Japan - Wow
John W | Published on 3/24/2025
Feb 11, 2025, seventeen Club members set out for Japan for skiing and a little Japanese culture.
A tour of Tokyo started us off: the world-famous fish market, the Imperial gardens and the Shinjuku district, followed by the Sky Tree with a 360 degree view of Tokyo. We were all left impressed with the city and the culture. Considering this is the largest metropolitan area in the world, everything was clean, orderly and people were polite and accommodating - even beyond Canadian standards. Oh, and the food everywhere was amazing.
The next day we set out for Hakuba, with stops at Matsumoto Castle and a Miso factory where we were treated to a fabulous lunch. Arriving late afternoon in Hakuba, we were greeted with massive snow banks - the first indication of how awesome the snow would be. We quickly settled in to our accommodation, while a few people arranged pickup of rental skis and others took advantage of the Onsen located in our hotel.
The next morning, everyone was chomping at the bit to get to the ski hills. As soon as our private shuttle arrived, we piled on board and headed to Happo One, the first of several resorts we would ski over the week. Temperatures rose to +8 but the snow remained great. Soft with no hard spots.
The following day we ventured to Hakuba 47 and Goryu which are side by side, and we enjoyed another mild day with some awesome tree skiing. After two good days of skiing, we headed to the famous Snow Monkeys, where monkeys keep warm in the hot springs. Very interesting to say the least. This was followed by a local temple tour and an amazing lunch of traditional Japanese food.
The next three days of skiing were outstanding. Overnight snowfalls meant we were greeted by boot-top to knee-deep powder each day. First at Tsugaike, with the last two days at Cortina.
Alas, all good things must come to an end, and after an amazing time, we headed back to Tokyo to catch our flight home.
We are getting everyone's pictures sorted and will have our trip album linked shortly.