japan's snowiest inhabited places
- Ajigasawa — Fishing town on the Sea of Japan coast · the Gono line stops here, with Aomori Spring about 20 minutes up the hill toward Mt Iwaki
- Appi Kogen — Purpose-built resort village at the base of the gondola · hotels and pensions at about 620 m, with the JR Hanawa line and a direct Morioka bus
- Shizukuishi — Farming town under Mt Iwate on the Tazawako line · the Akita Shinkansen stops here, with the Prince resort about 15 minutes up the hill
- Morioka — Prefecture capital and shinkansen hub · Appi about 50 minutes north, Shizukuishi about 20 minutes west
Bandai · Fukushima · Japan
- Inawashiro — Lakeside rail gateway on the Ban-etsu West line · winter shuttles up to Nekoma Mountain and Grandeco
- Urabandai — Highland lake district behind Mt Bandai · pensions and resort hotels, closest beds to Grandeco and the Nekoma north side
Daisen · Tottori · Japan
- Daisenji — Temple village at the base of the lifts · inns, onsen baths and the 1,300-year-old Daisenji temple
- Yonago — Coastal city hub on the San-in coast · rail and airport gateway, about 40 minutes from the Daisen slopes