The lift lines are usually tolerable at Megahira Ski Resort, near Hiroshima, Japan. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
If you’re familiar with ski resorts on the East Coast in the United States then you will feel right at home on the slopes in the Chūgoku region of Japan, with its abundance of easy and intermediate pistes and icy conditions.
While there are many resorts to choose from, the closest and most accessible ski resort to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni is Megahira Ski Resort, just over a 1½-hour drive depending on road conditions.
The resort has an impressive snow-making operation. In early December the resort opens a 2,515-yard-long run from the top of the mountain to the bottom and a beginners and family slope area in early December.
The slopes were not crowded on opening weekend Dec. 14, and the wait for a chair lift was never more than a minute. The roomy pistes are wide enough to navigate around skiers who lag in the center.
The snow conditions reminded me of my years snowboarding in Pennsylvania and New York, on hard, compact snow and sheets of ice in spots. Falling in these conditions is like hitting concrete.
With not very much snowfall since the resort opened, the snow conditions on the mountain are still reported as hard compact and icy.
Visibility can sometimes be obscured by clouds at Megahira Ski Resort near Hiroshima, Japan. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
When the entire mountain is open, Megahira offers seven different courses to ski, with a good balance of beginner and intermediate options and two advanced slopes. There are four pair lifts and one quad lift.
It’s not a destination resort, but if you’re stationed in southern Japan, the convenience and cost of the lift passes make it worth the day trip. Ticket prices range from about $7 for a one-time run to about $27 for a child and $40 for an adult all-day lift ticket.
Outdoor Recreation on the Marine base offers trips to the resort, but dates and space available are limited. The Single Marine Program has also scheduled trips to the resort for single Marines and sailors.
Outdoor Recreation also offers up to three days free for ski, snowboard, boots, helmets and snow suits rental for Marines, sailors, civilian employees and their families.
Hiroko Kanko Co. operates a ski bus that departs the Hiroshima Bus Station at the main train station. Reservations must be made five days in advance. A round-trip ticket with a lift pass costs $67 for an adult and $54 for a child.
A roomy cafeteria at Megahira Ski Resort near Hiroshima, Japan, allows skiers to warm up and get something hot to eat or drink. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
At the resort, a restaurant offers some wild boar and other Japanese dishes. Bring yen; the restaurant uses the ticket vending machines for ordering.
The resort issues a plastic card as a lift pass for the chair lifts. If you don’t want to keep it as a souvenir, when you turn in the pass near the ticket window you can play a casino-style slot machine for a chance to win a prize. After about a dozen plays, I won a one-day ski pass. Even if you don’t match three items, it still dispenses a piece of candy, so I guess everyone is a winner.
You don’t always need a reason to visit Megahira. The resort plans on bringing penguins to the resort Jan 18 and 19 and again Feb. 22 and 23.
On the QT
Directions: 4301 Yoshiwa, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima 738-0301, Japan; by car, take Route 186 north for about 90 minutes.
Times: Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.
Costs: Adult three-hour lift ticket, $32; full day, $40; child three-hour is $21; full day, $27.
Food: On-site restaurant, food trucks and vending machines.
Information: Online: megahira.co.jp
