Arai Mountain

Arai Mountain Resort has been running for less than 10 years and was developed by the Sony Corporation. As a result the facilities are quality, and unlike a lot of other Japanese resorts the lifts are all new and fast. It's definitely one of the best resorts on Honshu and attracts some very good riders. It often hosts rider camps in the spring and international contests. The terrain is in a bowl and even allows for a little hiking (unfortunately banned by most resorts here). There are two very well kept pipes but the main attraction is the powder resulting from the big dumps because of its location in the first mountain range west of the Japan Sea. This could also be seen as its main drawback as it is a long way from Tokyo.