Many tourists think Japan sightseeing is for cherry blossom time in spring. Not many think of travelling during winter. Well we recommend winter as this is one of the quietest seasons and one of the beautiful times of the year to explore Japan.
Here are 5 highlights of winter in Japan
1). Snow sports
Japan has become one of the popular ski destinations simply because of the powder snow. Over 70% of Japan’s land is covered in mountains which makes winter’s in Japan one of the most snow-sure regions in the world. Most popular ski resorts are in Hakuba, 4 hours away from Tokyo and Hokkaido where you need to take an internal flight. Ski seasons last from December to end of March. Hakuba is also home to winter Olympics held in 1998 and some facilities are still in use. If you experience the powder in Japan, you will surely want to come back again.
2). Snow monkeys
You can see the snow monkeys relaxing in the hot spring baths in the town of Yudanaka. This will be a unique experience for you, if you plan your trip for winter. You can visit Yudanaka as a day trip from Tokyo or stay overnight in the small traditional hot spring town and do a leisurely walk up to the snow monkey park.
3). Hot springs (onsen)
Every region in Japan has its hot springs and they are highly popular across Japan. Rotenburo which are open air hot spring baths are exceptionally beautiful when the snow falls and the steam whirls up the baths. We highly recommend hot spring bathing, to experience landscape and Japanese culture in winter.
4). Sapporo Yuki Matsuri (Snow festival)
Snow festival is held early February each year in Hokkaido’s capital Sapporo. Many snow and ice sculptures are exhibited and the city transforms in to a winter wonderland. There are many locals travelling for this festival and accommodation get booked up from very early on in the year. You should plan ahead if you are thinking of visiting snow festival in Sapporo.
5). See Mount Fuji
Best chances of seeing Mount Fuji is during winter time. Of course it is very cold but there is a higher possibility of seeing Mount Fuji in winter due to clean and cold air.
See Asia Tours arrange Ski and winter holidays to Japan.
Contact us to arrange your winter holiday to Japan.
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See Asia Tours is a blossoming of a dream … one that features boundless adventures through an abundance of sensorial pleasures through the giant continent of Asia. With expert knowledge of its distinctive offerings, See Asia Tours was born to feed the intrepid traveller’s thirst for adventure and grant them an array of opportunities to explore this flamboyant continent to their heart’s content. We guarantee you the best offers to explore the decadent pleasures of this wonderland and urge you to leave everything in our expert hands and languish in the free-flowing bounties of Asia’s treasure trove of delights.
We spent 14 wonderful days in Japan seeing all of the sights and trying wonderful food. I have travelled all over the world, and I think it would have been very difficult to really feel like I was on vacation in Japan if we had not used this company. Most people in Japan do not speak English well, so without our fabulous guides and drivers, we would have had an uncomfortable trip, and we would have struggled to accomplish our goals....
We have just returned from a great holiday in Japan. We were met at the airport, booked in at hotels, coach trips, taken to train stations and seen off on our journey to be met at our journey end all by prompt very pleasant guides. We travelled on various forms of transport so needed to be at the right place at the right time. The guides lived locally and they had the local knowledge of the area they lived in which was an insight into how they lived through the seas...
Sri Lanka is a wonderful place to visit and I am glad we had Himanthi looking after us on this trip who knew how to best get around the country at the time of year we were visiting. We had a private driver/guide the whole way. It really is the easiest way to get around the island and you would not want to drive yourself over there. Our guide was an absolute gent and very flexible with the itinerary. I loved the time we stopped at the side of the road at a tiny litt...
The holiday arranged by you was brilliant. Wendy and I were totally enthralled by all we saw. I think our most favourite was looking for the elephants in the jungle. I don’t think we will ever forget that. We saw about 15 elephants, just wonderful. The Hotels booked for us were good. I must commend Ravi to you. He was so nice. He was always on time and delivered us safely to where we were going. Nothing was too much trouble plus he was very knowledgeable. In ...
My trip was incredible! Himanthi planned the perfect vacation with exactly what I asked for and everything was well laid out, well planned, and I loved it!...
Had a great time in Vietnam! Guides in Hanoi and Saigon were outstanding!! I’m really glad I was able to do the Mekong tour with a Tuk Tuk. It was an amazing experience!...