Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [441]
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ECHIGO-YUZAWA ONSEN
025 / pop 8660
Echigo-Yuzawa was the setting for Nobel Prize–winning writer Kawabata Yasunari’s Snow Country, a novel about decadent onsen geisha. Not surprisingly, steaming hot springs and Kawabata memorabilia are major tourist drawcards, as are the town’s lofty ski slopes and fine collection of rustic inns.
Echigo-Yuzawa’s JR station features the usual tourist information office (785-5505; 9am-5.30pm), as well as the more unusual onsen (¥800; 9am-6pm Apr–22 Dec, 9am-8pm 23 Dec–Mar) and sake tasting bar (; 784-3758; www.ponshukan.com, in Japanese; sets from ¥500).
The Yukiguni-kan (; History & Folk Museum; 784-3965; admission ¥500; 9am-4.30pm Thu-Tue), 500m north of the station, is a wonderful little museum that displays memorabilia from the life of Kawabata, as well as some interesting displays that bring his classic book to life.
Gala Yuzawa (; 785-6543; www.galaresort.jp/winter/english; day lift ticket ¥4300; Dec-May) is one of the area’s premier ski resorts, though advanced skiers will have to settle for the easy runs on offer. Lack of difficulty aside, this is a massive complex complete with its own onsen and fitness spa, as well as multiple bars and restaurants at the base and on top of the mountain. Shuttle buses run between the JR Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen and Gala Yuzawa.
If you come here in the summer months, there is some attractive wilderness hiking to be had around Yuzawa Kōgen (), an alpine plateau accessed via ropeway (cable car; return ¥1300) from the town.
Right outside the little rotary of the station’s west exit is the luxurious Hatago Isen (; 784-3361; www.isen.co.jp, in Japanese; r per person incl 2 meals from ¥11,550; ), a beautiful ryokan with extremely tasteful decor designed to re-create the feel of an old traveller’s lodge. The details make all the difference, whether it be artful screens placed to conceal a plasma TV, or a simple flower in a ceramic vase.
Overlooking the town and its own skiing grounds, NASPA New Ōtani (NASPA; 780-6111, 0120-227-021; www.naspa.co.jp/english; r from ¥8000 per person; ) has luxurious Western-style rooms with excellent views. A small rotemburo is a great way to soak the soreness away. Free shuttles run between the station and the resort and, in winter, to many major ski areas, making it a superb choice for skiers. LAN cable internet available.
Asahikan (; 787-3205; www.asahikan-yuzawa.com/english.html; 1760 Tsuchitaru, Yuzawa-machi, Minamiuonuma-gun; r per person incl 2 meals from ¥8000; ) is a friendly minshuku in an old-style Japanese house. Home-cooked meals, tea and coffee, and close proximity to the Yuzawa Park Ski Jō, are all reasons to stay here. Pick-up is possible if you call ahead.
There are several hourly trains on the Jōetsu shinkansen between Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen and Tokyo (¥6690, 1½ hours), and between Niigata and Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen (¥5040, 55 minutes).
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Hokkaidō
* * *
SAPPORO
DŌ-NAN
HAKODATE
MATSUMAE
ESASHI
DŌ-Ō
OTARU
NISEKO
RUSUTSU
SHIKOTSU-TŌYA NATIONAL PARK
MURORAN
DŌ-HOKU
ASAHIKAWA
WAKKANAI
RISHIRI-REBUN-SAROBETSU NATIONAL PARK
BIEI
FURANO
DAISETSUZAN NATIONAL PARK
DŌ-TŌ
ABASHIRI
AKAN NATIONAL PARK
KUSHIRO
SHIRETOKO NATIONAL PARK
TOKACHI
OBIHIRO
IKEDA
ERIMO-MISAKI
* * *
Comprising one-fifth of the country’s total land mass, yet home to only 5% of the population, Hokkaidō is where all of your preconceived notions of Japan will be shattered. A frozen hinterland with a wild frontier spirit, Hokkaidō is defined by everything that Japan’s southern islands are not. Aside from a few major cities, the untamed north country is a hauntingly beautiful wilderness, on par with the Canadian Rockies or New Zealand’s South Island.
Carved by a network of glorious highways, the island attracts all manner of adventurer, drifter or escapist. In fact, the image of cruising across Hokkaidō’s dramatic landscapes is often associated with unfettered freedom in the minds of the Japanese.
For the thrill-seeking