The North That Stops Time

Hokkaido in February is many things. It is minus twenty degrees at 6am. It is complete and absolute darkness by 4pm. It is also, without qualification, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

The Snow

Niseko's reputation among skiers is not hyperbole. The combination of cold Siberian air crossing the Sea of Japan and Hokkaido's central mountains creates conditions meteorologists technically classify as 'champagne powder' — a dry, feather-light snowfall unlike anything in the European Alps or North American resorts. Locals call it 'Japow.'

"One run at Niseko and I understood why people spend $10,000 to get here." — ski instructor from Verbier

The Snow Monkeys

Jigokudani Monkey Park sits in a steep gorge near Yamanouchi. Each morning, wild Japanese macaques — snow monkeys — descend from the surrounding forest to soak in the natural hot spring pools. They are enormous, fluffy, and profoundly unbothered by human visitors.

The juveniles play-fight in the shallows. The elders sit with their eyes closed in a state of thermal transcendence. It is one of the great wildlife spectacles in Asia.

Practical Winter Guide

Getting There

• Fly into Sapporo New Chitose Airport
• Niseko: 90 minutes by bus or train
• Snow monkey park: Day trip from Sapporo or Nagano

What to Pack

• Merino wool baselayers
• Ski jacket rated to -25°C
• Hand warmers (buy locally — cheaper)
• Yakitrori funds

The Ryokan

Staying in a traditional Japanese inn (ryokan) during a Hokkaido winter is the complete experience. A private outdoor onsen in snowfall. Multi-course kaiseki dinner by candlelight. A futon laid out on tatami floor. Waking to silence and white.