Since the last train on our trip from Tenjin Lodge to Nozawa Onsen yesterday got cancelled we ended up spending a few hours in a small town in the middle of nowhere called Tokamachi. We wandered around and found a seven eleven where we got some snacks and cash, a Japanese café with a nice chocolate cake and a pharmacy where some sign language and childish phrases came in handy when I tried to communicate with the pharmacist that picked out some kind of Japanese heat lotion/pain reliever for sport-related activities that smells like bubblegum for me! The boys found a huge supermarket that did not only have anything you can think of when it comes to supplies but also an arcade full with all kinds of games and machines. There they made some time pass by faster while playing air hockey…
Eventually it was time to board the train that thankfully ran according to schedule and after a short bus ride thereafter we were finally here! And it was snowing like crazy!
We checked in to our hotel with Japanese-style rooms where you sleep on a futon that you lay out on the tatami-mat floor. In the beginning of this trip that arrangement wasn’t too comfortable but after our time at Tenjin Lodge where we also slept on futons most of us have gotten used to sleeping on the floor. I personally kind of like it and it feels like it’s good for your back.
After settling in to our hotel we went out to see the small and beautiful town of Nozawa Onsen and find a place for dinner. The village has a very genuine feeling to it and it’s a nice contrast to the more remotely located Tenjindaira. We had some more of the Japanese tapas izakaya, me and Linus decided to share a few dishes in order to be able to try a larger range of interesting dishes. We ended up getting some sukiyaki (chicken skewers), raw octopus with wasabi, tuna sashimi and, since we felt a bit adventurous, a some kind of unknown fried fish served with head and all. But everything was delicious of course!
We had pancakes and fish (?!) for breakfast this morning before heading out to explore the ski area. Our hotel is conveniently located a short walk from the gondola that gives the best access to most of the good powder runs. The snow was light and fluffy and we found some really nice and long off-piste runs! This resort is quite a lot larger than Tenjindaira with way more lifts but I was a bit surprised with how oddly planned the lift system seems to be… To get to the top of the mountain from where you can get a very nice and long run you have to take a long gondola, then walk or skate uphill to get to a chairlift and then ski down a flat piste to get to another chairlift that takes you up just a little bit further up than the one you just got off. And after that long run you have to take another chairlift up to get back to the gondola where you started… It’s beautiful here though especially with the frost-like snow on the trees and there’s a lot of untracked snow, even though this place gets way more visitors than Tenjin. It seems like most of the tourists here are British that spend the days slowly making their way down the kiddy slope with a snowplow…
Linus Ponerup testing the snow at Nozawa Onsen
Beautiful snow and frost covered trees
Right before lunch the skies cleared up and the sun came out!
Linus and me testing out the fish!
The St Anton crew found their way home!!