Ski and Snowboard
Within Ehime there are 5 ski-jo: Ishizuchi, Mikawa, Kuma, Oda and AXross (an indoor slope). Of these the authors have been to Mikawa, Kuma and AXross . Neither of us has been to Oda because the amount of snowfall is lower than the other places. Neither of us has been to Ishizuchi as access is less convenient (at least from where we live).
How to get to Kuma
Buses go every hour or so up to Kuma from Matsuyama JR. Walk out of the station, a little to the left, and the stop's right there.
7.50, 9.20, 10.30, 11.50, 14.20, 15.35, etc.
Coming back the last bus is rumored to be about 18.30, but this has yet to be confirmed (by us) this year. Ask the driver on the way up, if you're not into hitchhiking back into the city.
The bus doesn't go all the way up the mountain. Get off at Kuma Skiland, which comes up quick around a fast corner. At which point, it's 1,230 yen I think. Then catch a shuttle or hitch up the hill. To come back, you can request a 6:00-ish shuttle at the entrance gate, which will get you down in time for the (possibly non-existent) last bus.
And don't forget to get back your lift pass deposit at the little vending machines to the right of the gate!
Here is a site that can give you up-to-date info about weather conditions on the mountain. It provides information about all ski resorts in Japan.
You've surely noticed at this point that skiing in Ehime is damn expensive. Gear rental is a big part of the price. If you already have your own gear, lucky you. If not, you might consider buying some. Matsuyama has two outdoor gear shops that I know of: Alpen and Himaraya (yeah, that's the closest they could get to Himalaya ). Both are on the loop highway that runs around the southwestern quadrant of the city. They are on the north-most bit of it, just past Kinuyama Cinema Sunshine. Sometime in September (I think) they both have sales to make room for the new season's gear. I picked up a board, bindings, and boots for 35,000 yen. At this price you have to go about 12 times to make it a savings. Even a pretty casual border might accomplish that in two seasons.
Mikawa, Ishizuchi and Kuma are in the areas of those names, AXross can be found in Shigenobu just off route 11.
Outside EhimeOwen has been to the following Ski areas: Hiroshima's Geihoku, Tottori's Daisen, Nagano's Hakuba and Nagano's Shigakogen.
All of these present better ski options than what Ehime has to offer, with the snow getting better as you head north. For ease of access, Geihoku or its near neighbor Mizuho can be recommended. Both can be reached by booking a ski package with a travel agent which involves ferry and bus journeys from Matsuyama port. Geihoku has a small snowboard park. Daisen is bigger and more spread out than Geihoku and therefore deals with crowds better, less time spent in lift queues, however it is further away. There are some nice long runs, but the best runs are restricted to skiers only. There are some jumps and moguls.
For those who are really keen, but not able to get to Hokkaido, Nagano-ken is a great option. Hakuba is on the train line and you can roll into town and take shuttle buses to any of the ski fields you'd like. This is the Olympic ski place so as you might imagine facilities are great and the range of choice wonderful. You could spend a week there, with every day on a different ski field. There is something for everyone, from nearly flat beginners slopes, through downhill slalom, ski jump and snowboard parks. It's just a matter of finding the place that suits your level.
Shigakogen is a little further north than Hakuba and probably harder to access, but it has better snow; the deal which allows you to ski on any of its 21 ski fields for the price of a one day pass makes its value for money unbeatable! You can generally ski from one field to the next using connecting lifts to traverse several fields in one day. There is a snowboard park near the bottom of the mountain (not much snow late in the season) and the nearby Yudanaka Onsen is a great place to take a soak after a hard day on the slopes.
Owen went to both these places in spring break (March/April) and there were still piles of snow. In the middle of winter they would be even better! In terms of getting to any ski fields in Japan, the simplest option would always be one's own vehicle (chains or snow tires or both are a necessity), but all of them are accessible by public transport, either bus or train. For those who don't speak Japanese, making a booking with a travel agent for a ski package trip is probably the best option, especially for outside Ehime. Also try asking staff members at your schools. There is a good chance at least one of them is a skier and willing to help out someone who'd like to get on the slopes. You might also join OSIG and meet JET's from other areas who are into skiing.
Nozawa Onsen is north of Nagano City. I went there over winter break. It's a gorgeous park with lots of varied runs. The powder was wonderful. A few runs are reserved for skiers only. I've heard Hakuba is more geared towards boarders. As the name implies, it's in a town chock full of onsen (hot springs). Like Owen said about Yudanaka Onsen , it really is nice to hop in the hot bath after a day of falling down a mountain.
Ski tripThere is a shop on the first floor of La Foret, in Matsuyama that sells ski trips to Hiroshima.
Their number is 089-941-4964,
Hours: 10:00-18:30.
The place has tons of options and packages that include ferry, bus, hotel and lift pass. I'm sure they would fax you any info you request. It seems that one of the high-end packages they had was 28,300 yen, which included a lift pass (2-day), hotel (1-night), and ferry--you had to be on the boat by 4:30 a.m. I'm sure you could do it cheaper on your own, but you always pay for convenience. Check it out at http://iyocom.jp/kairikulaforet/index.html
Here are some links to Hiroshima resorts:
Geihoku http://www.geihoku.com/index.php