Buying Ski Gear in Japan: What to Buy, When, and Where to Keep It
Published Last updatedReviewed by Max
Buying ski or snowboard gear in Japan, in a shop or online? Use it on this trip, or keep it for your next one, and leave it with Silk Crane instead of flying it home. Silk Crane, a luggage storage service for travelers in Japan, keeps the packed gear in storage and delivers it to your hotel or resort when the next winter comes.
You send new skis and snowboards from your hotel front desk or an airport counter of the delivery company Yamato that accepts ski equipment; Silk Crane takes an ordinary suitcase from your hotel front desk or a 7-Eleven.
New boots in Tokyo, a week on the mountain, then storage
Picture trying on ski boots around Kanda and Ogawamachi in Tokyo, then wearing them for a week on the mountain. After the last run, you pack the boots, helmet and winter layers, sign up, and send them from the hotel front desk to Silk Crane using your sending steps. Your city days and the flight home stay light, and next winter Silk Crane delivers the kit to your first ski hotel.
What is worth buying in Japan?
Ask the shop about fit, binding compatibility and servicing before you pay: a purchase that works well on the mountain is more useful than one chosen only because it looks like a bargain.
Should you buy before the ski days or at the end of the trip?
Buy before your ski days if you want to use the equipment this trip, and take time to compare options.
Buying near the end of the trip works too. After you sign up, ask the shop to send your purchase straight to storage using the address and suite number Silk Crane gives you. Bought skis in Japan? Have the shop send them to storage walks through those steps.
Can I order from a Japanese sports retailer online?
Often, yes. A Japanese retailer’s online shop can send a prepaid purchase to your Silk Crane address, though each retailer decides whether to take your order. You pay the shop and arrange the delivery to Silk Crane with the seller.
Boots are worth trying on in a shop. For a board or ski set whose size you already know, an online order can work.
I already store gear with Silk Crane. Can I add newer gear?
Say your board is a few seasons old and you are planning next winter’s visit. From home, you order new boots and a board from a Japanese retailer’s online shop, and the seller sends them to your Silk Crane address. When the ski days come, you tell Silk Crane your ski hotel in a resort area such as Niseko, Furano, Tomamu, Hakuba or Myoko, and Silk Crane can deliver the new gear to that hotel with the bag you already store.
Where do you keep the gear after the trip?
Silk Crane keeps the gear in Japan until your next trip. For steel edges, Silk Crane offers optional anti-corrosion edge protection for the off-season.
Yamato uses its plastic protective cover for skis, snowboards and all-in-one cases, even inside a padded bag; the Yamato ski and snowboard cover guide explains it. The monthly and annual ski storage guide helps you choose a plan.
Is buying in Japan better than renting?
Not always. It depends on fit and familiarity, how often you ski in Japan, how much gear you use, airline handling and rental convenience. Travelers who return often and prefer their own equipment may find keeping it in Japan more convenient. Rent or bring your own skis to Japan? covers renting in more detail.
Live somewhere warm, or far from ski shops? Keeping a Japan ski kit when home is warm is written for you.
Buying ski gear in Japan: questions
Can I buy online before I arrive in Japan?
Yes. After you sign up, a Japanese retailer’s online shop can send the purchase to your Silk Crane address, so the purchase can reach Silk Crane before you arrive.
Do I have to carry the gear to a storage site?
No. Silk Crane has no walk-in counter: you send the gear in from your hotel, and Silk Crane delivers it when you want it out. For about a month of storage, see the one-month ski storage page.