It has been a while since we had been on a planned family vaction and a while since we have seen snow. We decided to do both. After a little research we decided to visit Hakuba in the Nagano Prefecture. With a 3 1/2 hour drive we though it would be quite the adventure.
To break up the drive we stopped at Kofu Castle. It has been rebuilt, as it had been previously destroyed. But the location was wonderful: inthe center of a large flat valley sorrounded by mountains. It was also our first sight of snow even though is was only in little patches. But it was a great day for a picnic and a beautiful location.
We arrived late into town with just enough time to turn around and get a late dinner at the hotel Thai restaurant. Our hotel was a wonderful little suite with two bedrooms and a kitchen/living area. The owners were very accomodating and made everything very easy for us. We even had a large assortment of breakfast items provided in the fridge and kitchen area.
Out first day we walked to the Happo-One Resort bus terminal and checked out Adventure Park Sakka. It's a sledding area, with a conveyor lift to the top. The hill was pretty fast and there was also an area to play in the snow with toys. We also tried the snow merry-go round. It had a convienient and yummy cafe right next to it so we could take a break for lunch. Then we kept right on playing until it was time to head to dinner. We tried an Okonomiyaki place (B.O.S. Okonomiyaki). It was a totally new flavor at first and really our first time experiencing bonito flakes (I had had them once on Takoyaki, which was good). It was a little rough with our kids , who were not really even open to trying them. I need to go back (at a closer venue) and try them without kids so the experience will be a little more positive.
The second day was a bit rainy in the morning so we took a slower morning. Luckily it turned into large beautiful flakes of snow. We decided to check out the Olympic ski jump. We had just watched the movie Eddie the Eagle before coming so we were all prepared. But it made it so much more real and instilled in me a proper fear of the sport. I will not be the next ski jump chamion. The boys even got to take the "golden chariot" up. Jake and I had to settle for a normal lift.
The snowflakes were huge and beautiful, but very wet. So once we were walking over to Nakiyama Snowland to play our kids got grumpy and hungry and cold. After that we bought some hamburgers at a food truck, and they were delicious. They were more meatloaf-like patties (with tons of delicious flavor) sandwiched between some yummy toppings and a bun. It fit the bill for us hungry, wet snow seekers. Luckily Nakiyama had an indoor playground room to warm up and sit down and eat. We played for a couple hours and then went out to play. We don't know if it was just the wet snow or if the hill at Nakiyama Snowland was flatter, but the sledding was very snow and actuall required us to push ourselves to get down. They did have a much nicer coverd conveyor lift, but it was also busier. Needless to say we were missing Adventure Park Sakka. We played for an hour or so and then headed to the car. We were again cold,wet, and tired so we decided to relax at the hotel and order pizza. Then we went and played pool down in the hotel lobby.
Sunday we had a yummy breakfast we cooked in our hotel and participated in our church service via zoom. After we went back to Adventure Park Sakka. We played for a few more hours of sledding and then made a snow fort. After we went to a private outdoor onsen so that we could all enjoy it together. It was magical sitting in the warm water with the snow all around us. For dinner that night we went to an interesting japanese-mexican fusion restaurant (Japamex Fusion Takotaco). It was good, and definately not the usual fare.
Monday was my birthday and we had a really fun day planned out. We booked a tour to go see the Zenko-ji temple in Nagano. It was nice to have a tour guide there to tell us about the symbols on the temple and more about buddhism. After we had the most delicious, beautiful sushi and fancy shabu-shabu at Monzen Terrace Enya. They heated the broth for the shabu-shabu in paper directly over flame burners. It's amazing that it worked.
Then our tour took us to see the famous snow monkeys. It was amazing to see the monkeys swimming in the hot springs. They do feed the monkeys, so they stick around, but otherwise they are free to be wild. We learned how social the monkeys are, and it was cute to see the mothers with babies on their backs. To warm up after the hike to see them we drank big hot cocoas and then drove back to our hotel. After we walked to a really amazing little restaurant (Ohyokkuri) that sold great sushi, yummy soup, and of course karaage (japanese fried chicken)...the kids love it. It was a really fun atmosphere and family friendly.
Tuesday morning we packed out and headed home. On our way home we stopped half way to visit a different buddhist temple, Byakue Dai Kannon. It was a nice short stop to break up the drive. And it was a new experience for us as this temple was completely different.
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