I went to Shiga from Osaka, especially for skiing at Hakodateyama, and I have to be honest, the snow state was not great during my visit. The Hakodateyama Snow Resort sits near the top of the mountain, and it is one of those places in the area of Shiga, where people from the area of Kansai go for winter sports, because it is not too far from Osaka. I guess that the season had barely started, because the layer was really thin, probably because of no snow in late December.Getting here starts with the gondola station at the bottom.
Many folks got ready for the ride up, and I joined the line. The gondola building gave such a resort feel, with cable cars heading up the mountain.Cloudy sky, it was not super cold but enough to know it was winter.
Ski Trip from Osaka to Hakodateyama with Little Snow
Hakodateyama Snow Resort was on the ticket. The ride up really was my favorite part during the whole trip. The gondolas glided through the wooded slope, surrounded by high trees, and at one moment the clouds got thin, letting one look at the clear sky above the tops of the trees.A worker helped the visitors get in at the station.
I spent way too long taking a photo through the window of the gondola, but the glass had scratches, so nothing turned out clean.
When I got to the top, the ski lifts were open, but the slopes under them had mostly grass. Not so sure whether they use snow machines here or simply expect natural snow. Most ski resorts in Japan that I visited have at least some snow-making gear, but I never saw any.
However the lifts ran, going up across the hill with trees at the top. I walked to find the rental shop. In the rental place I got my gear, and they gave me a swap ticket for rental clothing.
I thought about how to only rent skis and use my own jacket, but picked full rental, because I never packed anything warm enough.Because it was a short trip from Osaka, I went light.
The trail map showed all paths for skiing and snowboarding on the mountain.My friend back home who snowboards was probably sad because of the amount of snow, but the setup of the paths seemed quite fun, if they were all covered.
The best snow was on the main slope, where folks skied and snowboarded. Some folks set their poles and skis in the snow and simply hung out. The sky was clear in that moment, which was nice but probably did not help the snow amount.
I wonder whether late January would be a better time to come.
Skiers slide down a narrow snow path, with safety nets on the sides. It looked fun but quite a tight fit. Folks were getting ready at the bottom of the ski lift, putting on gear and sorting out.
It probably needed another week or two of snowfall to fill it well, and early December is too early for full cover in that part of Japan.The building the image below the restaurant, where you can have your lunch here.
At Locker 2078, I grabbed my stuff.The snow was thin and the slopes more grassy than powder, but the gondola ride through the trees was quite cool, and the mountain itself was pretty. I almost skipped it, because the weather in Osaka did not look good, but I thought, that I already was in the area, so why not. Unlike my boat ride on Hozugawa River in Kyoto, where everything was green and water, here everything was about height and hope for snow.If I return to Hakodateyama, I will plan at least mid January and maybe check the snow reports before a trip out from Osaka.
