Sushi Making and Sake Tasting Tour

Fancy a day off from the slopes? Or have someone in your party who doesn't ski or snowboard and is looking for something interesting to do in Yuzawa? We have just the thing for you...

This is a tour that should appeal to everyone with a love of Japanese cuisine.

Introducing the Sushi Making and Sake Tasting Tour.

One of Yuzawa's top sushi chefs will teach you how to handcraft sushi, after which you will be able to eat the fruits of your labor.

It is then off to Yuzawa's famous Shirataki Brewery to learn all about how they produce such a delicious easy-drinking tipple. Of course no brewery tour is complete without tasting the finished product.

A true gourmet experience!

Restaurants in Yuzawa

We would recommend that everybody experience a dinner in a ryokan. The multi-course banquets that are served for the evening meals are seriously impressive. The flavors are out of this world (even if you might not be 100% sure what you are eating!) and the presentation is so good you might not want to disturb it.

For other dining choices, people staying in Yuzawa have plenty of options. There are restaurants all over the place serving a wide variety of styles of cuisine. No matter what you are in the mood for, there is a good chance someone somewhere has it on the menu.

We have put together a list of some of our favorites and are happy to make recommendations (or bookings) if you require.

Food and Drinks in Yuzawa

Rice Harvesting - Guest Post by Pelle Blomster

Rice plays a major role in these parts and many of the autumn festivals coincide with the rice harvest. Over in Nakazato you can experience rice harvesting by hand and some friends of our went along to see what it was like. Here is the report from Pelle and Emilia.

Rice harvesting in Echigo-Nakazato.

Each season brings different experiences in the Snow Country. Winter brings abundant snowfall excellent for all kinds of winter sports. Spring is beautiful with its cherry blossoms and wild rivers. In summer there are many festivals and the lush mountainous nature to explore. Autumn is great for trekking among the changing colors of the trees. Autumn is also the time for harvesting the famous Niigata Koshihikari rice.

Through Hop Step Japan we had the opportunity to try traditional rice harvesting on our latest trip to Snow Country. On a beautiful, sunny autumn day we hopped on our bikes and set out for Nakazato and the rice harvesting experience. We were excited to try harvesting one of the culinary gems of Niigata, Koshihikari rice, but also a bit nervous due to our lack of Japanese language skills. As I turns out it was a wonderful day, and the helpful staff made sure we knew what to do by giving a demonstration. So with about 100 other eager participants we soon got to work cutting down a whole field of rice. People of all ages made an effort together, and little kids enthusiastically carried around bundles of rice bigger than themselves. The only time work was halted was when a frog was found in the rice field. After a while and many pictures everybody got back to work. The kids got to take turns riding the harvesting machine and looked very happy. It was amazing how quickly you can harvest a rice field by hand when working together side by side.

It was a fun way to feel a connection to the community and the area, were rice fields stretch out as far as the eye can see. After harvesting we all posed for photographs and were rewarded with one kg of premium koshihikari rice and a bathing ticket to try a local onsen. The friendly organizers reminded us to stop by the harvest festival held near the Nakazato station the next day, and we promised to do so.

After the harvesting we rode our bikes to the trendy 3-ji café in front of the Nakazato station for lunch, and had some delicious curry with homegrown vegetables. We highly recommend trying out the local specialities of the snow country area for a taste of the real, friendly, rural Japan.

Pop in and say "Hi"

Everything is clicking into winter mode and everywhere is getting busier as the snow arrives. It is great to see the town come alive again and getting ready for the New Year influx of skiers and snowboarders. We get a good view over everything that is going from our vantage point next to 7-11 on the main onsen street outside the West Exit side of the station. [Turn right onto the main road and we are the first building on the right hand side after the convenience store; up the stairs to the first floor, door on the right.]


Our door is always open during business hours so feel free to drop in. If you have questions, need some local area information or would like to sort out your discount Super Pass, ski/snowboard lesson or rental package, we are always happy to help.

We've got free wireless and can probably rustle up a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate...

Wintery Weekend

Wow! What a weekend for snow.

At this time of year resorts are looking at the skies and praying for snow so that they can get the lifts running and people on the slopes. Some years the snow comes early, some years it comes later. It always comes though. This weekend it came in fine style. About 20 cms on Friday night, so we awoke to that white glow outside on Saturday morning. Saturday night it really came down with probably around 80 cms in the center of town by Sunday morning. And more snow through Sunday too.

Great news for the resorts, and anyone coming for a mid-December break to the snow. It is supposed to be a bit warmer this week but the forecasts are saying snow for next weekend. Bring it on.

The front of Inamoto this morning looking very wintery (apart from the beautiful blue skies...)

Snow Activities

Skiing and snowboarding are obviously popular pastimes in the mountains but they are not the only ways to have fun in the snow. There are a whole other host of activities to enjoy, and often no special skills or experience are needed.

Many resorts have sledging areas where you can enjoy sliding down a small slope, and children's play areas are also common in resorts.

Snowshoeing is a great way to experience the quiet beauty of nature in the Japanese mountains.

If you are looking for a bit more speed for your on-snow time then we might just have the perfect tour for you -

Head up to Naeba to enjoy a combination of Snowmobiling and Snowtubing.

Guaranteed fun that will put a big smile on your face!

Winter is on the way

There is a dusting of white on top of the local peaks this morning and temperatures are noticeably colder. The forecast for Kagura says there is snow on the way. Take a look at the row in red below the map! If that materializes it will be great news for all the ski resorts in the area.

Taken from 6 Day Kagura Forecast from SnowForecast.com

Kagura opened on schedule on November 22nd 2014 after a good early snowfall. It has been warmish since then with the snow getting a bit of a pounding from all those people keen to get back on snow.

This top up will be welcome news and will hopefully help the other resorts get a decent base for their planned opening dates.

Kagura will open on 22 Nov 2014

Great news for those of you who have been impatiently waiting to get back on snow for the 2014/15 winter season.

Cold temperatures and a few early snowfalls mean that Kagura will be good to go on November 22nd. You can keep an eye on the webcam if you want to know how things are looking but indications are that there will be about 1500 meters of slope available, 20-50 meters wide with a base of 60 cms. That is a pretty good opening day.

Can't wait!

Ski Resort Openings - 2014/2015 Season [UPDATED 2014/12/8]

A few more resort opening dates to add to the list courtesy of the instructors at Pod Snowsports who look like they are itching to get back on snow to teach ski and snowboard lessons.

Kagura - November 22nd 2014  OPEN
Tashiro - December 6th   OPEN

Iwappara - December 6th  Opening soon
Joetsu Kokusai - December 6th Opening soon
Naeba - December 13th
Maiko Kogen - December 13th
Houdaigi - December 13th
Norn - December 18th
Ishiuchi - December 19th
Yuzawa Nakazato - December 19th
GALA - December 20th
NASPA - December 20th
Kandatsu - December 20th
Hakkai-san - December 20th

All dates are planned opening dates so you'll want to check closer to the time if the resorts will actually open on that date or not.

Start doing your snow dance and let's get some big falls of the white stuff on the way.

Daily Updates on the SnowJapan Yuzawa Now page.

Spotlight on Snow Country feature

Winter is just around the corner and for many people that is a reason to get excited. There is still a bit of a wait until the first resorts open up, so in the meantime, to keep excitement levels high why not check out "The White at the End of the Tunnel" which was an introduction to Snow Country that appeared in Outdoor Japan magazine a couple of winters back.

Some interesting facts in the articles and some great pictures to keep the anticipation for winter going.

Banff Mountain Film Festival in Minakami 2014

One not to miss for all armchair adventure lovers. The highly regarded Banff Mountain Film Festival is on tour in Japan and stopping in Minakami on Saturday November 8th 2014.

The website is pretty amazing and worth checking out. Clips of various films are playing in the background, and they will definitely get you excited for the main event.

There are two sessions: an AM session at 1030 and a PM session at 1430. There are different films during each session so you probably want to check the schedule before you book your tickets.

The films are being screened at the Minakami Kankou Kaikan.

This is a great opportunity to see some amazing footage, and fantastic that they are touring outside of the major cities.

La Festa Mille Miglia 2014

The annual classic car rally that passes through Yuzawa each autumn is going to roar through town on Friday afternoon. They are booked to stay at NASPA New Otani for the night and head over the hill to Tokamachi on Saturday morning. It's a fantastic sight to see over 100 vintage cars pass through the center of town.

The cars are due to pass through  from around 4pm - 5.15pm on Friday 17th October 2014 and will be parked up at NASPA if you want to head up for a closer look.

La Festa Mille Miglia 2014

Traveling on a Dime - Independent Travel Video in Snow Country

Traveling On A Dime based in Niigata City trip around Japan highlighting some of the many great things there are to do. Being so close, they inevitably pop into Yuzawa to check out some of the activities going on in and around Snow Country. Their latest video sees them trying the Summer Skiing in Gala Yuzawa as well as the Zipline Course in Yuzawa Kogen. There is some pretty amazing footage shot from the air in the video so make sure you have a look....

Some other episodes featuring Snow Country adventures include:
Tokamachi Snow Festival, Snowboarding in Yuzawa, and some Minakami bungy action.

Click on the links for the inside look at some of these fun attractions.

Hakkai-san Firewalking - October 20th 2014

It is that time of year again. Shed your shoes and socks and walk barefoot across hot coals.

With Mount Hakkai towering above and the heavily wooded foothills all around the location is beautiful. The faithful walk across the hot coals and if you are keen you can join them. Or sit back and watch if you prefer. Check out our previous posts on this to find out why.

Details here in Japanese or if you are interested you can see a few more photos here.

Yuzawa Autumn Festival - October 19, 2014

Autumn is a great season in Japan for so many reasons: beautiful scenery as the leaves change, cool temperatures mean being outside is a pleasure, great food, a respite between the humidity of summer and the heavy snow of winter.....

It is harvest time and to celebrate there are lots of Autumn Festivals. The one in Yuzawa is one of the best festivals of the year in these parts. It is based around the Yuzawa Cultural Center by Chuo Park, and there is a shuttle bus from the center of town.

There are lots of stalls selling seasonal food. There's mochi, newly harvested rice cooked in traditional pots over wood fires, mushroom soup, and you can supplement this with treats from some of the local restaurants who also set up shop. The locally-raised pork burger in rice bread with miso and chili sauce is amazing, and the cakes on a couple of the stalls will have you walking round the park a few times to burn off some calories.

There is also entertainment with both the local taiko drum troupe and the yosakoi dance troupe performing for the crowds.

This is one not to miss. Don't forget to bring your own chopsticks and dish to cut down on rubbish.

Nakazato Autumn Festival - October 11 & 12 2014

The koshihikari rice grown in the valley in this part of Snow Country is often touted as the best in the whole of Japan. All that snow that falls in the winter melts in spring and runs off the mountains into the rice fields. This pure water is perfect for growing delicious rice. The farmers are hard a work at the moment bring that new rice in. If you've ever fancied having a go at harvesting rice by hand, the Nakazato Autumn Festival is worth checking out.

There are 100 spots available for people who would like to be set loose on a rice field with a small sickle. It costs 1,000JPY and takes place on October 11th. A small price to pay for bragging rights every time rice hits the table for the whole of the next year.

October 12th sees that rice being cooked along with several other autumn favorites at Nakazato Ski Resort. There are also other attractions at the festival to entertain you while you enjoy the local flavors.

Details on the Nakazato Tourist Association website.

Ski Resort Openings - 2014/2015 Season

I know..., it is still autumn and the leaves are not even at their best yet, but it is that time of year where we are starting to get excited about winter.

The resorts are starting to kick into gear and there are a few opening dates trickling out. We'll update with a full list closer to the time but for those of you thinking of getting some early turns in or getting a headstart on learning this winter, here some (planned) opening dates so far.

Kagura have snowmaking facilities on their main run so even in a slow-starting winter they normally hit their planned opening date no matter what. It just depends on nature as to how much snow there is and how much of the mountain is open. Other resorts tend to have to wait for the white stuff to fall to give them a decent base.

Kagura - November 22nd 2014
Tashiro - December 6th
Naeba - December 13th
Norn - December 18th
Ishiuchi - December 19th
GALA - December 20th
NASPA - December 20th
Kandatsu - December 20th
Hakkai-san - December 20th

Plenty more dates to come.

Minakami Adventure Festival - 4&5 October 2014

For those of you who enjoy the outdoors, a not-to-be-missed date for the diary is the Minakami Adventure Festival. This year it will take place on the fourth and fifth of October. There is also a new main location - Takuminosato. If you have time between your outdoor adventure experiences you can enjoy all the hands-on crafts, fruit picking and shopping that is available here aswell.

As ever the list of activities on offer is pretty impressive - rafting, canyoning, paragliding, stand up paddle board, quad bikes, mountain bikes, bungy jumping, tree climbing and canoeing. Add to this food, fireworks and lots of fun and games, and you have a great weekend out.

We'll see you there.

Yuzawa Kogen in Autumn

The weather is getting cooler up in the mountains and some of the leaves are just starting to change color. It is a really pretty time to view the area as the different types of trees all have their own shades of autumn colors. One of the best places to view the display is at Yuzawa Kogen, and they always have plenty going on.

Don't forget your camera as the views down the valley are some of the best in the area. The luge also comes highly recommended. You pick up speed really quickly and even the bravest speed freak will be yanking on the brake lever as the corners approach.

Yuzawa Yumeguri - Discounts on Onsen

As we get out of the heat of summer and autumn approaches, sitting in a nice, warm onsen becomes more and more appealing. Yuzawa town is running a campaign to entice you into the waters of their hot springs. From September 1st until November 26th participating onsen are offering discounts on their normal prices.

Also if you manage to visit an onsen in each of the four areas and get a stamp, you can claim a free prize from the Yukiguni Information on the West Side of Echigo-Yuzawa Station.

Full details on the Japanese leaflet.

Pick up your Yumeguri passport at one of the information centers or participating onsen and let's get bathing.

Summer Fun at Naeba

There's loads going on up at Naeba during the summer months and it has been a huge hit with the kids.

Water slides, tubing, summer igloos, canoeing, target practice, indoor skiing,......

Their summer program runs until the end of August so you have about a week left to get up there to have some fun. Check out the website for a full run down of what is on offer.

September bring the launch of the Naeba Survival Game Field - details to follow.

Tsunan Sunflower Field

Have you ever wondered what 3 ha. of sunflowers look like? Well, this weekend could be your chance to find out. The famous sunflower field in Tsunan town is in full bloom at the moment and this is the last weekend that it is officially open.

From the Tsunan Town page

It's an amazing sight and well worth the trip over there to have a look.
Full details on the Tsunan Town Sunflower Field page (in Japanese.)

Take the camera and see if you can get a snap worthy of entering into their Photo Contest. Entries due in by 31st August.

Fuji Rock 2015

Save the date! 24th-26th July 2015

Yuzawa Summer Festival 2014

We're in the Obon Holidays at the moment which means Summer Festivals. Yuzawa's Summer Matsuri in on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th August. The main area for the Festival is just outside the East Exit of Echigo-Yuzawa Station. There are things going on throughout the day but one of the highlights will be the Fireworks which start at around 20:00 on Friday night.

There will also be dancing, drums and live music, plenty of stalls selling festival food, and the whole town will be out in force.

The shrine will be making its way around town too, both the children's one and the main one. If you fancy helping out with this, volunteers are always needed.

Hopefully see you there.