Top Things to do in Shimotakai-gun
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What to do and see in Shimotakai-gun, Chubu: The Best Ski & Snowboard Areas
Discover the best top things to do in Shimotakai-gun, Japan including Nozawa Onsen, Shiga Kogen, Shiga Kogen Ski Area, Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort, Okushiga Kogen Ski Area, Ryuoo Mountain Park, Shigakogen Yakebitaiyama Ski Area, Ichinose Diamond Ski Resort, Ryuoo Ski Park, Kijimadaira Ski Resort.
Restaurants in Shimotakai-gun
1. Nozawa Onsen
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 295 reviews
Nozawa Onsen is located just one hour’s drive from Nagano City in the northern part of Nagano Prefecture – a charming hot spring village located at the foot of Kenashi-yama Mountain which is home to around 4,000 people. The village is said to date back to 8th century but has been renowned for it’s hot springs and traditional inns since the Edo period. More recently Nozawa has also gained popularity as a ski area that features a great variety of terrain and amazing snow that’s hard to match.
Reviewed By ToniaM927 - Tweed Heads, Australia
Nozawa Onsen is the most gorgeous little ski village, comes to life from 2pm. Skiing is awesome. Great places to eat. Easy to get around by foot. Loving our stay.
2. Shiga Kogen
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 36 reviews
Reviewed By Selinthia - Vergennes, United States
My husband and I visited the Shiga Kogen area in January and were impressed. The resort area is very large with great interconnectivity. The conditions in January are fabulous!
3. Shiga Kogen Ski Area
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 434 reviews
Reviewed By 1pixie_12 - Shenzhen, China
Amazingly large skiing area with great, fluffy powder snow. Fantastic tree runs and great pistes too. Loads of lifts with friendly staff
4. Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 743 reviews
Reviewed By MadamNomad
There are already lots of reviews here that wax poetic about the quality of Nozawa’s deep powder and wonderful ski resort. So instead, I’ll share a few thoughts on the village area surrounding the 3 base stations of the ski resort and ski-in/ski-out options. For hotel accommodations, each of these areas has PLUSES and MINUSES. Note: when looking at a village tourist map or the ski resort piste map, be aware that these maps are typically drawn rotated with NORTH on the left. The 3 base areas (listed from North to South): 1) HIKAGE Gondola: access by the “Yu Road” or the “Shinyu Pair Lift” At the northern end of the village is Hikage station. Hikage station is the ski resort’s hub which has a gondola, a welcome center, a large children’s snow park, shops, cafes, equipment rentals, ski school, and a zipline base station. Even if you’re not a skier/snowboarder, Hikage station is a fun place to hang out on a café balcony to sip coffee/beer and people-watch. Despite Hikage being the hub, this base station actually sits above the village, and visitors must access the station by either the “Yu Road” (an escalator-like moving walk) or by the “Shinyu Pair Lift” (a free ski lift that carries visitors to the front of the Japan Ski Museum from where it is a very short distance to ski/walk down to the Hikage gondola). HIKAGE PLUSES: The village region immediately below Hikage station is the scenic, historic heart of the village that everyone photographs. Here you will find the greatest concentration of restaurants, cafes, bars/pubs, shops, onsens, shrines, and strolling visitors, plus many lodging options. Also, on this north end of the village is where the Dosojin Fire Festival is held. HIKAGE MINUSES: Allow ~10 minutes’ travel time to ride either the “Yu Road” or “Shinyu Pair Lift” between the village and Hikage station at the start and end of your ski day. As this is the heart of the village, there is very limited parking for cars. 2) NAGASAKA Gondola On Google Maps, the Nagasaka station is designated as “Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort”. Nagasaka is situated midway between the two other base stations. Nagasaka station offers many of the ski services of Hikage, minus the kids’ fun park. NAGASAKA PLUSES: In contrast to Hikage station which requires transit by either the “Yu Road” or “Shinyu Pair Lift”, the Nagasaka Gondola station is at village level, so you can walk right up to it from your hotel. The village area surrounding Nagasaka, in addition to having many lodging accommodations, also has restaurants & pubs. From the Nagasaka gondola, it’s a 10 min walk to the village center. There is a new parking lot at this station. NAGASAKA MINUSES: The Nagasaka gondola station doesn’t have as much of the atmospheric vibe of the Hikage gondola station. 3) KARASAWA Link At the southernmost end of Nozawa Onsen village is Karasawa station which has a lift that carries skiers up the ridge from where they can ski down to the Nagasaka Gondola. KARAWAWA PLUSES: At Karasawa, like at Nagasaka, you can walk directly to the lift from your hotel. There are a few restaurants, plus a nice little supermarket at the Nakao bus stop. Lots of parking. KARASAWA MINUSES: The Karasawa base area is more distant from the heart of the village, but the distance is walkable (~15-20 min). What the hotels here lack in central location, they make up in hospitality. Many of them offer in-house dining and shuttle service to the village center. 4) SKI-IN/SKI-OUT Nozawa does have a limited number of SKI-IN/SKI-OUT accommodations. There is a cluster of hotels at the top of the “Shinyu Pair Lift” near the Japan Ski Museum, and another cluster of hotels on the Paradise ski run higher up on the mountain. Arriving hotel guests are brought to these hotels by snowmobile or snowcat. SKI-IN/SKI-OUT PLUSES: You’re right in the midst of the skiing excitement on the mountain. SKI-IN/SKI-OUT MINUSES: Depending on how high up the mountain your hotel is, you may have limited-to-no access to the après ski scene in the village after the lifts close.
5. Okushiga Kogen Ski Area
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 169 reviews
Reviewed By Di5151 - Exmouth, Australia
A perfect ski area for learners and experienced skiers. The runs are long and wide with not the crowds. There is also a terrain park which can be a lot of fun. The main black run is wide and groomed. Down near the gondola station are a few great warm spots for hot chocolate or a curry.
6. Ryuoo Mountain Park
7. Shigakogen Yakebitaiyama Ski Area
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 77 reviews
Shiga Kogen is the biggest ski area in Japan, and it has 19 connected ski resorts. The main resort here is Yakebitaiyama that offers various ski trails for all levels on a huge hill covered with “Platinum Snow”. There are 3 Shiga Kogen Prince Hotels (East, South and West) at the base of Yakebitaiyama. This area is also popular for Snow Monkey watching.
Reviewed By Z5768PPmarkp - Sarina, Australia
Whilst the Yakebitaiyama area can be a bit more busy than other areas on the mountain it has nice wide/fast runs. We had lots of groomed powder whilst we were there.
8. Ichinose Diamond Ski Resort
9. Ryuoo Ski Park
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 180 reviews
Kita Shiga Ryuoo Ski Park is located in the northern region of Nagano Prefecture, takes half and hour from Nagano station by NAGANO dentetsu train. There is an excellent variety of courses at the resort catering for all skill levels, including a selection of ungroomed powder courses. The resort also caters for those looking for snow activities as well as skiing and snowboarding.The Kiotoshi courses are found connecting the top Sky Land area of the resort and the Valley Area. If you're looking for deep fresh powder snow on ungroomed areas, then this is the place for you. As these courses are for advanced riders, beginners are advised to use the ropeway to go down from the Sky Land area to the Valley Area rather than challenge these courses.
Reviewed By Dienzlife - Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
A latepost review from our last year’s winter trip: Ryuoo Ski Park Date visit: 10 Dec 2018 How to reach: - Take taxi at the taxi counter across Yudanaka Station (note that shuttle bus to the ski park only operates when ski season begins - non fixed date but usually around mid/ end of Dec) - Take the cable station to go up to the ski park What we love: - Short distance which make it convenient daytrip for family with young kids (we chose this one as Shiga Kogen is bit further distance). - The stunning view made the extra taxi cost well worth! - The soft powder snow for the kids to play. If you are coming by early Dec, the kids snow park is not open yet. But we chose this date merely to get cheaper price and basically took our risk for the snow. We were lucky that the snow came early although the ski season was not opened by then. Coming from tropical country, our kids just loving their snow play even without sledge/ tobboganing! - The Sora Terrace Some reviewers made comments on the pricing at this cafe, but for us, price just reasonable. Menu is just basic nothing extraordinary, but really, what more do you need than a yummy hot chocolate and warm chicken curry for your kids after freezing snow play ;) The ambience was nice and relaxing, and you can enjoy the breathtaking view while having your drinks and meals! Cons: - Taxi price (which we didn’t regret paying extra for the lovely day we had), but yeah still a con in case you’re on a budget. - Cloudy vs Sunny Make sure you check the forecast before deciding going up the mountain. Of course it couldnt predict 100% correctness, but mostly you’ll get the best out of it. If you are unlucky going there on a cloudy/ foggy day but the forecast said it would be sunny in the afternoon, it is so worth it to wait! I kinda loved it though seeing both effects as it was really became such gorgeous scenery after the fog cleared. We saw some nice family friendly hotels which has some nice snow playground around the cable station, might consider booking there if you really up for skiing with your kids.
10. Kijimadaira Ski Resort
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