Seki Onsen

Seki Onsen is a resort, which understands the needs of the powder hounds. Near the west coast in Niigata Prefecture it has a great snow record, often with 1m plus dumps overnight in Jan/Feb. There's a decent pipe and some good natural hits and kickers. Locals or the patrol will advise you on back country riding - they'll also tell you that you have to take responsibility for yourself, although in the land of group culture it's cool to find somewhere that lets you do this. Seki Onsen is the home resort for Masanori Takeuchi, a well-known Japanese rider.