Yuzawa, Japan Ski Tips
Jan 17, 01:48 pm
If you’re looking to day-trip from Tokyo up into the mountains you could do a lot worse than Echigo Yuzawa. Outdoor Japan’s guide to Wintersports Activites describes Yuzawa as:
...the most popular (Niigata) ski area, mainly due to its close proximity to Tokyo. Tokyo-ites flock to Gala, Naeba, Kandatsu, Ishiuchi Maruyama and other resorts on the super speedy bullet train. It’s only an hour and 15 minutes from Tokyo to Gala’s own station where guests can step off the train and onto the ski lift.
Although this was the famous setting for Kawabata Yasunari’s famous novel Yukiguni (Snow Country), present day Yuzawa, with its clusters of mansion apartments and resort hotels, hardly resembles the quiet village Kawabata so famously wrote about.
So the big deal is that not only is it directly on the bullet train from Tokyo, but there’s actually a stop specifically for the resort. So for those flying into Tokyo on lightning visits that are just dying to hit the snow for a day or two, Gala (ガーラ湯沢) is an excellent deal. You could probably find cheaper a little further afield, but Gala is hard to beat on convenience.
Also of note is due to the JR station at the terminus, JR will occasionally do massive promotions for Yuzawa (the most famous of which featured skiing ostriches and won a place in AdAge’s 10 TV Ads America Will Never See in 2005) and offers deeply discounted rates on Shinkansen and ski-hire package deals. Look for brochures larger JR stations, ask at the Green Window office, or consult a tourist centre for more details.
On-line, We Love Snow have a lot of good information on the Yuzawa area and information on some good package deals for the day-tripper, including day trips to Kandatsu ski resort for less than JPY 20,000. Check their excellent information page for more details.
Now get out there, and get into it!
Jan 17, 01:48 pm | Digg this!
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