Skiing in Japan

Gorgeous view of Mt. Fuji

If you love to ski or snowboard, then Japan is the place to be.  There are over 500 ski resorts scattered around the country, tons of onsen, and beautiful scenery to enjoy.

Over the long holiday weekend we went with our friends to a small ski resort near Mt. Fuji called Yeti.  The bonus of going to Yeti is that it is a little over 2 hours from Yokosuka.  We stayed at Camp Fuji (a Marine Corps base) which is about 20-30 minutes drive from Yeti.  Very quick and convenient especially if you only want to play in the snow for a day.

I had few expectations about the weekend and figured we were only going sledding.  Turns out, the older boys wanted to try snowboarding, so Justin and I decided to ski.  I haven't been on skis since age 21, and Justin hadn't been since he was probably in his teens.

Vending machine to buy equipment.

The day went well.  The boys loved snowboarding and were able to make it down the mountain relatively unscathed.  Luckily, Yeti is the perfect place for beginners and the ski runs are manageable.  I fell a couple times by crossing my skis, and once when getting onto the chairlift, but overall I was able to stay upright.  Justin, on the other hand, was a really good skier.  I was very impressed and he was giving me a lot of tips I either forgotten, or never learned.  I'm just happy that almost all of were able to have this experience (our youngest played at the sledding area the entire time we were on the slopes).  The kids can't wait to go back.

http://www.yeti-resort.com/e/area.html