Primary duties include clearing away snow from around the boarding ramp onto the lift. Wiping off snow that has settled on the lift seats as they come down the mountain. Checking customer tickets and clipping if required. Helping customers safely board the lifts; giving verbal instruction to customers who aren’t familiar with riding lifts. Stopping lifts in case of emergency. On snowy days lift seats will need to be regularly cleaned (brushed) before customers sit down. In the event of heavy snowfall, lift paths may need to be cleared. A physically demanding position. At most resorts you will work on a 20-30 minute rotation system where you’ll rotate between the different duties.

NOTE: In general, Japan is still a smoking society. Most lift offices (where you spend about half your working time) have at least a couple of staff who smoke inside. Therefore, if you are sensitive about smoking, it might be best not to apply for a lift job.

Additional Duties: Greeting customers with a nice smile and a friendly ‘hello’.

Regular Duties: Cleaning rooms after customers have checked out. Removing dirty linen, and resetting the room with clean bedroom and bathroom linen. Collection of rubbish and cleaning of bathroom. Vacuuming and wiping of visible surfaces to make clean for new customers. Restocking of room fridge and other amenities. This is not a glamorous job, but very important for the running of a hotel.

Additional Duties: Greeting customers with a nice smile and a friendly ‘hello’.

Working Hours: This depends on your restaurant, however you can expect an average 7-9 hour shift (with a 1 hour unpaid lunch/dinner break).

Preparation: Primary duties include briefly sweeping/vacuuming your work area each morning.

Regular Duties: Serving drinks and dishes to customers at their tables or at shop counters, clearing them away after customers have finished, and wiping down tables in preparation for the next customers. Some of the ski resorts have self-serve facilities, whereby customers serve themselves (leaving only the clearing of tables for staff). Serving of food onto dishes for customers, and simple food preparation duties, such as making hotdogs, sandwiches or pizzas; hygiene is of utmost importance. Showing customers to tables and taking orders (if required) is generally done by Japanese staff.
Fast food / ice cream restaurant staff: In addition to the above duties, handling cash is also a primary duty for all staff, so care must be taken to give correct change.

Additional Duties: Greeting customers with a nice smile and a friendly ‘hello’.

Morning Preparation: Primary duties include briefly sweeping your work area each morning, and filling cash registers with the days ‘float’.

Regular Duties: Helping customers with any queries and offering recommendations about Ski Equipment (eg. Skis, Snowboards etc). Briefing customers on the safety and handling of equipment. Taking customer details (name, address, contact numbers) when organizing rental equipment. Ringing up customer rental charges on the cash register and controlling cash inflows-outflows (great care needs to be taken in giving the correct change to customers). Helping customers choose appropriate sized equipment (according to body weight and height, etc.). Adjusting stances on skis/boards to suit boot sizes. Waxing of skis/boards and general maintenance of equipment. Collecting rental gear from customers at the end of each work day and checking stock levels to make sure all rental equipment has been returned. Closing and balancing cash registers at the end of the work day.

Additional Duties: Greeting customers with a nice smile and a friendly ‘hello’.

Morning Preparation: Primary duties include briefly sweeping your work area each morning, and filling cash registers with the days ‘float’.

Regular Duties: Helping customers with any queries, and offering recommendations about gifts and cakes. Ringing up customer purchases on the cash register and controlling cash inflows-outflows (great care needs to be taken in giving the correct change to customers). In limited cases, gift-wrapping may be required. Closing and balancing cash registers at the end of the work day.

Additional Duties: Greeting customers with a nice smile and a friendly ‘hello’.

Morning Preparation: Primary duties include briefly sweeping your work area each morning.

Regular Duties: Taking care of customers’ baggage and delivering baggage to rooms (no tipping in Japan). Guiding customers to the front desk for check-in and helping with any other queries.

Additional Duties: As the initial contact point with customers entering the hotel, greeting customers with a nice smile and a friendly ‘hello’ is crucial.

Morning Preparation: Primary duties include briefly sweeping your work area each morning, and filling cash registers with the days ‘float’.

Regular Duties: Selling customers tickets and helping with any queries. Ringing up customer purchases on the cash register and controlling cash inflows-outflows (great care needs to be taken in giving the correct change to customers). Closing and balancing cash registers at the end of the work day.

Additional Duties: Greeting customers with a nice smile and a friendly ‘hello’.

Morning Preparation: Primary duties include briefly organizing your work station each morning.

Regular Duties: Taking care of customers’ enquiries and offering recommendations about events / restaurants / sights / facilities etc.

Additional Duties: Greeting customers with a nice smile and a friendly ‘hello’ is crucial.

Morning Preparation: Primary duties include briefly sweeping your work area each morning.

Regular Duties: Helping customers check-in and check-out. Taking the occasional reservation and answering the telephone (putting telephone calls through to other departments). Helping customers with any queries about hotel facilities etc. and offering recommendations about services. Ringing up customer bills on the cash register and controlling cash inflows-outflows (great care needs to be taken in giving the correct change to customers).

Additional Duties: Greeting customers with a nice smile and a friendly ‘hello’.

Lift staff, rental shop, housekeeping, restaurant, ski instructor, front desk, ticket sales, bellhop, and more. See above for the job descriptions of each.

At Japanese-run Ski Resorts, YES. Working at the ski resort, your staff ID will act as your lift pass at your resort. In cases where your ID is not an electronic chip, you can trade it in at the resort’s office for an electronic chip and ski / snowboard for free during the day, returning the chip for your staff ID at the end of the day.

At foreign-run resorts it depends on the resort. Some resorts will have X-number of shared passes for staff and cover up to half the cost of a personal pass if you decide to purchace one. Other resorts might give you a “bonus”, covering the cost of your lift pass once you finish the winter season. Full details will be given in the Tentative Job Offer.

Ski Resorts: Generally no, as your shift will start with the first lift and end with the last lift.

Other positions: Sometimes if you have shifts starting late, or finishing early, you might be able to, yes.

Note: Every year we get emails from people concerned they might not have enough time on the mountain.
In 15+ years, we are yet to have a single complaint from anyone at the end of the season saying they wish they had more time on the mountain. Don’t worry! You’ll have plenty of time to ski and snowbaord!

We recommend renting. Many resorts provide staff discounts, and bringing your own can be expensive and impractical. However, if you’re an advanced skiier or snowboarder and already have a full set of gear you love, feel free to bring it with you!

Yes. You must have travel insurance that includes snow sports coverage.