2014/2015 Season: November 1, 2014 to April 5, 2015
The largest ski area in Karuizawa, an upmarket mountain resort in Nagano Prefeture, is operated by the Prince Snow Resort. With its snow machine, the season can start as early as mid-October, thus one of the earliest resort (in Japan) to open for the season.
Hakuba, located in the Northern Japan Alps of Nagano Prefecture stands out as one of Japan’s finest winter resort areas. It is one of the most popular ski areas because of its thick snow, good terrain, vertical rise, and advance ski and snowboard slopes.
Hakuba hosted several Olympic events during the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and some of the Olympic facilities still remain in the area like the Hakuba Ski Jumping Stadium, Hakuba Olympic Memorial Hall, and Olympic museum which is a walking distance from the ski jump.
Continue reading Hakuba, Japan’s premier winter sports destination
Mountain climbing is a popular activity in Japan and without a doubt, Mt. Takao is one of the most popular hiking spots in Tokyo for its convenient location. With only about 50 kilometers from central Tokyo, it is a relatively short 50 minute train ride from Shinjuku via Keio Railways’ Limited Express. Visitors can enjoy its natural beauty and magnificent scenery all in a day’s trip. Mt. Takao also provides a good hike all year round.