Itinerary
NOTE:
This itinerary is a guide. The tour is dictated by the weather each day and your guide will fit around where the best conditions are. This is a powder tour so wider skis are recommended to get the best out of your time with us. A full equipment checklist is listed in our FAQ’s and tour essentials pdf. The beauty of a Japan Powder Culture Tours guided tour is that we are not constrained by relationships with resorts, our aim is to be flexible and follow the weather to allow all our customers goals to be met. The set dinners and evening performances of the Geisha, Taiko Drum, Karate and Magic performances may vary on which night they fall on the 11-day tour due to overlap in bookings or other circumstances.
Day 1
Make your way to Yudanaka (home of the snow monkeys) on either the amazing rail system or a shuttle from Narita or Haneda airport and be picked up at the drop off points. We need to know a minimum of one day in advance what time your shuttle arrives and what time you arrive to the Yudanaka train station so the Ryokan can have a shuttle van to pick you up. The area has a history of over 1,300 years as a hot spring resort and more recently was put on the map due to the 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games. You are treated like a rock star at the Ryokan with exceptional service, immaculate surroundings and food to die for. We do not have the first night’s complimentary meal due to different arrival times, briefing at 6pm and setup of gear for guests, so instead we take the group to the sushi train restaurant or one of the many fine eating establishments in Yudanaka.
Day 2
Known as the birthplace of skiing in Japan in 1911, Shiga Kogen is the largest ski area in Asia with the highest lift access in Japan 2307 metres and has 18 interconnecting resorts. Because Shiga is so large and elevated, fresh lines can be found days after a snowfall. And because relatively few westerners have discovered this area the queues are almost non-existent, and another bonus is that very few Japanese ski off-piste. After skiing and riding, why not try an onsen to sooth any aches and pains followed by a local beer or wine from the lounge bar. Tonight, we will eat in house at the Ryokan Biyu so bring your camera and this is followed by an amazing interactive Geisha performance by a third generation Geisha to the area.
Day 3
Madarao (Madapow) is another of the Japanese ski fields that does not attract the hordes of gaijin’s (foreigners). This field seems to have its own microclimate and when it snows here it can be very magical. On the way home we have the option to eat at one of the few Okonomiyaki restaurants in Nagano, which is a specialty from Osaka and Hiroshima.
Day 4
After breakfast we will travel to Nozawa Onsen if the conditions are favourable for some more action on the snow. With its 300 hectares of terrain and 50km means it the second largest resort on our itinerary next to Shiga Kogen. Nozawa Onsen does get a lot of profile so can be much busier than the other resorts we go to so we try to time our visit when there will not be long lift lines or to many people on our precious powder. If time permits at the end of the day, we will take a walk through Nozawa Onsen township and enjoy the many shops and eating treats. After two days on the snow the new muscles you have used are fatigued and, in our experience, this is the day when there is a higher potential of injuries occur so you may decide to rest so that you will be strong to finish the rest of the tour in style. You may just decide to chill for the day; however, we have a series of cultural side treats that will blow your mind. These are outlined at the end of this flexible itinerary.
Day 5
Old Faithfull as we affectionally know Shiga Kogen is back on the ski menu and if the conditions are right we will head to the highest lift elevation in a ski resort in Japan called Yokoteyama. The 360 degree views from the top are the best you will find anywhere in the world looking over the Nagano prefecture and if it is clear enough you can also view Mt Fuji which is Japan’s highest peak at 3776 metres. After you dine out at one of the many outstanding restaurants around Yudanaka we have Magic show from Fred who is a "local foreigner" and performed magic for 30+years around the world. The performance is something between great magic, fun comedy and silly stuff. The show will make you laugh and amaze you as well. The audience participation adds a bit of improvisation that brings a lot of surprises! A truly enjoyable experience!
Day 6
Togakushi ski resort is on the menu today. This area is highly significant to the Japanese as it is the home of towering cedar trees and the Okusha Shrine sits at the base of Mt. Togakushi so some good walking shoes are required for our cultural side stash walk after the skiing. Another amazing in house dinner at Ryokan Biyu and for your final night’s scheduled entertainment you can participate in a Karate performance and teaching session from one of Japan’s Grand Masters champions followed by a taiko drum, shamisen guitar and lion dance performance.
Day 7
Roadie time! This is the part of the trip where we lighten the load. The ski’s and boards go on the roof and the boots in the back. Each person has a small bag akin to a carry-on bag in a plane. Time to bid farewell to our amazing hosts at Ryokan Biyu. No visit is complete to Yudanaka without some interaction with the famous “Snow Monkey’s”. This is the only place in the world you can see the snow monkey soaking in natural hot pools up close and personal. Afterwards we explore historic Shibu Onsen town. We then leave Yudanaka for a 2-and-a-half-hour drive and on our way to Tenjin Lodge we will visit Kiyotsu Gorge and the tunnel of light then a soak in a very famous onsen in Japan named Takaragawa Onsen. Dinner will be at Tenjin Lodge followed by a beverage and chat with your guide for the game plan the next day.
Day 8
Game on. After breakfast if the Snow God has co-operated, we are off to Tenjindaira. This is where things start to get real. Tenjin is not an area to be trifled with and the area turns up the volume to what you have been experiencing thus far on the tour in regard to steepness, depth and risk. So, on this part of the tour we engage our guide Kieran’s knowledge and experience on this mountain and we have a lead and tail guide. Tonight we dine at a Minikami favourite restaurant – Daruma.
Day 9
Because Tenjin gets so much snow and storms there are times it is just not possible to ski it. So, a backup plan is needed which the Gunma area provides in the resort of Minakami Houdaigi nearby to Tenjin Lodge. You are not going to come across any westerners at Houdaigi and the mountain has a real local feel. Mount Hotaka (Hotakasan) in Gunma has various ski resorts sitting on its flanks, yet the Hodaigi Ski Resort is located on the northwestern slope and many of the runs face due north, so the snow quality is particularly nice for our requirements. Dine out and about in Minakami.
Day 10
After breakfast we will travel to Kagura in the Niigata prefecture which is a three-in-one ski resort that incorporates the areas of Kagura, Mitsumata and Tashiro. The Kagura Ski Resort is also interconnected with Naeba Ski Resort via a super long gondola, the Dragondola, to form one large ski area referred to as Mt Naeba. The real goodies are off the top lift which gives us access to a wide range of terrain with some very light snow if the Snow God plays ball. For our last night we will either eat on the Kagura side or head back into Minikami to enjoy some authentic Japanese fare and relive our stories from the last 10 days.
Day 11
Time to bid farewell. You can either leave by train from Minakami if you wish to get the fastest route to Tokyo or come back to Yudanaka if you want to continue with some skiing and riding.