Hoshino Resorts Tomamu

Tomamu is a purpose-built resort in the mountains between Sapporo and Furano, instantly recognisable by its pair of tall hotel towers rising from the forest. The ski area wraps around Mt. Tomamu with wide beginner slopes, steeper upper runs and a well-known free-ride programme that opens ungroomed terrain and tree runs each morning under patrol guidance. Winter here is about more than skiing: an Ice Village of igloo-like domes, an ice bar and a frozen chapel appears each December, and Japan's largest indoor wave pool steams beside the snow. In summer the Unkai Terrace draws crowds at dawn to watch a sea of clouds fill the valley. Trains from New Chitose Airport stop right at the resort's own station, making Tomamu one of the easiest Hokkaido resorts to reach without a car.