Snowshoeing success!

 

I have been dying to go snowshoeing in Japan. When we first moved here, there was a family in our Branch who always did cool outdoor things. They told me about snowshoeing in Japan and said it was great, but I never got the details straight. Since then I have been trying to figure out how, when, and where to do it.

Last year we tried but were unsuccessful in finding snowshoes and/or a place to do it. But this year I struck GOLD.

We wanted to take a little trip over the MLK weekend and so I was looking around for options. Takaragawa Onsen is a place I have always wanted to visit. But, I started looking too late and they were completely full for the weekend (there is a hotel there as well as the onsen) 

Looking in that general area, I came across a ski resort, Tanigawadake Tenjindaira, that had snowshoe rentals on their website! I found a room for us in near by Tenjin Lodge. Perfect!

Tenjin Lodge turned out to be rather funky. It is owned by an Australian man along with his wife who is Korean-Japanese. They have several guys from New Zealand helping to run the place. It was basically a hub for backcountry ski bums. No Japanese in this hotel at all. But it was clean, the dinner and breakfast were good, and I loved hearing all the cool accents from the Australian and NZ guys. 

The owner told us he could rent us snowshoes (so we actually never made it to the ski resort). He showed us a trail we could take that started right across from the Lodge. The trail followed the Yuhiso River the whole time. In fact we had a couple of river crossings (very small sections - nothing big or deep). 

It was snowing the entire time (total Winter Wonderland), but it wasn't windy and we were never cold. The trail was faint but we could tell when we got too far off of it because the snow was SUPER deep, even with the snowshoes.

A few kilometers out, we came to a hut and in very Japanese style, there was a little broom hanging in the hut so you could sweep off the bench and have a rest.

On the way back we hiked up a different trail that led to a frozen waterfall. I wanted to get closer, but dad was worried we might step off a boulder and not realize it as we got closer to the base of the waterfall. It's impossible to know what is under the snow and how solid it will be. A little freaky in that way.

Overall, this is exactly the kind of snowshoeing adventure I was looking for - beautiful scenery in the woods along the river, we were able to go by ourselves rather than with a tour, but we still had a trail/the river to follow, lots of snow, and not too technical (basically flat). It was great!

After we got back from snowshoeing we drove into the little town of Minakami and ate a delicious lunch at a local soba shop recommended by the Tenjin Lodge owner. As we were leaving I saw that this restaurant had a soba demonstration area. They were not making the noodles at the time we were there, but I recognized all the tools because those are exactly what we used at the soba noodle class we did with Hansens. I have a totally new appreciation for soba noodles after trying to make some myself.

After lunch we parked our car and took the city bus to Takaragawa Onsen. It is a famous open-air onsen that is situated in a beautiful spot along the Tone River. I wish I had a picture (I'll add a couple from the internet). I guess everyone wants to take pictures, but since its an onsen, from the moment you arrive, they ask you to leave your cellphones and cameras in the lockers.

There are three main outdoor pools or baths. They are mixed bathing so when you check in you receive a "bathing suit". But honestly, its just a wrap. The men's is a short towel that ties and the women's is like a shower towel with the elastic under your arms and across your chest. That's it - no pants, if you know what I mean. So you have to be careful about it floating up in the water! But everyone was modest and I never "saw" anything awkward.

It was still snowing pretty hard and we felt just like the snow monkeys! Dad said he wanted to hang his arms over the rock like they did. They had changing rooms out closer to the pools, but once your suit was wet it was brutal to get out and walk around. We thought we would explore all the pools, but we just couldn't do it - too cold. So we stayed in the first one the whole time. 

When we finally got out we went to the inside onsen (traditional and separate for men and women). We washed and soaked for bit more to really warm up and then we caught the last bus back to town and drove home. It was a great weekend trip!