Snow Country: Inside a real life snow globe

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Japan is a country steeped in bewilderment with a surprise at every turn. The nation provides a feast of temptation for the senses with food, architecture and culture quite unlike anywhere else in the world.

We’ve also recently discovered that they celebrate their seasons in truly unique style.

This year-round travel destination is most popular in the spring and the autumn - the perfect times for blossom viewing and outdoor activities. However, if you’re a ski or snowboard enthusiast then Japan’s winters are the closest you’ll get to heaven on earth.

It may surprise many people to learn that there are more ski resorts per capita in Japan than any other country in the world. So grab your ski jacket and venture with us to 豪雪地帯 Gōsetsu Chitai, or Snow Country, to discover a whole mountain of delights…

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C O C O T R A V E L

When you think of Asia, you most likely think of scorching sun, long humid days, blue oceans and white sandy beaches.

You probably don’t think of below-freezing temperatures and wading through unimaginable depths of crisp, white snow in your thermals. This is why the Japanese region of Gōsetsu Chitaim - a place famous for its heavy, long-lasting snowfall - challenges our pre-conceptions of this magical continent.

Gōsetsu Chitai has long been a talismanic phrase in the Japanese lexicon; it describes a spiritual, pure world where city dwellers retreat from their cramped offices and polluted streets in order to cleanse themselves and return to a state of virtue.

The region is just a short journey from the hectic, neon metropolis of Tokyo, and yet the modernity of the city has yet to seep into the culture in Western Japan, an area kept alive by its own quiet magic.

Made up of seven municipalities in three prefectures, the Snow Country refers to the belt along the Sea of Japan from Honshū’s northern tip to Yamaguchi’s deep south.

However, the region is most closely associated with the area from Fukui to Akita, Toyama and Niigata prefectures. Another little-known fact is that the rural regions of Japan are buried under snow for six months every year. And to think we complain about the British winter.

The extreme snowfalls of the Snow Country are caused by clouds dancing around the mountains along the backbone of Honshū and sprinkling their moisture under the influence of strong westerly winds blowing off the continent. Some winds blow down from Siberia, creating some of the world’s snowiest spots. It’s almost inconceivable that somewhere quilted in snow for six months a year can survive, but the people of the Snow Country are united in appreciation of the sheer natural beauty that surrounds them. Their unique pace of life and cultural traditions are the same today as they 88

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were centuries ago. A visit to this area is refreshing for the spirit; it’s a place where modernity and the ‘rat race’ desire for something more hasn’t corrupted the natural way of life. It’s a fresh experience, where time seems to stand still. It’s a utopia.

Leaving behind the ever-bustling Tokyo on a metro jammed to the doors with stressed commuters, you seem to be in a continuous jostling state. You become urbanised as you frantically try to swallow up everything Tokyo has to offer. You’re tuned-in, robotic, your neural pathways feverishly flashing like neon lights. Then, after a short ride on the bullet train, you come to an abrupt stop. The train weaves through the mountainscape, everything is silent, reverent and monochrome and you remember that there’s more to life than work, money and belongings. We can only describe it as the feeling of stepping off a long-haul flight where your destination time is hours behind that of your origin.

Every corner of the Snow Country has its own special surprises and the region is home to the ever-popular UNESCO World Heritage sites of Gokayama and Shirakawa-go. When November comes and the nights grow shorter, the thatched houses of Shirakawa-go become illuminated by candlelight, creating a fairytale-like landscape as if you’re inside a snow globe. It will remain in this magical state until May, when the snow begins to melt.

This is a picture of pure and total simplicity.

The snowfall is often so heavy that buildings have entrances on the second floor. Residents remove snow from their roofs every day to prevent its weight from crushing their homes, and similar precautions are taken for protecting the forested areas. The inhabitants of these villages have adapted flawlessly.

In some towns people have built tunnel pathways to their neighbours’ homes and the streets are lined with covered footpaths to ensure that life can continue as normal.

But how does somewhere like this survive?

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C O C O T R A V E L One of the major benefits of the Snow Country region is its ease-of-access from large cities like Tokyo and Osaka, making it a hassle-free option for foreign travellers.

There are three major bullet train stations in Snow Country - Jomokogen, Echigo-Yuzawa and Urasa – as well as other well-connected stations for regular transport. Those immersed in fast-paced Tokyo living become enticed by the snow-capped mountains, traditional ryokans and exceptional food.

During the winter it’s a snowsports retreat; in the summer it’s an escape from the modern world. Tourism is still rife for these sleepy districts and it’s hardly surprising.

Agriculture is a strong component in the history of the Snow Country and it continues to prosper today. There are strong local culinary traditions that are the pride of the region, while new generations of chefs are pioneering ways to showcase the plentiful nature of the surrounding fields, mountains and rivers to put the Snow Country on the gourmet map. When the snow melts, ice cold water flows through the valleys and moistens the fields of Koshi Hikari where Japan’s finest rice and lightest, purest sake is grown. The Sea of Japan is also just a stone’s throw away, so you’re sure to have the freshest seafood on your plate every day.

In the past ten years Japan has become wellknown for its ski and snowboard resorts, with more and more winter sports enthusiasts flocking to its slopes every year. With some of the best powder snow there is, the skitourism scene is rapidly developing. We would advise that you give back to the natives of these winter wonderlands and opt to spend your après-ski evenings in a traditional ryokan, rather than a Meribel-style chalet.

And what is après-ski without a long, hot soak in a hot tub? Japan goes that extra mile yet again, offering travellers the unique experience of bathing in a traditional Japanese onsen on those cold, dark Snow Country nights. Onsens are hot springs, 90

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and given that Japan is a volcanically active country, there are thousands of these beauties scattered along its length and breadth. They’re beloved by the Japanese, who believe that a long, naked soak in a natural volcanic spring is the pinnacle of relaxation. Yes, I said naked.

Don’t let that put you off, the Japanese see the beauty in everything and your naked body is no exception! Onsen enthusiasts flock to the Snow Country to bathe in the various hot springs dotted around the area. They believe that the water properties differ from spring to spring and have unique effects on the mind and body.

Unlike the UK, Gōsetsu Chitai does not shut down during heavy snowfall. In fact, it prospers.

There’s motivation for cultural exchanges stemming from the principle captured by the Japanese expression “seikô udoku; kakô tôdoku”, translating as “In summer, cultivate the fields; in winter, cultivate the mind.” They do so through the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, one of the largest art festivals in the world held every three years in the Echigo-Tsumari region.

Founded in 2000, the festival has provided the opportunity to present valuable projects and initiatives that use art as a catalyst to reveal the assets of the area, rediscover aged values, communicate discoveries with the world and revitalise the region. Never fear if you happen to visit Echigo-Tsumari during one of the Festival’s rest years, as there are cultural facilities in abundance. Created by global artists and run by local people, they warmly welcome visitors and travellers. You can view artworks while passing through terraced rice fields, beech forests and along riversides, absorbing traditional customs through all of the five senses.

It’s mystifying to think that such a paradise can exist so close to a capital like Tokyo, never mind survive under such harsh weather conditions.

But as we said before, Japan is awash with wonders. If you’re unable to visit the Snow Country then maybe you’d like to read one of the classics of Japanese Literature, the 1948 novel Snow Country. Written by the much adored Nobel Prize-winning writer Yasunari Kawabata, this novel will give you a truly romantic picture of the Gōsetsu Chitai and its battle with modernity - something that we could only dream of explaining so beautifully.

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