Beyond the Crowds, Discovering Appi Kogen, Tohoku

Have you been up north of Honshu to Appi Kogen? Just 40 minutes from Morioka in Iwate Prefecture in Tohoku is the winner of the 2022 and 2023 World Ski awards, Appi Kogen. It’s a lesser known powder destination for Westerners but a very well known region for Japanese people with a strong local identity. With Aspirin Snow, powder snow of very high quality and a big drawcard for powder tours, it’s definitely worth experiencing. 

The Snow Stats

With 43-45km of marked runs and 21 slopes, this resort balances wide-open groomers with deep tree skiing, high-end hotels, and a family-friendly base. The resort divides terrain between 30% Beginner, 40% Intermediate and 30% Advanced/Expert with a vertical drop of 708 metres between summit (1,328 metres) & base (620 metres) , skiable terrain is 282 hectares (697 acres) with the longest run being 5.5 kilometres so there’s something for all abilities. 

Why Go To Appi Kogen?

Colleen Glenn, a repeat visitor and keen on and off-piste skier, really loves Appi Kogen. Colleen chalks up multiple trips per Northern Hemisphere season and enjoys her days whenever at Appi kogen with a mix of groomers and hikes. Colleen and I were roommates on a Northern Honshu trip several years ago and skied Appi Kogen together. The day we were there, the powder conditions were incredible and we skied all day until our muscles burned. We could not stop giggling with the happiness that comes with awesome powder conditions, great weather and a great day out with mates. 

Last season Appi Kogen received 1,115cm of snowfall and being a little lesser known than some of the major snow resorts, it’s still very affordable. If you’re after a lovely open-air onsen experience, Shirakawa-no-Yu is one of the largest open-air onsens in Northeast Japan and is world heritage listed and treasured by the Japanese for its beauty and uniqueness.

There’s lots of things to do in Appi Kogen, besides straight out skiing if you want to mix it up. You can ride e-bikes, go snowshoeing, visit the snow park and a countdown on New Years Eve with fireworks, a much less busy location than other locations at NYE time and if you haven’t experienced fireworks over the snow, it is really an incredible family experience.

If you love spring skiing there is the Jazzy Sport Festival in March and a Pond Skim Event planned for March that is increasingly popular at snow resorts the world over and fun to experience. Night skiing is included in your ski pass at no extra charge and is very good value. 

During March, around Shirakara-no-Yu, cherry blossoms begin to emerge. Catching this famous national hobby (cherry-blossom-viewing) during your ski trip is really something special and is worth planning a late season snow trip just for this.

Access and Facilities at Appi Kogen

Daytripper ease is part of the appeal of Appi Kogen for sure. It’s easy to drive from Morioka City and parking at Appi Kogen is fairly simple. The daylodge is big and functional with heated ski lockers and the lift tickets are reasonable. Down at the food hall, great options could keep you grazing for a week. Each wall is lined with pizza, ramen and curry choices to keep you filled all day. 

The Appeal

On snow, the uncrowded vibe is the standout. The groomed runs all over the resort are immaculate, with wide appeal for intermediate skiers with long smooth runs. For advanced skiers, the tree runs have huge appeal with the resort in full support providing 5 official tree runs as part of the Appi Kogen experience. Up this far north of Honshu, the powder is similar to Hokkaido quality and side country is part of the resort functioning. To do this, Appi Kogen provides multi-lingual support and there are clear entrances to keep you safe, it’s somewhere great for advanced skiers of all ages and is a huge drawcard.

“The tree lines are worth the hike or snowcat ticket.”

“When I was there this year the black runs off the Nishi Mori zone opened into something special. While the lift wasn’t spinning, you can still drop into tree zones by hiking, skinning up, or jumping on the snowcat (about ¥3,000/US$30 per lap). It’s a small price for amazing lines and even fewer people”, says Colleen.

Like much of Japan, there are long, flat run-outs at the bottom of the resort. But if you time it right, like avoiding Chinese New Year rush or choose to hit Appi midweek, the mountain feels yours alone. Colleen recommends enjoying a day on snow with ten or eleven runs including long lift rides then go and enjoy your afternoon with food and an onsen or other local activities. 

Appi Kogen is Family Friendly

Appi Kogen has cut a beginner-friendly glade so families can bring kids into the powder safely, “this is a rare touch in Japan, it’s great”,  Colleen says. The resort has a family-friendly feel and has designated beginner zones, which is fantastic if you have a mixed ability group of travellers. Beginners can also have fun on e-snow bikes , which is great fun.v Snow shoeing is encouraged here and if you feel like a different lunch experience you can have cheese fondue lunch in a Kamakura snow dome. 

For kids ages 3-9 ideally, you can leave them in the care of the Crayon Shinchan Kids Ski School for a few hours while you go and enjoy the slopes beyond. And if they want a mix of skiing and downtime they also have handicraft experiences so they can relax and have a bit of cultural fun. 

Stays at Appi Kogen 

Appi Kogen village is a 2 minute drive from the resort base and is a quaint village with accommodation options, local restaurants and buzzing bars.

Nearby villages, such as Matsuo-Hachmantai offer traditional stays, such pensions and a few hotels with shuttles to the slopes and many with onsens for post-ski day bathing. Hachimantai City is about 15 to 20 minutes to the slopes by car and Ninohe, a 30 minute drive away, has business hotels and ryokans. 

Appi Kogen offers high quality ski-in, ski-out hotels that have a wide range of activities, like snowshoeing, snow banana boat rides and snow e-bikes, popular for Australian families. There’s also night skiing and local gourmet dining if you want to head into the villages or just relax at hot springs for the full winter experience. 

There are three IHG ski-in/ski-out hotels, including Holiday Inn, a familiar favourite for Western visitors. InterContinental, a 5 star hotel built in 2022 and includes an onsen and fine dining. ANA InterContinental Appi Kogen Resort is at the base of the slopes and has won multiple awards in the World Luxury Hotel Awards ( 2023 & 2024) in several categories, including Best Luxury Ski Resort in Asia, Best Luxury Ski Hotel in Asia, Best Luxury Destination Hotel in Japan. It is also the first in the Tōhoku region to be selected as a Michelin key hotel (Japan’s first such selection) as of mid-2024, awarded for exceptional service, exquisite design, and unique guest experiences and has great views of the ski slopes and surrounding nature.

The ANA Crowne Plaza Resort is ski in, ski out and has family facilities such as ping pong, karaoke, a gym and an indoor pool.

What’s new for Season 2025/ 2026 at Appi Kogen

Appi has purchased a new golden groomer for the ski slopes for improved grooming. Appi Plaza introduces a new package delivery service to this location making travel with equipment even easier from other areas.

APPI ExPlore is the ANA Crowne Plaza Resort’s hands-on activity space, (operating on the 1st floor) offering fun cultural experiences and this runs all year round if you’re here in other seasons too. This includes handicraft workshops, kimono dressing, local culture tours and activities, depending on the season (the banana boat ride is popular in the winter). There is an option for a private group if travelling with multiple families, email taiken@ihr.co.jp for more information.

The snow season runs from December 6th, 2025 to May 2026, see you there.