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Winter in Japan: From Tokyo to Nagano

Part 1 of a 11-day Winter Trip to Japan, January 2016

By Kin Mun "mrbrown" Lee

March 2^nd, 2016

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In Janurary, my buddy Ryan and I traipsed through Japan with our Tom Bihn Aeronaut 30 (A30) bags. He carried a Co-Pilot and I used the Night Flight Travel Duffel for our camera gear. We have Daylight Backpack each too, tucked into the A30s, as daypacks. All our winter clothes are in those A30s, because we are traveling carry-on only.

Tokyo

We started out in Tokyo, spending two nights there. It was around 5°C to 6°C during the day and there was some buzz around Tokyo because of unexpectedly heavy snowfall in the city. This was the week of the 18th of January 2016, when the cold front hit much of Asia.

We went to our usual haunts in Tokyo, and in particular, looked for beer and yakitori at Piss Alley, Omoide Yokocho, Shinjuku, and other random small dive bars.

We planned to see Mount Takao, Karuizawa and Togarinozawaonsen, for some hiking and skiing.

Mount Takao

We hiked Mount Takao, a popular hiking locale though I think it is more popular during the other seasons. It was our first time hiking in snow but we enjoyed it a lot.

This is me at the summit of Mount Takao, enjoying my rice cake and a hot can of coffee from the vending machine. Vending machines are ubiquitous in Japan. Even on mountaintops. And yes, I am aware that my beanie matches my jacket that matches my iPhone 6s Plus cover that matches my Daylight Backpack. I am even wearing an orange merino wool sweater inside. And no, I didn‘t plan that consciously. Haha!

KARUIZAWA

We have visited Karuizawa before, in autumn of 2014 (which I will share in a later post). But we wanted to see what it looked like in winter. I am glad to report that it is lovely in winter too. There was heavy snowfall. The lady at the station tourism counter told us this was the second snowfall in a particularly warm winter season, and it was going to be snowing all day.

That didn‘t stop us. We took the Number 1 bus from the station and it was uncharacteristically late, probably slowed down by the heavy snow. We were determined to see Kumoda-ike Pond, or Swan Lake, which we loved in autumn.

TOGARINOZAWAONSEN

Jumping on the Shinkansen, we bullet trained to the next destination, Togarinozawaonsen. Togari is a small town, with great skiing and away from the usual ski resorts frequented by foreigners.

Our abode is a lovely little Ryokan run by a large extended family. The dinner and breakfast was amazing. Up next, two ski noobs set forth to conquer the slopes of Togarinozawaonsen!