I'm an avid skier/snowboarder and I have always lived in the US, so I usually go to places over there.

Now I live in China and I already have been to the facilities here in China and they are mostly just terrible. Terrible facilities, lack of maintenance of snow, etc.

Since it's technically closer for me to fly to Japan than to northern China, after hearing about how great Hokkaido is, that's where I want to be.

But how do I get there?

I currently live in Shanghai.

I want to minimize the time I have to spend traveling and connecting flights. It's tedious connecting with skis/snowboards. Do I fly to Sapporo (or some other airport), or take the Shinkansen from somewhere else? Or perhaps are there buses or shuttles that are better?

Right now I'm looking at the new year timeframe.

Any recommendations on how to get there and where to go?

Thanks!