Geto Kogen, Iwate

Quality: The Geto area is cold and thus the powder crystals tend toward the small and dry type. Tohoku on its best days can deliver powder comparable to Hokkaido in its lightness and Geto Kogen is a more reliable draw on white gold than its more well known Iwate Prefecture neighbors to the north.

Quantity: One of the few locations on Honshu that matches Niseko for seasonal average snowfall in the 15 meter range, Geto Kogen offers the opportunity to experience the deeps without the crowds.

Geto Kogen does have a multi-lingual ski school, although expect that services are more geared to the Japanese-speaking population.  

Geto Kogen does not get the traffic of more well-known resorts, so expect that rental and retail choices will be limited. Geto, nonetheless, is beginning to become known among dedicated powder-hunters, and that is usually a leading indicator of global quality equipment coming on offer. 

General Dining: Most visitors to Geto will take their breakfasts and dinners at their hotels. For those with access to a car, hundreds of genuine local eateries are available in Kitakami City.     

Fine Dining:  While there are not any restaurants in the area that would qualify as destination dining, dedicated foodies can seek out the white truffle of wagyu in the regions rare Tankaku Wagyu, which reportedly outshines Kobe Beef by a few orders of magnitude.

Lodging in the area, including the onsen ryokan that remain open in the winter, tend towards the low budget skier. Nicer rooms are available at Premium stay Gou, although services remain limited, including shared kitchen facilities and a la carte housekeeping.

Hanamaki Airport is about 1 hour from Geto Kogen and is not a bad option for anyone flying in from locations other than Tokyo or other stops along the Tohoku Shinkansen line. For those traveling from Tokyo and points north, the Kitakami Shinkansen Station is only 30 minutes from the ski destination.

Geto Kogen is located in deep Japan. Nearly millenia old institutions dot the region and traditions run deep. Accessing them outside the resort takes a bit of effort, but staying in any one of the many onsen inns throughout the area will provide as deep a Japanese experience as one can ask for. The Michinoku Folklore Village, an open air museum of about 30 traditional buildings along the Kitakami River in Kitakami City is also worth a visit.

 Geto Kogen has set up a children’s area at the ski hill for parents who want childcare while they hit the deeps themselves, but do not expect the type of full service that is normal at a global destination resort.