Aussies urged to explore Japan's undiscovered slopes

Aussies urged to explore Japan's undiscovered slopes
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Australian skiers are being encouraged to explore Japan’s lesser known slopes, as Japanese tourism officials pitched the ski fields of Hakkoda to the local market as an alternative to better known resorts such as Niseko.

Japan reported a record year in 2013, with the number of Aussies that visited the destination rising 18.5% on the previous year’s figures to hit 244,600 for the year – largely fuelled by ski holidays. But that Aussie influx was not seen at Hakkoda which remains a predominantly domestic holiday destination.

Vice governor of Aomori Prefecture Ikuo Sasaki told Travel Today that around 90% of visitors to the resort are domestic. But targeting the Australian market, known for its love of Japan’s slopes, is now firmly on the agenda.

“Last year we welcomed just over a thousand tourists from Australia but it is growing,” he said

Although Aussies are familiar with the excellent conditions offered by resorts such as Niseko and Hakuba, Hakkoda, at the northern tip of the island of Honshu, remains largely unknown.

However, it too offers fantastic ski conditions with a season that spans from early November to the beginning of May, Sasaki stressed.

“It has a record of some of Japan’s heaviest snowfall and has a fantastic quality of powder snow,” he said. He revealed a record snowfall of 5.6 metres, with levels normally above 4 metres, and the opportunity for the more daring and capable skiers to try backcountry skiing on ungroomed and unmarked slopes or pistes.

The resort’s accessibility from Tokyo is another selling point, according to Sasaki. The bullet train from the capital takes around three hours, with flights also available.

And while Niseko and Hakuba are flooded with Australians, Hakkoda continues to offer a much more authentic experience with plenty of opportunities to interact with the local Japanese culture. It is also one of the best places to witness the start of the cherry blossom season at the end of April, Sasaki added.

Accommodation is generally in the mid-range, with no international brands apart from the Hilton-managed Hakkoda Hotel. But it is generally comfortable and reasonably priced, he said.

Last night, the travel trade were introduced to Hakkoda for the first time at an educational event in Sydney attended by around 30 travel agents – an event which Sasaki hopes will return next year, perhaps with Melbourne added to the schedule. It represents part of an Australian push which will also see brochures distributed to the trade and ski shops.

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