道 (Michi) means road, の (no) is a possessive like our 's, and 駅 (eki) means station. Together you have "Road Station", which have all of the conveniences of train stations but is made for drivers and their cars. All michi-no-eki are organized by the government, and provide basic travel needs like free parking, 24 hour restrooms, and tourist information. Michi-no-eki is also the hub of many small towns providing them a place to promote tourism and trade. You can often find locally grown veggies, food stalls and restaurants with local specialties, souvenirs, hand-made goods, and sometimes even onsens! Michi-no-eki's merchants are carefully selected to represent the town so you can be sure to find the best food and the most welcoming folks at the road-side michi-no-eki.

Hakuba's michi-no-eki is an easy walk from Lodge tabi-tabi, check it out on our walking map here. They have a soba shop, oyaki shop, and in the summer, a gelato stand. They sell local veggies and souvenirs, and provide free parking and restrooms. If you have a car, I highly recommend visiting the Otari michi-no-eki. Otari is the next town if you are driving towards the coast. If you are driving to Nagano City, you will pass Poka Poka Land, Miasa's michi-no-eki, which has a spa with powerful jet-baths, sell cheap local vegetables, and has a great restaurant next door called Miasa Shokudo. Japan has close to 1000 michi-no-eki scattered throughout rural Japan so take note of the michi-no-eki symbol below and you'll know where to take a break the next time you are on the road.

True Player's Skate Park will have its grand opening in April, but they're already letting skaters ride the ramps. True Player's is an excellent indoor park with big well shaped ramps and other street skate items, and for ¥500 a day you can't go wrong anyway. True Player's is in a gym on the same road as Mimizuku Onsen near Happo. I will add it to our recommendation map here.

Open: 12ish to 9ish (everyday-ish)

December 31st, 2011 was the first day I have ever snowshoed for the sake of snowshoeing. I usually have a board on my back and a beakon on my front, when I have snowshoes strapped to my feet. But on this beautiful blue bird day, I only brought my lunch, some hot tea, and great company.

I highly recommend getting away from the liftlines, and the powderhounds for this incredibly picturesque and amazingly peaceful trail that winds through forests and opens up to a panaromic view of Japan's Northern Alps.

You can rent snowshoes at Minekata Ski Resort Hakuba for only 1000 yen, while the lift to the top is a mere 400. Another option is to buy a lift pass (half day 1900 yen, full day 2800 yen) do a bit of sliding, and a bit of walking.

On the way back down, follow the cat track to Reflet, a great little cafe/restaurant that sells real hot chocolate and home-made cake. I also recommend their feshly baked cookies to take-away.  A great way to end an awesome day.

For all things backcountry, we suggest you get in touch with the people all Evergreen Outdoor Center. We did, and so did Jeremy Jones! Get a sneak peak of Jeremy Jones' epic adventure here.

Evergreen provides a variety of levels of Avalance Skills Training courses, and Guided Backcountry Tours, so you too can go deeper and stay safe.

If you need rental gear, Hakuba has an ever-growing number of choices. However, for price, quality, and service most of our guests are satisfied with the options available at Spicy Rentals. They have everthing you need for dowhnhill and cross-country skiiing, and snowboarding. They carry large sizes, stuff for kids, helmets, powder boards, beginner and high-perfomance gear.

They open before first lift and are right across from Goryu's main entrance so you won't miss out on first tracks. We have posted a Spicy Rental's pricing chart in the lodge plus our guests will receive an extra 20% off on all their gear. Click on the pic for more details.

Rental Gear at Lodge tabi-tabi:

At the lodge we also have a small selection of rental snowboards, boots, outerwear, gloves, and goggles, at well below the going rate. Sorry, our gear is available on a first come first serve basis and can not be reserved. Please let us know when you are checking in if you are interested in having a look at what is available.

Snowboard with bindings: ¥1000/day
Outer wear: ¥500/day
Goggles: ¥500/day

While travelling in Japan you might notice that you never see Japanese people carrying suitcases, board bags, trollies, and other over-sized gear around. That's cause they know better. Japan is the land of convenience and efficiency! You too should take full advantage of this cheap, fast, friendly service. When you arrive at the airport just take your bags to one of the Ta-Q-bin desks like Kuroneko (Black Cat) or other courier companies. Give them an address and they will deliver your goods to your accommodation the next day (if sent before 3 pm), or choose any other day that suits you best. If you are sending your stuff to Lodge tabi-tabi in Hakuba, please ask them to deliver your bags no more than one day before you arrive. We can not store your gear for longer than a day.

They will also pick up your gear at your hotel, or you can take your stuff to any convenience store or post-office. For security reasons, packages sent to the airport will take an extra day.

For those of you sending your gear from the airport, our address is:

Lodge tabi-tabi (your name)
Nagano-ken
Kita-azumi-gun
Kamishiro 22203-34
Hakuba-mura
〒３９９−９２１１

***** be sure to pay when you are sending your luggage if possible, and ask them to deliver your bags no more than one day before your arrival at the accommodation. *****

With Hakuba's growth in popularity in recent years, there has been a constant increase in services to meet demand. New restaurants, rental shops, ski schools, shuttles, and tours are popping up every year. Hakuba Snow Sports is getting with "The Program" by offering advanced level skiers and snowboarders a 5 day camp that promises to take you to the next level and into the deepest of powder not only in the Hakuba valley, but also other resorts way way out. The 90,000 yen admission fee may seem a bit steep but there is a lot in the package. Click on the pic for more details.