Overlooking Japan`s deepest crater lake, Lake Tazawa, near the prefectural border between Akita and Iwate in the Tohoku region of northern main Island Honshu, sits one of the country`s most beautiful & best kept powdery secrets.

Located near the Japan Sea (northwestern Honshu), Tazawako Ski Area receives excellent snowfall and has a lot to offer skiers & snowboarders of all abilities. Aside from fun, mostly intermediate terrain, it maintains the kind of laid back atmosphere hard to find in busier, more crowded Japanese ski areas. Although its appeal hasn`t escaped the notice of local Northern Honshu Japanese, Tazawako`s wide, snow-filled slopes remain largely uncrowded & untraveled by snowsliders from outside of Japan.

Tazawako isn`t the easiest ski hill to access, but if you carefully negotiate the mountain roads leading to the resort, you`ll be rewarded with excellent snow, enjoyable terrain, great food and a welcoming vibe.

ShredStory

Since the 1990s when I began my snowsports career journey, I`ve been fortunate enough to have visited some of the planet`s most beautiful alpine landscapes and ridden some of the most incredible terrain on-piste, off-piste & in the terrain park.

Tazawako doesn`t rank near the top in most traditional ski area categories — e.g., rideable area, vertical meters, kilometers of trails, advanced terrain, lift capacity — but the friendly locals, fresh snow and tranquil setting make it one I`ll always personally rank highly. Besides, one of the few ski resort ranking categories I actually care about — snow — is represented wonderfully.

This shot was taken in the morning during filming for a resort marketing project. There are flashier, more powdery images from throughout the day, but this B&W image is one of my favorites. A local rider was laying out incredible carves and I was thankful to have captured him pressuring into his heelside edge, framed between a foreground of snow and background of pistes blanketed in mist. The distant fog lifted eventually, giving way to bluebird skies in the afternoon which offered incredible views of the giant crater lake in the valley below (and faceshots on the way down towards it).

Go to JapanSnowtripTips.com Tazawako Skiing & Snowboarding Area Ratings & Review