From Eco Lodge to Eco Lodge. A Long Trail Journey

The SCT is a 307km long trail that connects seven cities, towns, and villages in the three prefectures of the Snow Country Tourism Region. It is a richly varied trail, traversing old roads, mountain passes, and mountain paths. The route has been planned to take travelers from one local community to another, visiting local hot spring resorts, allowing them to rest and relax in hot spring baths before continuing on to the next resort. There is a lot to see along the route: shrines, temples, terraced rice paddies, and even modern art!

Yukiguni (snow country) has a unique natural environment, and a variety of eco lodges are nestled deep in this area.
Eco lodges are conceptualized in a way to bring benefits to the local community, preserve nature and pass on the local culture to the next generation.

Located at the foot of Mt. Tanigawa, all the guest rooms here have views of this famous mountain. The ryokan uses environmentally friendly methods for waste reduction and water purification. In the lobby there is an open hearth that is traditional to the region, and along with the local dishes, there are many elements of Yukiguni hospitality to be found here.

Since ancient times, the Joetsu border route from Minakami Town in Gunma to Yuzawa and Minami Uonuma in Niigata was an important commercial and military transportation route, although a difficult one, as the 1,448-meter-high Shimizu Pass could only be crossed on foot. With the opening of the Joetsu Line in 1931, crossing the Joetsu border became much easier. The opening sentence of “Yukiguni” (Snow Country) by Yasunari Kawabata, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, goes: “The train came out of the long tunnel into the snow country”. This line has become world famous as a description of the crossing of the Joetsu border through the Shimizu Tunnel on the Joetsu Line.

On the second day of the tour, you will cross over the Joetsu border on the JR Joetsu Line, a route with echoes of the mountain passes of old. From Yuzawa Town, you will ride an e-bike over the pass to Muikamachi in Minamiuonuma City, stopping at local temples and shrines. This is where ryugon, the next eco lodge, is located.

This ryokan has been recently renovated with an eye to sustainability but there is no mistaking its roots as a sturdy, old farmhouse. A cooling system that uses well water has been installed, and the insulation has been increased to improve the energy efficiency of the heating and cooling. There are a wide range of culture and nature-themed activities so it is possible to choose your favorites depending on the season and your mood.

On the third day, you will tour Uonuma, Japan’s number one rice-producing region. The delicious flavor of the rice grown here is attributed to the high-quality, abundant snowmelt and spring water, as well as to the large temperature difference between day and night in this area of heavy snow. This region receives falls of more than 2 meters in winter. In the early morning on the third day, you will climb Mt. Sakado, near the ryugon eco lodge, to view the unkai, the sea-like cloud formation caused by the fog settling on the mountain. This phenomenon happens because of the presence of moist air owing to the abundance of water in the area. (depending on weather conditions, the unkai phenomenon may not appear)

You will then return to the ryugon eco lodge for a relaxing hot-spring bath and breakfast, before embarking on an e-bike tour of the local temples and shrines. The Uonuma region is home to many historic shrines and temples, and a number of valuable cultural assets. The tour will take you to the Ryukokuji Temple, the Anaji Juni Shrine, and the Saifukuji Temple. These sacred structures are home to the dynamic sculptures created by Ishikawa Uncho, known as the “Michelangelo of Japan”. The power and beauty of these sculptural masterpieces is greatly admired.

A portion of the tour fee goes toward the management and maintenance of the trail.