Snow in the Weather Forecast? Here is a collection of spots for skiing and snowboarding

A friend of mine had a collection of links and reccommended spots.

Madarao Sanpatekku and/or Madarao Kogen
These are places in Nagano prefecture. The price is reasonable and they have nice ski slopes, hotel and onsens. Distance is around 300km from Tokyo area.

The Itinerary with night bus will be something like below.
Friday night bus from Shinjuku around 9pm (They have shuttle service to other major stations also). Saturday morning will reach at the ski resort and will do skiing until evening. Sunday do skiing in the afternoon and return. Will reach Shinjuku by night around 9pm.
(Other days are also available).

Round trip cost per person will come up to JPY12,000 to 15,000 range.
Items included in this price are: Up and down bus ticket, Ski equipment rental, Unlimited Lift ticket (to go to mountain top to ski down), Dinner and Breakfast. If you go by car, then the price per person can further reduced by around JPY5000 .
Some links follows
http://www.snowjapan.com/japan-ski-resorts/nagano/iiyama/madarao-kogen?resid=25
http://www.madarao-sanpa.co.jp/

Gala Yuzawa
This place is closer to Tokyo (Around 200km) and is convenient since direct train access is there. You can get one day pass for Gala that includes train tickets, lift ticket and discount for the ski rentals. Cost will come around 16,000 JPY for a round trip, without food and accommodation.

Some links follows.
http://www.galaresort.jp/winter/english/
http://www.galaresort.jp/winter/
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7690.html

Fujiten
This place is just 150 km from Tokyo area. If you are visiting places near Fuji area on holidays, you can easily club this location. They have nice ski slopes for kids too.
Some links follows
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6931.html
http://www.fujiten.net/pc/

Some additional information follows

Ticket booking
Go to any JR Station or Keio station and then go to their Ticket offices and you will get the packages from there. Since the tickets will get booked 2 weeks in advance, it’s better to book the tickets now itself, if you are planning to go for ski on this holiday season.

Training
For half day training, the price ranges from 1500 to 4000 JPY per person, depending on the ski resort. This training is a must for beginners. They will teach you how to fall down properly, apply break etc. With this half day training you will be able to take small slopes, without falling. If needed you can extend training by paying more. They will usually speak a little English.

Items needed
You need ski gloves, sunglass, sun screen creams. Then you can rent the jackets there or if you have one you can use your own. Don’t wear jeans or any thick clothes, better to use track suits. Then preserve some balms for the night for all the muscles :)

Ski/Travel Insurance
The price will range from 500 to 1000 JPY per person.
This is highly recommended.