With 7 different towns and over 300 km encompassing all of Snow Country, how might someone experience the best of all there is to see and do here in only a few days? Below is a rundown of some of our recommended tours, where you can be guaranteed a rewarding and unforgettable trip!
Check out the “Discovering YUKIGUNI” Tour!
On this special 4-day trip, you can create priceless and lasting memories with your traveling companions as well as the new friends you’ll meet along the way, while “discovering” the vibrant Snow Country culture and sampling its exquisite cuisine. Explore artisan workshops, visit historic sake breweries, and wander through streets rich in medieval charm. Taste rustic and delicious local dishes, and even learn the secrets to making them yourself! Last but not least, you will get to experience the intersection between the latest in contemporary art and the timeless natural beauty of YUKIGUNI itself!
You will begin the Discovering YUKIGUNI tour at the town of Yuzawa. Commonly known as “the gateway to YUKIGUNI,” this quiet resort town is a mere 70 minutes from Tokyo! Just a short distance away is the neighboring city of Minamiuonuma, known for centuries for the quality of their textiles and kimono. After visiting a traditional weaving workshop, you can explore downtown Bokushi Street, which has been entirely reverted to its former Edo-period style. On this same street you can visit the historic Aoki Sake Brewery for a special tasting. That night you will stay at ryugon, a beautifully renovated local ryokan blending modern design with traditional architecture.
The second day of the tour begins at ryugon itself, which is well known for its cultural immersion activities, such as “Doma Cooking.” Join local housewives in cooking regional favorites like Kenchin Stew and other traditional hotpot dishes. Once you’ve enjoyed your succulent Japanese meal, it is time to move on to Tokamachi City, the home of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale. This is the oldest rural art festival in Japan, and takes up large portions of the twin towns of Tokamachi and Tsunan. From here, you will continue on deep into Tokamachi and arrive at Matsunoyama Onsen’s Hinanoyado Chitose Inn, where you can dine in a restored Japanese farmhouse in traditional style, complete with an old-style hearth called an “irori.”
On the third day of the tour you will be treated to plenty of stunning views of YUKIGUNI scenery, including majestic river terraces, as well as the Tunnel of Light at Kiyotsu Gorge. For those of you visiting in winter, you can go on a guided snowshoe tour, with a soba-making (and eating!) experience at lunch later that day at Yuzawa’s Daigenta Canyon. That evening, you can enjoy your time at one of Yuzawa’s premier eco-lodges, including Kaikake Onsen or Takahan, one of the oldest ryokan in all of Japan!
Time flies, doesn’t it? On the final day of the DISCOVERING YUKIGUNI Tour, you will ride up the Yuzawa Kogen ropeway for breathtaking Snow Country views, and then visit the Echigo Sake Museum where you can purchase top-grade sake from breweries all over the region, and even enjoy an impromptu sake tasting!
Traverse the Long Trail!
If you’d prefer a more nature-centric experience, then you’ll be sure to love our “Long Trail” tours. The Long Trail utilizes historic country roads that have been in use since Samurai times, and takes you on a beautiful journey between historic hot spring inns located within the giant Joshin’etsu Kogen National Park! This is a great introduction to our history, nature, as well as our many forward-thinking eco-lodges.
The YUKIGUNI area was formed by volcanic activity approximately 300,000 years ago, and then further shaped by heavy snowfall for thousands of years up to the present. Before cars and trains and planes, people used these mountain trails to get from place to place, and as time went on, restaurants, hot springs, and other shops would spring up along the trail to accommodate traveling noblemen and their large retinues.
On the Long Trail Tour, your expert guide will accompany you on your invigorating mountain hike while teaching you all about the local flora, fauna, and history of this unique region of Japan. A portion of your tour fee will help maintain and preserve the path for future adventurers.
The Long Trail Tour has been created in collaboration with Snow Country Trail (SCT). This organization is responsible for maintaining all 307km of the “Snow Country Trail” all over YUKIGUNI. Long Trail tours may include a combination of both hiking and e-bikes. For example, you could start with an e-bike tour of Minakami’s Tone River, to the majestic cliffs of Ichinokurasawa, and spend the night at Ryokan Tanigawa, a cozy and serene lodge just a hop skip and a jump away from famous Mt. Tanigawa! This tour continues through Minamiuonuma to arrive at Uonuma City by the third day, for breathtaking views of shrines, temples, and cloud waterfalls known as “unkai.” At Ryukokuji Temple, Anaji Juni Shrine, and Saifukuji Temple you can view priceless original works of art sculpted by Ishikawa Uncho, often hailed as Japan’s “Michelangelo.”
YUKIGUNI Gastronomy Tour: A foodie’s delight!
The YUKIGUNI Gastronomy Tour is not just a simple restaurant trip, but a convenient way to discover an essential part of our culture. There is a definite link between what people grew and ate here millennia ago and the present, creating a culture that is in itself also an important link between the distant past and our contemporary life. In a region where there is snow for almost half the year, the wisdom of how to live in this white world is expressed in the food we eat. Snow Country’s gastronomy tours change by the season, as seasonality of food is a key aspect of the best of our local gourmet establishments.
On the YUKIGUNI Gastronomy Tour, you can talk with tour guides who are experts with deep knowledge of YUKIGUNI’s unique culture and traditional wisdom, and together you can forage for fresh mountain veggies and plants, and use them to create delicious mountain cuisine with locals who have cooked this way all their lives.
Then, you will go on a 2 day tour through remote Akiyama-go, learning from the nomadic hunters known as “Matagi” about their heritage, including all you ever wanted to know about cooking wild game- Japanese style! Finally, finish off your trip with a visit to a premium sake brewery and participate in a tasting!
Explore the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field
For examples of shorter tours, join a 1-day tour where you can take in the stunning progressive examples of modern art in a timeless setting, both as new exhibits, and permanent installations and unique museums. Within the Echigo-Tsumari “Art Field,” you will discover 160 unique artworks spread across 200 villages. Wander through rice fields, forests, and rural “satoyama” landscapes to experience art that revives forgotten memories and deepens connections with nature and culture. This immersive journey awakens your senses and celebrates the richness of rural life.
You can visit permanent installations like Forest School Kyororo, Nohbutai, and the Monet Museum. At Nohbutai, in addition to a reconstructed “rakugaki” classroom and a rooftop observatory, you can enjoy a fresh, farm to table lunch at the Satoyama Shokudo cafe.
Some works, like James Turrell’s iconic House of Light, can not only be enjoyed, but stayed in overnight. This experimental guest house is meant to be a place where you can stay in quiet meditation. Another artwork and accommodation is “Shedding House,” a hand-carved kominka house that is also available for overnight stays. This tour is your perfect escape to discover the harmonious fusion of art and nature in the heart of YUKIGUNI.
Inspiration and Comfort: TIMELESS YUKIGUNI
On many of our tours around Snow Country, you will be staying in premier ryokan that are part of the TIMELESS YUKIGUNI program. Timeless Yukiguni is not only about comfort and amenities, but also authentic experiences. Whether it is relaxing at a rejuvenating hot springs and spa, local cultural immersion activities, and enjoying local hearty cuisine, a stay at a Timeless Yukiguni property is sure to be a one of a kind experience!
Examples of ryokan excursions include apple picking at Minakami’s Tatsumikan in fall, Zen meditation or shamisen demonstrations at ryugon, and special snowshoe tours at Satoyama Jujo.
All tours and accommodation can be further customized to your liking! Click HERE for information on how to contact the Snow Country Tourism Information Center, and book your perfect tour!
