It’s a cloudy spring day when I arrive via the Shinkansen at Joetsu-Myoko Station in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The snow-capped peaks cross halos of blue spots in the distance. It’s almost 18°C, and yet my suitcase is groaning under the weight of winter wool.
In a few hours, I take the gondola to the most sensitive part of Mount Okenashi, above rushing streams and tired grasses exposed by the slow melting of winter. From the chairlift, the unkempt mountain under my hanging skis looks like a toasted marshmallow, smells bad. wavy white candy that signals the arrival of spring.
As with most ski resorts in Niigata Prefecture, the season at Lotte Arai Resort lasts until mid-May. And if you do it at the right time, you can combine a ski holiday with a glimpse of one of Japan’s most ephemeral beauties.
In the mountains, the spring snow is rainy and my skis are heavy. Further down, less than 30 minutes away, in Takada, a more sensitive waterfall covers the ground.
“In Japan, we call it ‘sakura blizzard,'” says my companion and translator, Yuko Ito, as a gust of wind hurls gusts of pastel pink petals across our faces. The blooming season for cherry trees or sakura in Japan lasts about 4 months and the further north you go, the later they will bloom. Australians head to the ski resorts of Hokkaido or Hakuba every year during the peak months of January and February to feast on the famous Japanese powder, colloquially known as Japow. But if you travel later in the year, during the spring off-season, and get bigger deals, as well as a chance to catch a glimpse of the ephemeral sakuras.
The forecast is published every year before the sakura season so that travelers can plan their visit; However, this year, the cherry blossoms arrived unusually early, blooming a week early. With a flowering window of only two weeks, it is one of the most expected in Japan. Attractions.
“It’s one of the few places where you can enjoy skiing this season with the sakura,” says Watanaki-san, who works at Lotte Arai Resort. The 68-year-old takes us on a tour of the grounds of Takada Castle, home to up to 4,000 cherry blossoms and one of the country’s best places to see them. We arrived just before dusk and the sky darkened with that productive dark light.
“Japanese sakura bloom for 60 to 70 years, after which they prevent flowering,” Watanaki-san says.
As night falls, flowers are lit up through fairy lighting fixtures and blushing lanterns, and the trees glow like giant fireflies. This is the first year since Covid that restrictions on hanami (the classic Japanese tradition of viewing flowers and picnicking in parks) have been lifted in Japan and teams of other people gather to eat and drink under trees. We made our way to one of the transient street food stalls, or yatai, which serve yakitori of beef tongue, poultry thigh, and red meat belly, which I accompany with a cold beer among the jovial locals in costume, under the canopy of a tent with rickety wooden tables. Lotte Arai Resort offers free access and drop-off to visitors to Takada Park every night for two weeks of sakura season.
Less than two hours from Tokyo Station via the Shinkansen to the nearest resort, Myoko is one of the maximum ski spaces available in Japan. Although there are only two of the 14 open slopes on the right side of the top mountain that I climb on (the two intermediate blue slopes that start with a steep slope), the hotel’s breakfast room is packed with a mix of domestic and foreign dishes.
I’m comfortably ensconced in a spacious Lodge room, equipped with two double beds and generous seating areas, but entry-level Arai Rooms start from ¥16,760 ($180) per user per night in April, compared to ¥21,160 ($220) in peak season, with ski day passes starting at ¥6,000 ($65). For those who need to spend more money, the Nest and Club Rooms are luxuriously decorated in a cool ski chalet style, some with hot tubs and on-site amenities. Saunas.
There’s a Korean restaurant, a quality gift shop, and a bakery on-site, but I suggest renting a car if you want to explore the many local restaurants in the area, adding the classic Ryotei Ukiyo. We had dinner in a tatami room with seasonal dishes. plates, adding sashimi and gilt, in this Japanese treasure, a heritage building with a Japanese lawn that was once frequented by geisha and the royal family.
In case the weather isn’t good (rain is unusual in spring), there are a wealth of cultural treasures to explore near and beyond.
While Takada is considered to be the birthplace of skiing in Japan, brought by Austrian Major Theodor von Lerch after he was assigned to the Takada Infancheck out Regiment in Takada in 1911, Niigata Prefecture is famous for its seafood, sake, koshihikari rice, copper ware, metallurgy, and salmon cooking. And you take a look at them all.
Stop by the classic Kiminoi Shuzo sake brewery to take home moderately priced Junmai and Honjozo sake. Learn about Japanese-founded grapes at Ijanohara Vineyard, and add Muscat Bailey A, at Japan’s oldest winery. Here they use a 200-year-old beer. A culture of ageing on snow called yukimoro, to create a cool climate that helps maintain and mature the wine.
If you’re more of a ryokan than a resort visitor, get a local workout at Echigo Yuzawa, about an hour’s drive away in Niigata Prefecture. A few minutes’ drive from this mountainous region and you’ll understand why it’s a popular local snow spot. , with ski lifts and snow scattered on the surrounding peaks even in spring. There are a handful of resorts on the domain and five are still open when I visit, plus GALA Yuzawa Snow Resort, which has six open slopes covering all levels. Ryugon, near Minamiuonuma, offers a classic luxury stay in villas with their own personal onsens. Its sister property, Hatago Isen, located directly across from GALA Yuzawa Station, provides direct access from Tokyo Station.
The cherry blossoms started blooming here just two days before my stopover in and it’s stunning to see them in all their glory, with pink popcorn strewn across the low mountains and Zenibuchi Park. The atmosphere here is very original and there are many cultural activities. Deals available if you’re willing to make the trip.
Hakkaisan Brewery, one of Japan’s most famous sake exports, described as Disneyland for sake lovers, offers tours to revel in its yukimoro procedure in a cool area with an adjacent shop selling everything from old beef to yukimoro to non-alcoholic sake. Tsubamesanjo Metalworking Center to be informed about the masters of Japan’s copper and metallurgy industry. Buy a knife or make your own with a professional blacksmith at the Sanjo Blacksmith Dojo workshop.
All ski trips end with Japan’s answer to après-ski: the onsen. And the most exclusive of this region is at Echigo Nagano Onsen Rankeisou, a ryokan located in a 500-year-old heritage building surrounded by nature. In addition to offering overnight accommodations in classic tatami rooms, this family-friendly and family-friendly spot welcomes day visitors to use its public onsen and two personal outdoor baths, where you can order floating sake to enjoy with views of sakura trees as you soak in.
It doesn’t get more zen than that.
They traveled with the assistance of Niigata Tourism and Jetstar.
Originally published because I discovered the ultimate (and affordable) skiing in Japan