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Mogami Yamagata’s scenic Mogami region, named for the 224 kilometre-long river which flows through it, is more than three-quarters covered in mountainous forest. Much of the forest is ancient, some of the trees millennium-old giants measuring three metres or more around the base of their trunks. … Read More
Lounging around in a comfy yukata kimono, eating delicious gourmet cuisine, ready to slide into a hot spring at a moment’s notice – there’s nothing quite like the luxury of a hot spring inn, or 'onsen ryokan'. Yamagata Prefecture is rich in historic hot spring inn communities, some hidden away in r… Read More
Romantic hot spring town on the doorstep of the snow country Echigo-Yuzawa inspired the Nobel Prize-winning novel 'Snow Country', and has created a dream-like legacy of romance in the white winters of the north-eastern Japanese countryside. Snow Country was born from the pen of Yasunari Kawabat… Read More
www.nozawaski.com/winter/en/index.php | Toyosato 7653, Nozawaonsen-mura, Shimotakai-gun | 2+81-269-85-3166 | Days 8:40-17:20, Nights 16:30-20:00 | Travelling times to Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort Tokyo: 2 hrs 25 min (train), Osaka: 4 hrs 30 min (train) QUALITY AND QUANTITY Nozaw… Read More
Pioneering powder resort with historic hot springs Nozawa Onsen has depth as a snow holiday destination in more ways than one. The first things that come to mind for skiers and snowboarders are its average 12-metre snowfall every year, and snow pack exceeding five metres in the highest sectio… Read More
Welcome to Tokyo, the only place in the world that you can eat Michelin-starred food for under $10, sleep in a capsule, or watch live baseball at 4am in the morning. It is without a doubt one of the busiest, craziest, more bizarre cities on the planet! The list of things you can do here is lite… Read More
Meditate on the Zenkōji Plain from an amazing hot spring Yomase Onsen is a small hot spring oasis with incredible views from Kita Shiga Kogen's 1,352-metre Mt Kosha. With snowflakes melting on them as they fall, skiers and snowboarders soak in its famous Tōmi-no-yu outdoor baths (rotenburo) du… Read More
Steaming mineral-rich pools of health and happiness are found everywhere in Yamagata, from the prefecture's coastline to its mountainous interior. Its hot spring bathing culture dates back over 1,900 years, when a wounded warrior is said to have stumbled upon one of its most legendary spring-he… Read More
www.zao-spa.or.jp/english/index.html | Zao Onsen, Yamagata-shi | 2+81-23-694-9328 | Open 8:15-21:00 | Travelling Times to Zao Onsen Ski Resort Tokyo: 3 hrs (train), Osaka: 5 hrs (train) SNOW MONSTER COUNTRY Zao Onsen Ski Resort is one of Japan's vintage snow resorts, fam… Read More
The neighbouring town to the snow monkey park, full of charm and tradition Shibu Onsen is a quaint hot spring town in Nagano Prefecture that opens up behind a curtain of steam, revealing traditions and architecture of years passed, still standing tall and proud. The town's original spring-h… Read More
Welcoming hot spring town with retro charm Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen carved itself a place on Japan's hot spring destination map just over 120 years ago in 1893. Times were tough, and to revive the local economy, the head of the town implemented a plan to dig for hot springs. Since the waters beg… Read More
Capital of an outdoor paradise with deep Buddhist roots Zenkō-ji, a 1,400 year-old Buddhist temple, is the traditional soul of Nagano. A highland capital in the Japan Alps, the city grew up around this sacred storehouse of the Ikkō Sanzon Amida Nyorai, a Buddhist image believed to be the first… Read More
Enjoy the finer things in a hot spring town on Hakuba’s doorstep Traditional hot spring inns with revitalising baths; glassy lakes reflecting the jagged lines of snow-capped mountains. These are the classic hallmarks of a secluded Japanese alpine retreat, and Omachi has them in abundance. T… Read More
Where the polar bears play, and the skiers stay Mid-winter in Asahikawa, Hokkaido's second-largest city, is a time of diamond dust sparkling in the morning sun, and giant snow sculptures lighting up the night with luminescent colour. The city's average daytime temperature during February is… Read More
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
The beautiful heart of frontier Japan Quintessentially still a country town, Furano has Eden-like qualities that have long attracted nature-lovers, artists, photographers and film crews. Its seasons are similar to Northern Europe, with heavy snows blanketing the landscape in winter, and mil… 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
Fall in love with Hokkaido's historic port A fishing port close to Sapporo, Hokkaido's capital, Otaru grew with the development of the island's rail network to inland coal fields during the nineteenth century. Beautifully maintained European heritage buildings constructed during this era still… Read More
Hot spring heaven around the corner from Niseko Niseko still has a few secrets up its sleeve, and one of these is Niseko-cho, or the Niseko town district. Covered by forests and rivers, it is an abundant farming area known for melons, asparagus and tomatoes; eateries in town serve farm prod… 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
