Snow Country Wildlife

There are plenty of animals skulking around Snow Country and it is not uncommon to stumble across them when you are skiing. Rabbits, deer and monkeys frequently make appearances during winter and bears & boars can be sighted from time to time too.

Takaragawa Onsen have some Japanese bears at the onsen if you want to check them out. Monkeys are a pretty common sight, most often by the side of the road watching the skiers drive by. They also have quite a reputation for being mischievous.

Over at the Tanigawadake Ropeway website they have a picture of a kamoshika - one of the Japanese breeds of mountain deer. There are plenty of them over that way and they can often been seen as you ride the ropeway up to Tenjindaira ski field. You may well startle one as you explore the backcountry up that way.

Takaragawa Onsen

Snow Country is blessed with an abundance of hot springs and there are several that are well known across the whole of Japan. Two of these are Hoshi Onsen in Sarugakyo, and Kaikake Onsen in Mikuni which we have mentioned previously. Another great onsen that any connoisseur of volcanic hot springs should pay a visit to is Takaragawa Onsen, close to Minakami.

This is the largest outdoor natural hot spring bath in Japan and often appears on the list of top ten most desirable destinations in this country for foreign visitors. It is an amazing experience with bathers getting a true feel for the Japanese onsen customs and being able to enjoy the stunning views and nature around it.

Like many of the top onsen it has a long history, with the baths having a reputation for offering curative and restorative effects to those that made the effort to find it out. Even today it is quite isolated so it must have been quite a feat to get there back in the day and would have made the experience even more enjoyable when you finally made it to the soothing waters.

It is slightly unusual in that many of the outdoor areas are mixed with men and women sharing the same baths (though unlike the normal onsen you are allowed to wear your towel to preserve your modesty.) There are also uni-sex areas if you don't like the idea of mixed bathing. The outdoor onsen really are the highlight of Takaragawa so it is well worth going outside for a soak.

There is an amazing traditional ryokan at Takaragawa aswell so if you are looking for the complete experience, an night here with the onsen, great cuisine and comfy futon on the tatami mat floor will make for a very memorable stay.