A Day on a Snow Mountain and a Night in an Onsen Ryokan (Traditional Japanese Inn)
Snow Mountain
Winter has just ended when I arrived in Japan in March 2015 but some mountains are still covered in snow. My Okaasan* booked us a trip to a snow mountain in Okuhida which is about 4 hours by bus from Shinjuku Bus Terminal. Okuhida is popular for its hot springs and is surrounded by the Japan Northern Alps including Mt. Hotakadake where we went.
*Okaasan is the Japanese word for 'mom'. I am not related to her but we're good friends so I call her Okaasan.
I'm really amazed by the precision of Japan's transportation. From the train to the bus, we didn't have to wait so long, we got on the train and buses at the time that was planned. I never had a schedule so accurate as this! The 4-hour bus ride wasn't boring at all. We had a stop over in between I got some Fuji apple flavored KitKats. The Kitkat craze there is real and they have a specialty in some locations it seems as the stop over place is famous for Fuji apples. The view on the way was also beautiful that I didn't realize the travel length.
My First Snow Experience
It was a snow mountain but my Okaasan was so nice that she didn't arrange an actual snow climb. I'm not a real hiker like her, she's over 60 years old but hikes mountains almost every month with other senior people! They're stronger than me for sure even if I'm younger.
We took the Shinhotaka Ropeway going up and the views are stunning that even the locals are all on one side of the car taking photos.
This double deck cable car takes you so high that you will see several mountain ranges of Japan's Northern Alps! This car stops at the mountain range side of Mt. Hotakadake.
And finally my first step on snow!!! I was so thrilled and no exaggeration as it was my first snow experience! We don't have snow in the Philippines, we just have lots and lots of rain.
I laid on the snow. I touched the snow. I even tasted the snow! Call me crazy but I have to savor the experience (lol). And I think it was clean because we were on the mountain. I do hope so, but my stomach was fine so I guess it was!
We just walked around the flat area and didn't proceed with the mountain trail. We got back in the afternoon for a more Japanese experience.
Inside a Ryokan
What could be more Japanese for a traveler than a stay inside a ryokan? A ryokan is a traditional Japanese guesthouse. Even Okaasan excitedly told me in her email that she booked a ryokan and that the experience is totally Japanese, and I trust the local.
We were greeted by a cute dog. A Shiba Inu if I remember it correctly. He was barking at us as if to tell his owner some strangers want in.
At the entrance you have to take off your shoes. It's not new to me because it's also a practice in some homes here in the Philippines. Also note that in some homes in Japan, you may have to take off your shoes. That's also the way it is at Okaasan's home where I stayed in Tokyo.
Dog: Strangers!
Shoes off. The floor is clean
This part of Okuhida is an Onsen village. An Onsen is a hot spring bath most of the guesthouses in this area would have one.
A Traditional Japanese Dinner
We didn't really climb but it was exhausting nonetheless and the sumptuous dinner served to us was a real treat! It was my first time to have a Kaiseki which is a traditional multi-course Japanese meal. It was a variety of a lot of dishes in small servings. There was sashimi, steamed eggs, tofu, a variety of steamed veggies, soup and more. I didn't know them but they were all so delicious! Each small dish was so good you wished there was a bigger serving!
Before
After.Burp!Excuse me
And yes we finished it all! This is now officially my favorite Japanese meal. And the plum wine was so good too, I think better than sake.
An Onsen Inside a Ryokan
A lot of hikers come to stay in this ryokan for the onsen that thay have. It's a great way to relax those aching muscles and have a hot spring bath. This ryokan has 4 onsen: an indoor and an outdoor pool, and the male and female area are separate.
Indoor onsen pool
Washing area. You have to be clean before swimming in just like any pool
My Okaasan was so considerate to leave me alone in the onsen since this will be my first time. She doesn't want to shock me. An onsen is a public bath area where you have to get naked! She let me have the onsen on my own and she went after I did. Luckily, there was not a lot of guests that time and I was able to enjoy the onsen alone. I even went to the outdoor one all naked! I felt so free looking at the snow mountain with no clothes! Until a mother and kid came in and I got shy. I just dipped myself in the water.
Wait, No Bed?
Now time for bed. But where's the bed? The tatami mat floor covering does look comfortable but it wouldn't be so soft. Turns out, we have to set aside the small table. This is just the day table or if you want to have your tea and you set it aside come bed time. Inside the cabinet is where the mattress is which is called a futon. This is spread over the tatami mat flooring. This was so Japanese and I love it! I only saw this in movies.
The Futon set and Yukata
There's TV too
We were also provided with soft slippers and Japanese style robes called Yukata. It's the Japanese version of pyjamas and is way more comfortable in the cold weather. It is far from a formal Kimono which can be worth millions of Japanese Yen! But I really liked the experience of wearing it and made me feel like I'm a local for a night.
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmZk6sLexzreh6Meojr6un21x9irvWYp9XYvWvrtSvYZoU/20180429_202526.jpg)
My only photo of the futon bedding with the semi-anonymous me!
Yukata selfie
Enough of the tour for now. Good night! :)
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with the storyline that you submit here, makes me want to feel the journey that you feel with my small family, hopefully this desire is achieved. success always with your work. @wanderlass 👍😀😀
I wish you visit the place soon. And that's possible to achieve if you really work on it but I know it will take more work since a family trip is more costly. But still achievable! So I wish you get to this beautiful place soon :)
Thank you for you Support 🙏🙏
Looks like a great trip! I would like to try the onsen experience as well.
I really enjoyed this trip because I was guided by a local friend most of the time and I had a really Japanese experience.
The onsen is really relaxing and it's a good balance in the cold area there. I recommend that onsen village in Okuhida as I think most have less guests. But if you're brave enough then you can try the really public onsen :D
Really interesting to see this little slice of Japan that you present @wanderlass, and nice to see a pic of the 'Queen'/'Princess' herself, even with pixellated face :D ... Such a pretty dining table - looks like an effort to make all those dishes! I've been sleeping on a futon on the floor for 4-5 years and I love it. And your first snow? Amazing stuff isn't it - I'd only seen it close once or twice in the mid-range Himalayas before I came to Europe.
🔆 🔆 🔆
Snow at the Himalayas sounds awesome! I really liked it and the mountain looked more special with the snow covering. I recommend that Kaiseki meal, best Japanese meal I've ever had! Very tedious to make so they said that they need to have at least 2 guests to prepare that because each serving are too small. And I slept well on that futon :D
The Ryokan of Japan is one of the reasons why we would like to do a rural for 91 Days there again. So unique and special! It looks like you had a wonderful time there.
I really enjoyed it! I bet the rural area of Japan would be a really unique experience but you may have to learn Japanese. I was with my Japanese friends and in some places we visited I was the only foreigner and had no idea of the signs or even food menus lol. But I like that very local experience a lot. :)
As long as we can order food and have google translator with us it would be ok. We had good practice of that during our For 91 Days in Tokyo. Thank you again for this article .. makes us want to go back again.
Heya, just swinging by to let you know you're being featured in our Daily Travel Digest!
Always love to see you swing by. Thank you. I'll check it out :)
Whoa, so how did you sleep?! Were you comfortable? Are you ready to give up beds forever now? I love all of the beautiful colored bowls for your Japanese dinner!
I slept so well and I think the relaxing onsen bath helped a lot after the long travel (I also just arrived in Japan the day before that). Surprisingly, the futon bedding was so comfortable and soft but I still want a real bed :D
I really recommend that you try a Kaiseki meal if you're in Japan. Every little bowl has something I don't know but is sooo good :) I found one here in Manila but it's just so unreasonably expensive here.
I think you should get yourself more in front of the camera!!
Hahaha thanks! I'm actually thinking of a face reveal so it's easier to do videos too and not always hide in a mask. Plus, editing my photos takes extra time :D
Your post is able to well summarize to Japanese tradition food and culture. I can't imagine sleeping in the floor the day after my back get affected :) The idea of going outdoor warm pool sounds something I should try when I will go to Japan!!
I recommend an onsen bath especially from a ryokan like this. There are less people so you won't get shocked :D
I hope your back is okay. The futon bedding is comfortable and thick enough. Thicker than a regular duvet so hopefully it will be comfortable enough for your back.
My back is fine thanks what I mean is simply " if I slept in that floor my back would get affected" but now I read your response I realize that it is different than a "normal floor". Sorry I misunderstood !!
No worries! Happy to know that your back is fine :)
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