There are soba shops all over the Hakuba Valley but my favorite sansai soba is from Yamato Soba. Sansai means mountain vegetable, these wild and nutritious plants are loaded onto a plate of cold soba noodles along with some grated daikon, green onions, shredded nori (seaweed) and wasabi. You have to pour over the soba tsuyu (sauce) yourself. It comes in a ceramic flask, make sure you mix up your plate well then dig in and slurp away. Yes, it's OK to slurp your noodles in Japan. In fact, the locals feel that you will be missing out on some flavor if you don't. 

If you get zaru soba (plain noodles in middle pic below) you will get a small cup of soba tsuyu where you can add your desired amount of wasabi and daikon. Then you load up on noodles with your chopsticks and dip it into the cup, slurp, chomp, and swallow. 

Yamato Soba has cold and hot versions of all of their dishes. You can also order udon (a thick white noodle) instead of soba (brown buckwheat noodles). 

There are always a few specials to choose from like the seasonal tempura and okowa (sticky rice mixed with beans, see pic below). Today they also had kurumi soba which is a walnut dip instead of the usual soy-sauce based dip. Oishikatta (It was yum)! 

Yamato Soba is about a 10 minute walk from Lodge tabi-tabi. You can also find it on our walking map here.

Hours: 11:00 to 16:00  (and sometimes 17:00 or 18:00)
Closed: sometimes  

At 3 pm tabi-tabi staff and guests piled into the van ready to experience a little culture. First stop was Oyaki Mura in Ogawa. Oyaki is a veggie filled bun popular in Nagano prefecture, and mura means village. According to the oyaki maker (man in blue), in the old days people who lived in the mountains made these everyday. Due to a shortage of flat land, rice paddies were limited, therefore rice in short supply. The mountain people of Nagano grew wheat for flour, that could be made into dough and shaped and stuffed into oyaki. On this day we got to do the shaping and stuffing ourselves. We all made 2 varieties of oyaki. First, the standard nozawana which is a green leafy vegetable that tastes a little like spinach but is actually from the turnip family. Then, the unohana variety, which is a dry roasted tofu pulp mixed with veggies. We shaped and stuffed, and the the obasan (auntie) helped us close up our little pockets of veggies before the ojisan (uncle) cooked them up for us on the irori (open fire). After we had our fill of handmade (and very tasty!) oyaki, we climbed back into the van and headed off to Nagano city for the Tomyo Festival..... (see part two for the rest of our little adventure).

With bellies full of tasty treats, soba tea, and a lesson in Japanese culture, we headed off  to Nagano city for the 9th annual Tomyo Festival. This incredibly beautiful festival of lights is held every year at Zenkoji Temple to commemorate the Nagano Olympics  "and to pass on to the future generations the Olympic spirit of praying for peace. In this event, the message for peace is conveyed through lights with the aim of reaching out to the world". The main buildings of the temple are lit up in different colored spot lights, while smaller temples (Zenkoji is made up of 41 temples and shrines) put on their own more intimate candle lit displays. There were also streets filled with lanterns crafted by various artists, while another cobble stone road was filled with boisterous vendors selling hot sake and local festival food. I'm already looking forward to the 10th annual Tomyo Festival. See you there next year, and peace be with you until then...

We have passed Kajika Onsen Ryokan a number of times on our way to Takasekan Onsen in Oomachi. Even tried to go there once but because the onsen is only available from 10 to 3 for non-staying guests, it's been a bit hard to catch. This time we were intent on trying Kajika Onsen and I am glad we made the extra effort. Kajika is a beautiful Ryokan surrounded by a peaceful birch tree forest. They have one indoor and one outdoor bath available for non-staying guests to use before check-in time. The two baths have two different types of natural mineral waters. The indoor bath has simple alkaline clear water, while the outdoor bath smelled more sulfurous and was loaded with yu-no-hana which literally translates as bath flowers but looked more like bits of volcanic ash. Proof that it's a 100% natural mineral water hotspring.

Open: 10:00 - 15:00
Price: ¥800 adults / ¥500 kids
Access: You can find it on our google map here

I've been suffering from a cold so, as advised by my naturopath, I've been turning to all things hot. This week I have soaked at the Yamada Ryokan Onsen for a long dip in healing waters, put extra tabasco on my Tacos on Monday, had a good dose of wasabi on my tofu last night, been drinking hot yuzu tea, and spent a few hours sweating it out at Escal Plaza's Spa. The Spa at Escal Plaza is nothing fancy but has all of the required basics for only ¥600. There is a large changing area with free lockers, showers, a large hot bath, a sauna, and a cold plunge pool for those who prefer to bathe the Scandanvian way (alternate between heat and cold). Their super convenient location on the first floor of Goryu Ski Resort's main building, makes it possible to get warm and clean while waiting for your friends to finish up their day on the mountain.

かまくら　(Kamakura) is not just the name of Japan's old capital, but it also means igloo in Japanese. From February 10th to 19th, you can explore a whole mura (village) of Kamakura at the bottom of Hakuba 47. There is a large Kamakura Bar, a Kamakura shrine (see pic above) and many little Kamakura where you can eat and drink with your own circle of friends. On the weekends there will be shops set up selling Okonomiyaki, chijimi, omelletes with fried noodles, hot sake, freshly roasted chest nuts, and more.... We had a Hiroshima Style Seafood Okonomiyaki. It was fresh, hot, tasty, and only ¥500.

四十七(Yonju-nanna) is Japanese for forty-seven and is one of the best restaurants on the mountain if not in the entire village. They serve excellent traditional and modern Japanese dishes at very reasonable prices. It is no more expensive to eat here than in one of Hakuba's izakaya down in the village. Yonju-nanna is located just behind the main cafeteria at the top of Hakuba 47 in the gondola station. If you like garlic or if you are trying to fight off a cold be sure to try the niniku-maru-age, a deep fried bulb of garlic for ¥400 (see second picture below). To make things easy they also have a good selection of teishoku, set meals that come with rice, miso soup, pickeled veggies, and tofu. I had the deep fried oyster teishoku for ¥1300 (3rd picture below, rice is also served but didn't fit in the cropped photo). Menu is in Japanese and English. Don't forget to say gochisosamadeshita on your way out.

Da Monde is commonly known as "Darts Bar" and rightfully so. They have 2 electronically operated dart boards that will keep track of your score so you can focus on your toss. They also have karaoke, and a good selection of manga for those who prefer to put their feet up and do a little reading (in Japanese). Da Monde is about a 10 minute walk from Lodge tabi-tabi, you can also find it on our Goryu Walking Map here.

Lantern Rirun is an old lodge with a great new bar and after-hours club serving strong drinks, danceable tunage, and a super-chill local vibe. The night I was there DJ Haiyato was churning out some sweet trance and techno, along with some housy beats. He was well in tune with the crowd and kept all of us wacky people on our dancing feet. Looking forward to getting loco with the locals again soon! 

If you are looking for a night out in another part of town, this is the bus for you! The closest stop to Lodge tabi-tabi is #4 Goryu Jankenpon. You can also find it on our Goryu walking map here.

If you still have some energy left, or took a day off and are now itchin to get on the mountain, we highly recommend you check out Yanaba Snow Resort for a nye-tah (Japanese for night skiing). As you can see on the course map above, half the park is lit up as well as the "cross course line" off on the skiers left. A "nighter" is only ¥1500 and includes a drink. Good fun when you go with a bunch of friends, you are either shredding or watching your friends have a go while riding the lift.

To get to Yanaba Snow Resort from Lodge tabi-tabi walk to Kamishiro station (10 minutes) and take the 9 minute, 200 yen ride to Yanaba Ski Jo Mae Station (the resort has it's own train station!).

Kamishiro to Yanaba Ski Jo Mae evening train schedule
depart - arrive
16:36 - 16:45
18:15 - 18:24
19:27 - 19:36

Yanaba Ski Jo Mae to Kamishiro evening train schedule
depart - arrive
20:28 - 20:37
22:14 - 22:23

Start: 17:30
Finish: 21:20 (21:50 on Friday, Saturday, and day before a holiday)

If you are an onsen virgin (as one of our guests called it) you may be feeling a little reluctant to bathe with the locals. Many foreigners feel strange about being nude with others, but let me assure you, everyone is naked under their clothes, and everyone leaves their clothes behind when they take an onsen. If you too undress, you will fit in perfectly, no need to feel uneasy or out-of-place. And anyway, you will most likely never have to see these people again so who cares if they get a peak at your barest essentials.

Even if you don't care about the nudity, you may be worried about embarrassing yourself by committing the worst of faux pas while having nothing on to cover up the shame. The first time I went to an onsen I had a good friend take me through the process step-by-step. I have to admit it was not the most relaxing experience the first time around, but now, 100s of onsens later, I have to tell you this is an experience not to be missed! So let me take you through the process step by step and hopefully you too will feel confident enough to have a go at one of Japan's oldest and most popular traditions.

Click on "continue reading" for a detailed 9-step onsen procedure.

For any and all back-country gear, summer and winter, hiking and skiing, buying or renting, we always go straight Rapie. I used to comparison shop, and waited to return to Tokyo thinking I could get a better deal but now I know better. Rapie has the best price for the best products and sells everyhing you could possibly need. I also found out they will order it for you if it is not in the store, and fix anything that is ripped or broken like zippers or tears in your tent. You will not find better service or expertise anywhere.

Rapie is on the 148 (main road of Hakuba) near Max value. You can also find it on our google map here.

Open: 13:00
Closed: 19:00

Nagano prefecture is known for Shinsyu Soba. Shinshyu is the old name for what is now known as Nagano Prefecture and soba is a buckwheat noodle soup made with a simple soy based broth. You can find Soba restaurants all over Hakuba and the rest of the prefecture. Tonegawa Soba has got to be the best soba restaurant in the Hakuba village. As you can see it is set in beautiful old Minka (Japanese farm house) complete with irori (a sunken hearth used for cooking and eating), kotatsu (heated tables), and hand-made hanten (a quilted robe for guests to wear).

Tonegawa Soba Shop is a 15 or 20 minute walk from Lodge tabi-tabi. You can also find it on our google map here.

On January 18th we arrived at Shiga Kogen Resort for fresh groomers and a wee bit a pow. It was a beautiful bluebird day so you could still see the Northern Alps we left behind in Hakuba. We spent half a day exploring Japan's biggest ski resort, and then had lunch on the mountain. After lunch we made our way to Jugokudani Monkey Park to see the famous monkey onsen. Here are a few pics of the tour.

We've got all kinds of road trips, tours, and packages available. Find out more here