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www.snowtomamu.jp/winter/en/ | 079-2204 Nakatomamu, Shimukappu-mura, Yufutsu-gun | 2+81-167-58-1111 | Days 9:00-16:00, Nights 16:00-18:00 (Mon-Thu), 16:00-19:00 (Fri-Sun, Holiday) | Travelling times to Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU New Chitose Airport: 1 hr 30 min (car), Asahikawa Airport: 3 h… Read More
Home of Hokkaido's larger-than-life snow festival The Sapporo Snow Festival (Sapporo Yuki Matsuri) is one of the biggest highlights of the winter season in Japan. Hundreds of ice sculptures and statues take over Sapporo's Odori Park, and Tsudome and Susukino areas for the festival every Februa… Read More
The bullet train journey from Tokyo through the Japan Alps to Ishikawa Prefecture is like being fast-forwarded through a Japanese winter hall of fame; a snow resort from the Nagano Winter Olympics here, a hot spring retreat that inspired a Nobel Prize-winning novel there. The pot of gold at the end… Read More
Edomae sushi In the days before refrigeration, soy sauce, salt, vinegar and wasabi weren't just optional extras with sushi; they were essential ingredients used to preserve the texture of fish, and keep bacteria from rapidly invading. The creative use of these ingredients established a numbe… Read More
Essential highlights of Japan now and then The towering skyscrapers and ornate temple pagodas that symbolise Tokyo and Kyoto today are also an expression of the rich culture and history of Japan. Each city is a fascinating journey between modernity and tradition, and must be experienced on any tri… Read More
Day or night, the 'Kitchen of Japan' brims with traditional charm and modern edge Travelling through time in Osaka Read More
Osaka’s mecca of street food Kuromon Ichib Known as one of Osaka’s largest food markets, Kuromon Ichiba is a must-visit spot for a tasty feed. Locals come to this 114 year-old market for their daily shop, some socialising, and of course delicious street food. The market spreads out in all f… Read More
Loud and proud nightlife hub Dotonbori Dotonbori prides itself as the most popular entertainment district in Osaka; Encompassing both sides of the Dotonbori canal, the area is home to many of Osaka’s signature nightlife destinations. The best way to begin your adventure there is with a walk… Read More
Lake Kawaguchiko is famous as a hot spring area; it has many well-established lakeside inns with restaurants and outdoor baths with views of Mount Fuji, and there are many family-run bed and breakfasts in town. In recent years, with a further increase in the number of overseas visitors, basic ac… Read More
Mount Fuji, or Fujisan as it’s called in Japanese, has long been an influential presence in Japanese art. The work of countless Japanese artists captures this majestic icon, and an all-time classic is Katsushika Hokusai's ‘Koshu Misaka Suimen' ([Reflection in the] Surface of the Water, Misaka, Kai … Read More
APPI / HACHIMANTAI SKI AREA 2016-17 - Rural Town Bar & Hot Spring Version A DEEPER LOOK AT MATSUKAWA ONSEN The Matsukawa Onsen hot spring inn community is an excellent choice for experiencing Hachimantai's hitō hot springs in winter. Hitō means a hidden or secret hot spr… Read More
SNOWSHOE NATURE TRAIL & WINTER MOUNTAIN TREKKING The snowshoe nature trail allows participants to step off the fast lane, stop and admire the beauty that surrounds them. The forest behind Hotel APPI Grand is host to all kinds of flora, fauna and fluffy snow to play with. Explore yourself o… Read More
APPI, SKI RESORT, JAPAN - 2016-17 Winter Version Essential resorts, accommodation, food and entertainment VISIT APPI WITH A JR EAST PASS The Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train completes the journey to the north-eastern Japanese castle town of Morioka i… Read More
How will you enjoy Japan? Twelve great ways to relax in Japan, taste its amazing cuisine, discover its nature, culture and history, and celebrate with its people. RELAX Just want to put your feet up and let the world float by from the comfort of a beach or hot spring? Or perh… Read More
Japan's top three festivals The grace of a Japanese shrine can easily invoke a quiet, contemplative ambience, but when one is lifted up and shaken vigorously down the street atop a heaving crowd, it calls for the sort of raucous cheers more appropriate for a grand final. Portable shrines li… Read More
Time-travelling in Kyoto and Nara Beautiful temples and shrines nestled in mystical forests abound throughout Japan, but there are few that can match the enormous scale of Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Taisha Grand Shrine and Nara's Tōdai-ji Temple. These World Heritage-listed sites, which include … Read More
Taste sensations of Tsukiji Just a stone's throw from the biggest wholesale fish market in the world, sushi restaurants in Tokyo's Tsukiji area easily attract breakfast queues that snake out onto the footpath well before sunrise. Sushi Zanmai and Sushi Dai are two budget to mid-priced break… Read More
Island-hopping around Okinawa Subtropical Okinawa is traditionally known as the Ryukyu Islands, and enjoys the best of Japan's most amazing beaches. What helps seal the deal for international visitors is the fascinating native culture of the Ryukyus, which sets them apart from other beach reso… Read More
With over 30,000 Australian travellers visiting Japan in 2014, Japan has become one of the most popular holiday destinations for many Australians and no longer a curious island country far up in Asia. Japan is home to a unique culture that comes from a mixture of traditions and futuristic technolo… Read More
Experiencing the bounty of a Japanese Bordeaux Echigo-Yuzawa is part of a region called Minami-Uonuma, which is in many ways a Bordeaux of Japan. Just as Bordeaux has an ideal climate for viticulture, Minami-Uonuma has an ideal climate for rice farming, and the quality of its Minami-Uonuma Koshi… Read More
