I finally got to see snow! This is a dream come true for someone who's from a tropical country. And the snow I saw was not just dandruff-like white flakes dissolving before they hit the ground. (I've seen these in Nagoya in December 2012.) What I saw was massive SNOW covering the ground, the trees, the rooftops and the mountains. Everything was white and lovely. The whole whiteness reminds me of Narnia. I wasn't in Narnia though. I was in Nagano.
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| lake at Hakuba, Nagano |
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| Hakuba, Nagano-ken |
How to Get to Nagano?
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| Route to Hakuba |
Nagano is in the central portion of Honshu. It's in Chubu Region, the same region where I live (Hamatsu-shi, Shizuoka-ken). Though it's quite close to Hamamatsu, there's no direct route going to Nagano. My friends and I either had to go towards Tokyo or Nagoya before reaching Nagano. It took us more than 7 hours before we reach Hakuba, Nagano. (We took the local trains. There are Shinkansen routes to take you there in half time.) The sight that greeted us was worth that long journey.The loveliness of the white mountains and of just everything were breathtaking. Even my friends from the UK and USA who are familiar with snow said that Hakuba, Nagano was breathtaking.
What to Do in Nagano?
The best thing to do here is winter sports. It was the site of the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. I've never seen snow and I've never skied but since I was there might as well do it. I took 2-hour ski lessons at Goryu Iimori Ski Resort. This is the best place to learn, according to our innkeeper, Dave. There's a gentle slope that's great for beginners. There are also slopes for intermediate and advanced skiers and snowboarders (which my friends are). The two-hour lesson proved to be helpful. I was already skiing nicely (I think) after the lessons. I fell a couple of times but as my ever-supportive friends say it's part of the learning process. Let me also warn you that sore legs and feet were also part of the learning process.
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| random skier at Goryu Iimori |
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| Beginner slope at Goryu Iimori |
The second day, we went to a different place. It was in Iwatake. The area wasn't as expansive as Goryu but it has a beginner slope on top of the mountains. This allowed me to be in the same area with my friends. In Goryu Iimori, the beginner slope is at the bottom of the mountains so I spent the entire first day on my own. I didn't realize how sore I was the previous day until I tried to ski again the next day. After finishing a slope twice, I decided I have enough of skiing. A friend who joined us that day went with me to build a snowman and make snow angels instead.
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| cloudy and snowy day at Iwatake |
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| the supposedly Snowman that ended looking like a Yeti |
A dip in an onsen (hotspring) would be great to ease my muscle pains. There was actually an onsen place across the foot of Mt. Iwatake but I was too lazy to walk there. There's a place in Nagano called Yamanouchi where monkeys bathe in onsens together with people. I would have loved to see that but it's kinda far from Hakuba.
Also in Yamanouchi, Nagano are snow monkeys. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to see time. The people who were with me have seen them though. One of my friends described them as unashamed and a little naughty. They're used to being around people. (They're the same monkeys that bathe with humans.) One whole day is needed to see these animals if you're coming from Hakuba.
An Aussie local said that the snow lasts until early April. Just when other parts of Japan are already clothed with flowers, Nagano is still basking in white beauty.
