A Safe and Prosperous Season

Winter is just around the corner. Some resorts have already opened and some are just waiting for one big snowfall to get their season cranking. It is a busy time of year for the ski resorts and any help is much appreciated. Many resorts have a ceremony to encourage a safe and prosperous season and that was the case today at GALA Yuzawa.

Everyone involved in the operation for the upcoming season, led by a priest from the local temple, raised a glass of sake and said a prayer for Winter 2013.

It is a big year for GALA and for the resorts in the area with celebrations for 100 years of skiing in the region still taking place. This November was also the thirtieth anniversary for the Joetsu Shinkansen line, that trusty workhorse that whisks people up from the capital to the mountains in just over an hour. You step off the bullet train right into the base of GALA's base building - an amazing set-up.

Snow Country Freak magazine

The bizarrely titled Snow Country Freak magazine have just brought out their winter issue. It is a free guide to everything that is going on in Snow Country over winter. Unfortunately it is only in Japanese but it is a wealth of useful information if you can get someone to help you decipher it.

Contents -

"500 yen off" voucher for day passes at Yuzawa Nakazato, Maiko or Muikamachi Ski Resorts
Maps of the area
Event lists by month
Ski Resort Events
The best meals on the slopes
A voucher for the one day upgrade pack at GALA (lift ticket, 500 yen voucher, and discounts off rental and lessons.)
Activity guide
Onsen guide
Gift guide

You should be able to see this free magazine online too

Link to us

Feel free to post a link to this blog on your homepage if you think your site visitors would be fascinated by the fast-paced goings-on in Snow Country. I know it is difficult to keep up with everything that is going on but we do our best.

There is a full range of banners and the code you need to add the link to a page on your site at this page or drop us a line and we can send you anything else that you need.

Yuzawa Kogen Ropeway

Yuzawa Kogen Ropeway is a popular spot for tourists visiting Yuzawa in all seasons. Once the largest gondola in the world, holding 160 passengers, it whisks you up to the top of the mountains that flank Yuzawa town. From there you get an amazing view of the Uonuma valley below.

It pretty much runs all year round with a few short breaks for routine maintenance. They have just finished operation for Green Season 2012 and will shortly be up and running for Winter 2012/2013 - the maintenance period is set for Nov 26 2012 - Dec 14 2012.

Head up to the top to enjoy the views, or have a play in the snow. If you are a skier or snowboarder you can spend some time at Yuzawa Kogen ski resort, which has a run all the way back down to village level. It also has a gondola that takes you across to GALA Yuzawa resort as part of the 3 Mountains area. There are some great restaurants at the top of the ropeway too.

Being right in the center of Yuzawa it couldn't be more convenient...

It's December

December arrives in style with snow falling in Snow Country this morning. The winter season is fast approaching and there are people wandering around with skis and snowboards which is always a cheering sight.

Kagura has been open for a week but the season also starts today with Tenjindaira opening their first lift of the 2012/13 winter.

It looks like there is more snow on the way for the coming week so we can hope for a few more resorts to open their doors shortly.

Snow Country Omiyage

Omiyage is very Japanese - the tradition of buying a small gift from wherever you go to give to your family or workmates. It is fantastic when people come round with a small taste of where they have been and you get to try some really interesting little snacks.

Everywhere you go in Snow Country you will see selections of individually wrapped sweets to take away with you. The rice and sake are also popular gifts to give from this region.

Here's an unusual option that you can get locally, similar to the bamboo-wrapped sticky rice sweet (sasadango) is this bamboo-wrapped sweet - sasaame.

Boiled sweets with an unusual flavor folded into a dried bamboo grass leaf - really tasty and very interesting packaging. They are sure to raise some eyebrows as a gift but everyone we gave them too thought they were delicious too.

If you make it up to Snow Country, don't forget to pick up some kind of souvenir to take away with you

Winter Preparations

It is cold in Snow Country at the moment. The leaves are falling and there have already been some snow showers down low. Higher resorts are already starting to get their lifts fired up for the season.

There is a bit of siege atmosphere in Snow Country at this time of year. The snows are not far off and there is plenty of preparation to get done first.

As you walk around you will see trees and bushes covered in planks of wood. The sheer weight of the snow can easily damage these plants so proud owners go to great lengths to protect them.

Another key element to battling the snow is the water that is pumped out of the middle of the roads. Without this driving around would be a nightmare, and just looking at some of the old photos you can see what happens if you don't stay on top of the snow clearing. At this time of year the water systems are turned on again to clean out the accumulated dirt of the warmer months. Local residents get together and make sure their area of town is ready to go.

If you are coming to Snow Country in winter it is a good idea to pack some decent footwear. With heavy snow and lots of water about the footwear of choice for locals is the trusty gumboot. It may not be fashionable but dry feet are worth any sacrifice. Blend in with the locals with a cheap pair of rubber boots from the local hardware store. Your feet will thank you.