About NBS Japan Hakuba
NBS Japan Hakuba — short for Niseko Base Snowsports — is a premium ski and snowboard rental operation located on the bottom floor of the Wadano Gateway Hotel in the centre of Happo Village. Originally established as one of Niseko's top snowsports operations, NBS expanded to Hakuba to bring its proven rental and service model to the Northern Japanese Alps. The Happo Village location puts guests within walking distance of the Happo-one gondola and provides a convenient base for accessing Hakuba's full lineup of interconnected resorts.
The rental fleet is organised by ski type rather than generic categories — powder, all-mountain, carving, and park skis with waist widths ranging from 72mm to 116mm — allowing guests to choose equipment that matches the day's conditions rather than being locked into a single pair. Brands include K2, Head, Ride, Line, Armada, and Burton, all refreshed seasonally. NBS also rents clothing, sells helmets and goggles from Giro, Smith, and Oakley, and offers belt wax and full hot wax services. A complimentary shuttle runs between Tsugaike and Goryu, making multi-resort exploration easy for renters.
What distinguishes NBS from Hakuba's many rental shops is its condition-based swap system — renters can exchange their skis or snowboard daily at no extra charge to match powder, groomer, or park conditions. This means a guest can ride fat powder skis on a deep day, switch to carving skis for a groomed morning, and grab park skis for the afternoon, all on the same rental. Combined with generous operating hours from 7:30am to 8pm and staff fluent in English and Japanese, NBS delivers a premium, flexible rental experience that rivals anything in the valley.
