Hakuba is located in the eastern foothills of the Hida Mountains in the northern part of the Japanese Alps and is a popular ski resort.

The village has humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), with cold, extremely snowy winters, and warm, rainy summers.

[5] Despite some localized road damage and a suspension of rail services on sections of the Ōito Line, there was however no major impact on hotels or ski tourism related infrastructure.

[9] Surrounded by the Sea of Japan (northward), Nagano City (eastward) and the Tateyama Kurobe Dam area (southward), Hakuba is also a popular summer vacation area which offers a variety of outdoor activities at an altitude of 700–800 metres, e.g. hiking, rafting/shower climbing, paragliding, mountain bike, bird sighting etc.

Other day activities to enjoy include visiting the snow monkeys, kimono experiences, Taiko drumming, traditional cooking classes, Matsumoto castle tours and more.

The ski resorts from north to south are: Cortina, Norikura, Tsugaike Kogen, Iwatake, Happo-One, Hakuba 47 (ja), Goryu, Sanosaka, Kashimayari and Jigatake.

Hakuba offers varied forms of skiing across the resorts but it is generally very well suited to beginners and intermediates with many long perfectly groomed runs and fantastic fall-line.