From The Sea To The Mountains - Exploring The Experiences Of An Exclusive Winter In Central Japan

Published
03/16/2021 by

Winter is a special season in central Japan where you can experience the best of what the sea and the mountains have to offer. The area is geared up to welcome visitors looking for seasonal treats and delights.

Nagano Prefecture, the site of the 1998 Winter Olympics, is home to many renowned ski resorts and hotsprings. Togari Onsen Ski Resort offers a unique Fat Biking experience, where you can ride on the snow with mountain bike-like bicycles with much fatter tires. If you fancy a long slide down the hill, hook the bike onto the lift and take it up with you!

Nozawa Onsen boasts some of the best powder snow in Japan. Diverse food is available from traditional Japanese, to burgers, Mexican and Italian, attracting worldwide visitors. In the snow park, the latest model gondolas offer amazing views all the way to the top of the mountain.

After hitting the slopes, relaxing at one of the 13 soto-yu hotspring baths and hotspring inns dotted around the village is a great way to end the day.

Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture is known for its exquisite seafood especially during the winter when oysters and crab are in season. Wakura Onsen in Nanao is particularly famous for crabs, and you can really taste the difference between fresh crabs and ones that need to be shipped.

For oysters, check out Kimura Isao Shouten, a restaurant run by an oyster fisherman. They serve lively oysters on the grill straight from the ocean that lies ahead. From a variety of superb oyster dishes on the menu, perhaps the most unique offering they have is oyster ice cream. There are small pieces of oyster in the ice cream which gives it a slightly salty taste – an exquisite mix.  

To end the day, enjoy an exclusive stay at a Japanese artisan-style inn in Wakura Onsen, which is the largest hotspring resort in the area with a 1200-year history. Authentic "Omotenashi," or Japanese hospitality, offered at the local inns will be a wonderful memory of your trip.

While Japan might be most popular during the cherry blossom season, winter is as exciting and appetizing. Please come visit us!