Surrounded by Mountains, Akita Prefecture is one of the most northern areas of Honshu, on Japan’s main island. It’s in this mountainous terrain that you can find one of Japan’s true hidden gems, Ani Ski Resort, writes Phil Osborn. Ani Ski Resort will reward adventurous skiers and snowboarders, looking to avoid large crowds and discover epic ski terrain.
Ani Ski Resort
Driving into Ani Ski Resort, located on Mt Moriyoshi, I knew I was in for something special. The road winding in was covered in snow, with deep snow banks either side of the road. With thick snow-covered trees, it’s not hard to see that this mountainous area of Akita is regularly pummelled with deep snow. Within 5 minutes of arriving in Ani Ski Resort, I could tell this is a mountain that attracts intrepid skiers and snowboarders.
Where is it?
Ani Ski Resort is located in the central eastern corner of Akita Prefecture, of the Tohoku Region of Honshu.
How do you get there?
I flew into Odate-Noshiro Airport from Haneda Airport in Tokyo. The Odate Airport is 44kms away and takes around 1 hour to drive to Ani Ski Resort.
From Akita City, it’s 90kms and 2 hours drive. From Morioka, it’s 116kms and 3 hours drive.
Where to stay?
While the accommodation is limited at Ani Ski Resort, we can recommend Anaba Lodge, which was newly renovated in 2020 and has great ambience. The lodge is full service, in a pension style. They serve affordable breakfasts and dinners. Importantly, they serve real coffee and have a cool little bar set-up that’s perfect for après ski drinks. An outside snow covered sauna is perfect for helping your body recover from a day in the mountains.
Ani Ski Resort Terrain?
Ani Ski Resort has 3 lifts. The main gondola travels 3.473 kms from bottom to the top and provides 632m of vertical drop. Ani Resort is perfectly created for lift access backcountry. The inbounds tree areas are fun. We rode the steep gully which was filled with great snow. Lapping the smaller chair lifts again provides great access to trees and the backcountry.
Ani backcountry?
Brent Potter, owner of Japan Ski Tours and Anaba Lodge is the perfect person to connect with Ani Ski Resort. He can guide you into the backcountry safely. If you are well versed in travelling in the backcountry and are staying at his lodge, he can supply you some suggested backcountry routes to take. Our recommendation is to hire his expertise and be guided so you can maximise your time at Ani Ski Resort. With the help of Brent, you could easily spend 4 or 5 days at Ani Ski Resort.
Akita Dogs:
Akita Prefecture is famous for being home to the Akita dog. This large, beautiful hunting dog was breed for guarding and hunting bears in the Tohoku Region. You can meet one of these beautiful Akita dogs at the base area of Ani Ski Resort, which was a highlight of our visit.
Is Ani Ski Resort worth visiting?
Yes, absolutely Ani Ski Resort and Akita Prefecture is worth going the extra mile to visit. These small Japanese ski resorts offer a truly unique experience. It would suit more experienced skiers and snowboarders, looking to explore the backcountry with a local guide.
For more information on visiting Ani Ski Resort head to aniski.jp
