CHARMING RESORT AND CULTURAL EXPERIENCE
Iwanai Resort has a charm all its own. Built on an older resort that followed the Japanese population in decline, we've enhanced the facilities to bring you the most memorable resort in Hokkaido. When you enter our lodge, you'll be with local people, many who may have never met a foreigner. This is authentic Japan, a place where you can see inside the local culture. The Resort features lift service to three high beginner/low intermediate groomed courses on the lower mountain, while our snowcat takes you up high on our powder mountain. If you'd like to do more than just ski, we offer many other activities such as snowshoe hikes, night CAT, ice-skating and cultural tours. Iwanai also has a bevy of museums including the largest private Picasso collection in Asia. Join us in our Three Birds Restaurant featuring both Japanese and Western foods. After skiing, relax upstairs in our après-ski bar, where you can warm your body with hot sake or drink a frothy Sapporo. Shoot a game of pool, hang out with new and old friends, all while looking out over the sky-blue ocean.
When you're finished fighting for lines in Niseko, come to Iwanai and experience the Hidden Hokkaido.
APRÉS BAR
Drinks just taste better after a day of powder with friends.
The time-tested tradition of grabbing a beer with your friends following a full-on powder session is very much honored here at Iwanai Resort. Our après-ski every afternoon is more than a ritual. It's an essential component of the Iwanai experience.
Après typically kicks off at 3:30 as you find your way off the mountain. Enjoy some freshly prepared Brooklyn-style pizza, warm your body with hot sake or sip a frothy Sapporo. As we turn up the volume, shoot a game of pool or enjoy a variety of local Japanese whiskeys. Watch the sun gradually set over the bay. Like any respectable Japanese bar, we keep going as long as you’d like to stick around. Take advantage of our luxurious setting and bond with friends old and new, reflect on the highlights of the day, and rejoice.
THREE BIRDS
Iwanai Resort is not all about cat skiing. Join us for lunch at our Three Birds Restaurant featuring various locally sourced Japanese and Western dishes.
Our connection to nature plays a large part in our menu. Our proximity to the ocean and availability to Hokkaido’s renowned produce provides us with endless culinary opportunities. Each week our executive chef sources only fresh ingredients to provide well-balanced meals for you to enjoy between powder turns. All of our menu items are prepared fresh and with care.
Be sure to try our unique Umami Burger, made from tender Hokkaido wagyu beef and seasoned with Japanese umami flavor. Or warm your body with our delicious miso ramen, udon, or soba noodles. Special menu items are updated weekly.
HISTORY
The original resort in Iwanai was established during Japan’s economic bubble era, when the government heavily promoted ski tourism to revitalize rural towns and provide off-season employment for farmers. During its peak, the "Niseko West Valley in Iwanai" was a thriving ski area, featuring seven lifts, a lively restaurant, bar, and gift shop.
But with the economic downturn of the early 1990s, tourism slowed, and fewer visitors made the trip from Sapporo. By the early 2000s, the town stepped in to manage the resort. Most operations were scaled back, leaving just one pair lift and the restaurant open for the local community.
It was during this time, in 2002, that the town pioneered Japan’s first CAT skiing operation on the resort’s retired courses—officially marking Iwanai as the birthplace of CAT skiing in Japan.
In 2017, our team took over the hütte and mountain operations. Since then, we’ve consistently upgraded the infrastructure and expanded our terrain far beyond the old lift-accessed runs. Today, we offer a truly unique, world-class backcountry experience—set against the stunning backdrop of the Sea of Japan.
