How To Snag Last-Minute Spots For Peak Powder Dates At Japanese Ski Resorts

June: ‘Nahhhh I don’t think I’m going to go to Japan this winter’

September: ‘Dude, everyone’s going to Niseko but I don’t even think they will have a good season this year’

*Niseko pukes fresh pow for a solid 30 hours and lifts start spinning

December 5th: ‘Yoooooo, what’s thoughts on a last-minute trip to Japan?'

Don’t feel personally victimised, we aren’t singling you out directly – everyone’s in the same boat. Pow starts falling, people start hastily booking, it's the annual ritual – and one that you proboably know all too well right about now. 

So if you’re one of those people, know that it’s not too late! There’s still stacks of different ways to lock in a last-minute holiday for peak powder season. But time’s running out, so let’s get into it. 

Here’s a few handy tips to help you finalise that last-minute trip: 

Go Deeply Incognito

Ok, who here knows about cookies? And no, we’re not talking about the delicious baked treats. 

Think back to all the times that you’ve said, ‘remember when we went to Disneyland in 2010?’ and the next day your feed is loaded up with ads for Disneyland. All the times you’ve opened up YouTube to find the home page has exactly what you’re looking for. All the times that you’ve looked at flights online only to notice they are getting more and more expensive every time you check…. that’s cookies. 

Cookies are essentially a way for a website to capture your data so that they can tailor content towards your personal needs. They can be great and help filter out unnecessary info, but they can also be a bit of a hindrance, especially when booking flights. 

Why? Because the cookies are collecting all that sweet, sweet info about your trip. Meaning that if you’ve been eyeing off a trip to Hakuba for peak season dates, they know that already – and they’ll charge you accordingly. 

Our tip? Incognito mode. Incognito mode doesn’t save your cookies, meaning that when you’re looking into flights and accommodation you will normally find great deals as it will register that it's your first time viewing that page (and they want to sell you with how dirt cheap the prices are)! 

Word up travel agents

‘Yeah, I know a guy.’

Travel agents aren’t just scouring the web finding the same deals as you and then slapping a commission on top. They’re wheeling and dealing their way through airlines, accommodations, connecting bus lines – essentially anything that can make or break your trip. They’ve got the connections and they know how to use them. 

Meaning that more often than not, they will have exclusive access to deals that may not be publicly available online. So if you’re scrounging for a last minute trip and struggling to find any accommodation on offer, hit up your local travel agent and find out if they have any leads. 

Don’t know who to contact? Check out our list of travel partners here. 

Do Your Due Diligence 

There’s no point paying a wad for ski-in, ski-out when the mountain you bought a lift pass for is a 10-minute drive away…

Look into the local area, read forums, check out blogs and web-pages and you might find some hidden gems! It’ll also help you place where and what everything is, meaning you can refine your searches and filter out all the non-essentials like super expensive chalets.

Keep an eye out for sweet deals 

Look, at this stage you have well-and-truly missed out on all of the early bird sales, but that doesn’t mean there aren't a lot of different deals you can find when hustling together a spur the moment pow trip. 

Flash sales, last-minute promos, exclusive pre-book rates – there’s a lot of ways that you can save maximum yennies ahead of your trip. Make sure you keep your ear close to the ground, follow local businesses on social media, check their website and trust us, you’ll be able to snag some epic deals.

Speak to Your Homies

Niseko alone gets over 5 million tourists each winter season. So the likelihood that you know someone who has already hit up Japan on a pow holiday is extremely likely. Reach out to them, they might have some expert tips that’ll help you secure everything you need! 

Sometimes all it takes is one sentence, ‘we stayed at this spot in Annupuri and loved it’ and the most stressful part of holiday planning is sorted.

Subscribe to newsletters

Loyalty cards, reward points, exclusive member deals – there’s a stack of ways in which businesses support their loyal customers, normally offering cheaper prices and exclusive offers only to their database. 

With that in mind, sign up to their newsletters. Sure, you might score the occasional bit of spam, but you’ll also receive some pretty epic offers that you would have otherwise missed.

Get off the beaten track

If you’ve heard good things about a ski resort, chances are everyone else has as well – and that’ll be incredibly evident when you’re trying to make reservations or line up for a chairlift. 

So what’s the best play? Finding the lesser known resorts! If everyone’s talking about Hakuba and Niseko this winter, look into hidden gems like Furano or Rusutsu! Not only will the crowds be much quieter, making it easier to find fresh pow, it’ll also often be much easier to book, and much cheaper. 

Supply and demand, it’s that simple – get off the beaten track, save a stack.

Travel Light

‘Oh sweet, flights are only $200, should we add checked baggage for an additional zillion dollars?’

We all know the drill. As soon as you start adding on the kg’s to your baggage allowance, the costs start piling up. It’s also a common fact that most late notice airline flash sales are normally restricted to either one-way flights or ‘carry-on baggage only’ flights. 

Snag one of the carry-on only’s and rent all your gear in town instead! You’ll save heaps of cash, have access to the gear that’s best suited for Japan’s unique conditions and most importantly, find it much easier to travel around domestically. 

Book Late

Before you start, WE KNOW. 

We are the ones who hype booking early being essential – and we stand by that. If you really want your pick of the bunch and multiple options for accom, dining, rentals and lessons, we 150% stand by the fact that you should book early. But this is a different situation, we’re talking to the crew who likes to live dangerously, the crew who don't mind if they potentially miss out, those who haven't booked yet and are starting to feel like they’ve missed out...

So let’s be real, if that's you and you’re booking this late, why not leave it even later?

If there’s a last minute opening at an accommodation, it’ll be much cheaper the week leading up to the vacant dates and the entire family's holiday is potentially riding on your spontaneous nature of booking, so why not reaaalllly push it?

"If that's your play, stay vigilant, keep checking online and you might score a sweet deal at the eleventh hour. 

After that, all you need to do is get to town, grab your gear and enjoy a cold beer at Rhythm & Beans Cafe & Bar.

Oh, did we mention if you pre-book your gear you'll save big with our exclusive pre-book prices....