Hokkaido ski and snowboard storage graphic featuring a skier in deep snow.

Hokkaido Ski, Snowboard & Luggage Storage

Published Last updated

Reviewed by Max

Ski or snowboard in Hokkaido with the gear you need, and store spare luggage for the city days afterward.

Silk Crane, a luggage storage service for travelers in Japan, stores skis and snowboards during city stays, or spare suitcases during the mountain trip, and delivers them to a later hotel.

Your Hokkaido ski trip, in order

  1. Step 1 of 6

    Choosing your Hokkaido base

    The five Hokkaido ski bases suit different kinds of holiday, and the luggage plan is the same at all five.

    • Niseko: four resorts on Mount Annupuri, with slopes, lessons and places to eat. Niseko United
    • Furano: ski days plus a working Hokkaido town, with two zones, Furano and Kitanomine. Furano ski courses (PDF)
    • Rusutsu: three mountains and resort accommodation close to the action. Rusutsu on Japan Travel
    • Kiroro: a stay built around snow sports, with lessons and slope access to plan. Kiroro lessons
    • Tomamu: skiing within a broader resort stay, including the seasonal Ice Village. Tomamu winter site

    Silk Crane has no walk-in branch at these resorts; you send gear from your hotel front desk. First, the flight in.

  2. Step 2 of 6

    New Chitose: send equipment ahead for city days

    If skiing or snowboarding comes first, take your equipment to the mountain stay. If Sapporo or another part of Japan comes before the slopes, send your ski or snowboard bag from a Yamato airport counter to Silk Crane. After you sign up, Silk Crane gives you the sending steps and delivers the gear to your hotel or resort in Niseko, Furano, Tomamu or another resort area for the ski days.

    The Sapporo and New Chitose ski gear guide covers both directions, and the New Chitose airport luggage guide covers the airport. Send a spare suitcase from your hotel front desk or a 7-Eleven to storage for the mountain stay, then have it delivered to your hotel afterward.

  3. Step 3 of 6

    The ski days

    During skiing or snowboarding, keep your equipment with you. For back-to-back resorts, direct hotel-to-hotel forwarding may be simpler than a storage stop. When the last run is done, you send the gear on.

  4. Step 4 of 6

    After the last run: send the gear

    Send your skis or snowboard from your hotel front desk. The dry and pack guide covers drying and packing first. After you sign up, Silk Crane gives you the storage address, suite number and sending steps for your bag.

    Our guide to sending sports gear separately explains the travel rhythm between ski trips. Then the city is next.

  5. Step 5 of 6

    Powder mornings, Sapporo evenings

    Store the ski gear and enjoy Sapporo ramen with smaller bags.
    Send the ski gear to storage and settle into Sapporo with a smaller bag.

    Picture a week in Niseko followed by a few nights in Sapporo. You take a smaller bag into the city, with room in your evening for ramen and a long wander instead of a search for somewhere to leave a ski bag. If you stored your city suitcase during the mountain stay, have it delivered to your Sapporo hotel. Keep your everyday essentials with you.

  6. Step 6 of 6

    Next winter, perhaps another resort

    Silk Crane keeps your own skis, snowboards and boots in Japan for returning winters, or delivers them to a later hotel. Next winter can be Furano instead of Niseko: tell Silk Crane the new accommodation’s details when you want the gear.

    The storage plans page shows the options.

Niseko ski and snowboard storage graphic over a snowy resort scene.
Furano ski and snowboard storage graphic over snow-covered hills.
Rusutsu ski and snowboard storage graphic featuring a skier in deep snow.
Kiroro ski and snowboard storage graphic over snowy mountain slopes.
Tomamu ski and snowboard storage graphic over a winter night scene with fireworks.

Questions before you go

Can I store gear after skiing in any of these resorts?

Yes. You send the bag from your hotel front desk. After you sign up, Silk Crane gives you the storage address, suite number and sending steps for your bag.

Can I have it delivered to a different resort next time?

Yes. Silk Crane delivers to hotels and resorts in Japan, so next winter can be Furano instead of Niseko. Tell Silk Crane the new accommodation’s details when you want the gear.

Keep planning your trip

Planning the ski gear for your whole Hokkaido trip? See how one trip works with skis and a suitcase stored together, compare ways to send and store ski gear in Japan, or see how Silk Crane gets your ski gear to your next stay. Keeping winter gear in Hokkaido for another season? See the Hokkaido winter sports gear storage page.

Continuing south? Compare the Honshu ski destinations. Flying through Sapporo? See the New Chitose airport luggage guide. Returning to Niseko? Read Niseko ski and snowboard storage for your next trip. Spending time in Tokyo too? See ski and snowboard storage in Tokyo. Browse the Japan storage guide collection for more ideas.

Choose your Japan storage plan

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