Questions about Furano and Asahidake

Hey guys,

So a buddy and I are in the first stages of planning a return to Japan for some powder runs. Last year, with the help of the members here, we hit up Hakkoda and Niseko - both of which were UNBELIEVABLE. Seriously - we had an epic time and got lucky with a ton of powder and great days of boarding.

This time around, we are trying to debate going back to the same ones (Hakkoda and Niseko) or trying out Furano and Asahidake. In terms of preference, we really enjoyed Hakkoda's backcountry runs. At Niseko, we spent four days there but less than half a day on the actual resort runs - we climbed up the top and ran down the backsides, which again was backcountry and equally amazing (maybe even a bit more wide open at the top).

I've done some preliminary research on Asahidake and it seems right up our ally and it looks to be similar to Hakkoda. But I don't know much about Furano - so would welcome thoughts.

Also open to other recommendations in addition to Asahidake and Furano.

Here is the thread from last year: http://www.snowjapanforums.com/index.php/topic/22497-what-to-expect-hakkoda-and-niseko/

And here are some pics from our trip!