Kurumayama Kogen

The simplest stay is the Kurumayama Kogen Skypark Hotel, the resort's own hotel right at the base. It's practical rather than fancy, with rooms, a restaurant and first chair a short walk away, and it's quiet at night because there's nothing else up here. That's the trade-off of sleeping at nearly 1,600 m on a plateau.

For more choice, base around Lake Shirakaba, about ten minutes away by car. The Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Hotel is a big family-focused resort with pools, activities and plenty of space for kids, and the lake shore has small pensions and lodges that do hearty dinners and early breakfasts. It also puts you close to Shirakaba 2in1 and Shirakaba Kogen Kokusai for variety.

For onsen evenings, look to Tateshina Shinyu Onsen, a quiet ryokan in the forest, or drop down to Lake Suwa, where Kamisuwa Onsen hotels like Beniya and Saginoyu give you hot springs plus a proper town for dinner. Our guide to ryokan accommodation explains what you get for the extra yen.

Kurumayama is a groomer mountain with an exposed upper half, so the snow surface depends on what the wind did overnight. After a light storm, the leeward sides of the Venus and Sportsman runs collect the best soft snow, while the open Panorama slope can be wind-buffed, scoured or both within a few hundred metres. Start on the Sky Liner quad up to the summit and lap the Sky Panorama quad while the grooming is fresh, then drop to the mid-mountain Slalom and Trebian runs, which stay more sheltered and consistent once the wind picks up. Sportsman is the steepest on the hill at a maximum of about 38 degrees, and Venus tops out at about 35. Both are fun fast and firm in the morning and get bumped up by the afternoon. There are no trees to speak of, no gates and no sidecountry culture. Protected alpine wetlands sit on the plateau nearby, so the boundaries are strict for good reason.

By train and bus: Take the JR Chuo Line to Chino Station, then the local bus to the Kurumayama Kogen stop, which takes about 60 minutes. A taxi from Chino takes about 40 minutes and costs around ¥8,000 during the day. During the season there are also direct ski buses from Tokyo, which skip the transfer altogether.

By car: From Suwa IC on the Chuo Expressway, allow around 40 to 50 minutes up the hill depending on conditions. Parking is large and well organised, with a shuttle bus looping the car parks on busy days. The road up climbs steadily onto the plateau, and the road toward the Yashima wetlands closes in winter, so stick to the main routes from Chino or Suwa.

Highland roads freeze hard overnight, and it can be clear in Chino while the plateau sits in fog and wind. Winter tyres are essential, chains are a smart backup, and early-morning shade on the climb is where the black ice hides. Our guide to winter car hire and driving in Japan covers what to book and what to watch for.

Carvers will love this place. The Panorama course runs about 2 km with 350 m of vertical and up to 100 m of width, which is plenty of room to lay down long arcs without worrying about the person behind you. Intermediates who want confidence-building cruisers on a clean surface will get a full, happy day out of it.

Families are probably the best fit of all. The Family slope is gentle and wide, the Adventure Land snow park has tubing and sledding, there's a kids park and a childcare service at the base, and the layout is simple enough that kids won't get lost. Parents can take turns lapping the steeper runs without leaving the group for long.

Advanced skiers will enjoy Sportsman and Venus for a morning, especially on a cold groomed day, but there's not enough steep terrain or tree riding to hold them much longer. And if your trip is about chasing deep snow, this isn't the hill for that. Our list of the best powder ski resorts in Japan points you north instead.

On the hill, the base plaza handles the lunch rush well with quick Japanese ski food: curry, ramen, katsu and the like. The signature order is the roast whole chicken, a Kurumayama specialty that is especially popular around Christmas. Order it to share, it's bigger than you expect.

Off the mountain, Lake Shirakaba has simple family restaurants and noodle shops, fine for a warm dinner after a day on the slopes. For better food, drive down to Chino for buckwheat soba (the Suwa and Yatsugatake area is known for it) or head to Kamisuwa for izakaya and a wider choice of restaurants.

Après here means a hot spring and a good meal, not a bar crawl. Kamisuwa is the closest thing to a night out, and even there it's quiet by the standards of Japan's bigger ski towns.

• Lift hours: 8:30 to 16:30 every day, with tickets on sale from 8:00. Night skiing runs only on a couple of special evenings, such as New Year's Eve, and there's a sunrise lift on New Year's morning from 6:00.
• Season: Usually mid-December to the end of March, with snowmaking used to get the main runs open early.
• Backcountry: None. The plateau is protected wetland country, so stay inside the ropes.
• Weather: Expect sunshine most days, but the summit is exposed. Pack a neck warmer and goggles that handle flat light, because wind and fog can roll in fast.
• Language: Mostly Japanese. Signs have some English and a translation app handles the rest.
• Nearby resorts: Shirakaba 2in1 and Shirakaba Kogen Kokusai are minutes away around Lake Shirakaba, Pilatus Tateshina has a ropeway and steeper sheltered runs, and Fujimi Panorama offers a long gondola run with more vertical for a big mileage day.