Yairo Children's Snow Festival - Mar 10

Spring is just around the corner and it is a great time to visit the mountains, especially if you have kids. Whether they ski or not, there is always plenty to do to keep them occupied. The warmer weather in March makes it a great time to come and have some fun in the snow, and that is the driving force behind the 7th Yairo Forest Park Children's Snow Festival on Sunday March 10th.

Yairo has one of the best parks in the area for most of the year but most people don't head there in the winter. All that will change for the Snow Festival. There are loads of fun, free activities to play around with. Banana boating on the snow, igloos, snowshoeing, tubing, bamboo skis, mini games, snow sculptures and plenty more. It is always loads of fun, and the little ones will love it. There will be plenty of food as well to keep them full of energy.

Naked Man Festival, Urasa - March 3rd

Another one for the diary - the Naked Man Festival in Urasa is on March 3rd and is definitely one you don't want to miss if you like unique winter festivals.

Giant candles, men clad in loincloths in a heaving, steaming mass trying to push their way into a temple - all the things you want from a winter celebration. The location itself is a beautiful temple and there is plenty going on in and around it. The streets leading up the temple from Urasa station are lined with food stalls hawking tasty treats so there is plenty to do once you have had your fill of the main event.

If you get a bit cold standing around in the winter snow then get yourself a nice warm cup of sake....complete with dried fish for flavor!

Fire Walking at Hakkai San - October 20th

Rural Japan has many interesting festivals that offer a unique insight into Japanese culture. Snow Country is no exception and has a calendar full of interesting events, from newly weds being thrown down a hill to semi-naked men trying to battle their way into a shrine.

Tuesday October 20th sees another interesting local festival with the fire walking at Hakkai San. Hakkai has long been regarded as a sacred mountain and its shrine is seen as an especially powerful area.

This is a festival that takes place in Spring and Autumn and is an amazing sight. Cedar wood is burnt until there is a bed of red hot coals and then Shinto devotees walk barefoot over them guaranteeing the health and safety of their friends and family. It is not only limited to believers but the general public too can put their faith to the test and take a stroll across the coals. This is probably not one for the faint-hearted but your loved ones would be impressed to see you putting your body on the line for their well-being.

Even if you don't fancy the heat of the fire walking, it is a great festival and a fantastic one to watch.

New Rice Season

It is officially harvest time and the new season rice is out there to be enjoyed. Snow Country is proud to produce such high quality rice and visitors to the region are always keen to see what the fuss is about. Try it and you will see.

There is a campaign running at the moment to let people try some traditionally cooked Koshihikari rice fresh from the harvest. Lots of shops and accommodations are participating so if you are in Snow Country, pick up a leaflet with a map and head along to your favorite location to try the rice. You won't be disappointed.

If you see one of these contraptions you know there is likely to be delicious rice underneath and you will probably be able to pick up the scent as you approach.

There is a prize draw you can enter as part of this campaign and if you are lucky enough to win, you could be heading home with a 2 kg bag of Koshihikari.

Koshihikari Rice

Snow Country has a proud gourmet tradition and central to this is the rice production of the region. As we approach the end of summer we are getting close to rice harvesting season, and everywhere you look, the rice fields are covered in green. A common image used is the the green sea: gusts of wind move the mature rice plants as if waves are passing through them. The four seasons are an important part of life in Japan and it is a beautiful time to visit Snow Country.

The Koshihikari strain of rice is grown in many parts of Japan but the rice grown around Uonuma is highly prized and frequently commands the highest price in Japan. One of the main reasons for this is the  due to the snow. As the snow melts in spring, all that crisp, pure water floods the rice field and helps produce such a tasty end product. The frequent rains of early summer and hot, humid temperatures afterwards provide ideal growing conditions.

Rice has always been an important crop in this area. It stores well over the snowbound winter and is also the base for many of the important products of the area such as sake, rice crackers and the different mochi sweets. The stalks of the rice plant are used to make tatami and in times past were also used to manufacture over garments, headwear and footwear for use in the snowy months. It is easy to see why it is highly revered in these parts.

The rice farmers work hard all summer and autumn but the snow buries their workplace for half the year (something many modern workers should pray for) forcing them to pursue other lines of work. If you find yourself in Snow Country for winter there is a good chance that your minshuku owner, lift operator or ski instructor has had a hand in producing that delicious bowl of steaming koshihikari rice you tuck into a lunch time. The deep, leathery tan is normally a good indicator.

Yairo Watermelon

Snow Country produces many great seasonal products and one of the most refreshing tastes of summer are the watermelons from Yairo. Snowcountry is well know for its top quality rice but the watermelon are also up there. This small town in the north of Snow Country has watermelon fields all over and you can see the fruit by the side of the road ripening.

Ice cold watermelon on a hot day is an absolute treat and a real taste of summer.