The most reliable deep snow in the world. Cold dry Siberian air crosses the Sea of Japan and drops metres of it on this Hokkaido volcano, week after week.

Four linked areas offer tree skiing and open bowls, and the floodlit night skiing is genuinely worth doing rather than a novelty. Beginners are well served and lessons are widely available in English. Visibility is often poor, which is the price of the snow.

Hirafu at the base is a dense international village of bars and restaurants, and the other sides are quieter and more Japanese. Hotels, ryokan and apartments, with onsen hot springs almost everywhere. Niseko eats extremely well and the good places fill up, so arrange dinner ahead. Rusutsu is close enough for a day, and Sapporo airport is around two and a half hours away.