Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [216]
Drinking & Entertainment
As you might expect, the town of Hakuba bustles with nightlife during the winter season, and it isn’t hard to find what you like for food, drink and music.
Tracks Bar (75-4366; www.tracksbar.com; 22200-7 Kitashiro, Hakuba-mura, Kita Azumi-gun; drinks from ¥500; 5pm-midnight, closed irregularly) Located between Kamishiro Station and the base of Hakuba 47 Winter Sports Park/Goryū Ski Resort area, this is one of the favourite night spots for the younger, foreign crowd, with live music, sports on a huge screen and regular events. There is also budget accommodation in the area.
The Pub (72-4453) For a few drinks after a day on the slopes, try this British-style pub in the Mominoki Hotel. It offers pub food, live music and events and is just five minutes from the base of the hill in Hakuba village.
Getting There & Away
Hakuba is connected with Matsumoto by the JR Ōito line (tokkyū, ¥2770, 56 minutes; futsū, ¥1110, 99 minutes). Continuing north, change trains at Minami Otari to meet the JR Hokuriku line at Itoigawa, with connections to Niigata, Toyama and Kanazawa. From Nagano, buses leave from Nagano Station (¥1500, approximately 70 minutes). There are also buses between Shinjuku Nishi-guchi, in Tokyo, and Hakuba (¥4700, 4½ hours).
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BESSHO ONSEN
0268
This intimate, mountain-ringed onsen town, bisected by a gentle stream, is known as ‘Little Kamakura’ for its dramatic temples and the fact that it served as an administrative centre during the Kamakura period (1185–1333). It was also mentioned in The Pillow Book by the Heian-era poetess Sei Shōnagon and was later a retreat for writers, including Kawabata Yasunari.
Bessho’s excellent waters, reputed to cure diabetes and constipation while beautifying your complexion, bring in tourists aplenty, but overall it feels undervisited. Web information is available at www.bessho-spa.jp/j_english/english_fls.htm.
Bessho Onsen Ryokan Association (; 38-2020; 9am-5pm) is the local tourist office – at the train station. English speakers will be marginally better off enquiring at the tourist office (26-5001; 9am-6pm) in Ueda Station en route to Bessho; staff can book same-day accommodation in Bessho.
The National Treasure temple Anraku-ji (; 38-2062; adult/child ¥300/100; 8am-5pm Mar-Oct, to 4pm Nov-Feb), from AD 824–34 and renowned for its octagonal pagoda, is 10 minutes on foot from Bessho Onsen Station. The Tendai temple Kitamuki Kannon (; 38-2023; admission free; 24hr) is a few minutes’ walk away, with some prodigiously old trees, sweeping views across the valley and a pavilion on stilts that’s like a tiny version of Kyoto’s Kiyomizu-dera. Its name comes from the fact that this Kannon image faces north, a counterpart to the south-facing image at Zenkō-ji in Nagano. About a 5km hike away are the temples Chūzen-ji (38-4538; adult/child ¥200/50; 9am-4pm) and Zenzan-ji (38-2855; adult/child ¥200/100; 9am-4pm, occasional winter closures), which feel like a real escape.
There are three central public baths (admission ¥150; 6am-10pm): Ō-yu () has a small rotemburo; Ishi-yu () is famed for its stone bath; and Daishi-yu (), most frequented by the locals, is known for being relatively cool.
The 13-bed Mahoroba Youth Hostel (; 38-5229; fax 38-1714; dm ¥3200, with 2 meals ¥4950) is comfortable and secluded, surrounded by lush scenery, but doesn’t have an onsen. It’s an eight-minute walk south from the train station.
Uematsu-ya (; 38-2300; fax 38-8501; www.uematsuya.com, in Japanese; r per person with 2 meals from ¥10,500) is neither historical nor traditional but kindly, well kept and good value. Its 33 rooms (both Japanese and Western style) are up nine storeys. There’s an all-you-can-drink plan (females/males ¥2100/3150), plus indoor and outdoor baths. Some English is spoken.
The traditional Ryokan Hanaya (; 38-3131; fax 38-7923; r per person