You can’t exactly do a lot of winter sports in Tokyo. Firstly, there is no snow in Tokyo. Secondly, there aren’t any mountains nearby. So what is a Tokyoite to do when the desire to carve up a mountain hits? Whether by bus or train, you head to the mountains.
Japan’s geography: From the north to south is very long and narrow. Running down the middle of the country are mountains. These mountains take up a lot of Japan’s land space, which made life in the old days of Japan very difficult (you can’t grow rice on rocks). But, now that Japan imports all of its rice from Thailand, the mountains have a more friendly reputation as a recreation area. They are no Alps, but they are beautiful and do qualify as proper mountains in my book.
What kinds of ski trips can you choose from? One popular option is the day-trip. This option will probably include a round-trip charter bus ticket, lift ticket, and equipment rental. I went on a day trip for the low price of ~$40. You start early in the morning (think 6 am), meeting someplace in Tokyo to catch the bus. The place my bus left from was the same place that about 10 other day-trips were leaving from at the same time, so, as you start nearing your train stop to transfer to bus, you start to see other people carrying snowboards or skis walking through train stations and on the sitting on the train, something that you don’t see on your normal train ride. You don’t expect to see many people at 5-6 am, but when you get to the bus station, you see that there is a sizeable crowd of other people taking day trips. It depends on where you go, but my bus-trip took about 3-4 hours, getting us to the ski place at around 10:30 with one pit stop on the way. The mountain closes at 5 pm, at which time the bus leaves to get back to Tokyo at a respectable hour, leaving you with a satisfying 5-6 hours of mountain fun.
Another option is the real trip. You stay at a hotel and ski or snowboard for a few days. I went with some friends, leaving early in the morning and taking the train all the way there, about 4 hours to Niigata, which has some pretty nice skiing places. The price will surely be more than $40 for lodging and lift tickets, but you get the fun of eating out and having some fun in the evening with your friends in addition to the skiing time together.
The kind of hotel I stayed at, called a ryokan, was a traditional Japanese place which served a delicious Japanese dinner and breakfast in the form of a set-meal. These meals give you at least 10 little dishes with different kinds of vegetables and meat to add to your rice. The rooms at these places are also traditional Japanese-style, complete with the tatami mat floors, midget tables, futon beds and everything. It is definitely worth it, you should try staying at one of these places at least once if you can fit it in your budget.
Japan is famous for hot spring baths, called onsen, and after a long day on the cold slopes, visiting one of these luxurious revitalizing mineral baths will sooth your aching muscles and make you ready for one more day of beautiful tumbles down the mountain. In fact, some people will stay at one of these ryokan that have an onsen in-house, and do nothing but eat the set meals sandwiched between long dips in the steamy onsen. If you aren’t the outgoing type, this can be the ideal get-away from the hectic Tokyo lifestyle.
So, even if though winter can be a depressing time, there are still ways to have fun outdoors if you life in Tokyo. Get out there with some friends and make some memories to last a lifetime.
