This content could not be displayed correctly, please Click Here for more information.

Minakami Explorer

Combining great ski resort areas easily accessible from Tokyo with learning more about Japanese culture and history, this tour is perfect for those who want to see Japan as well as spend some amazing days on the snow. Mint Tours provide a true locals perspective on Japan and you will soak in onsens, drink sake, ride a snowmobile, feast on 10 course Japanese banquets as well as spot monkeys while shoeing through a lovely National Park and skiing in the mountains nearby.

We base ourselves in Minakami in the shadow of Mt. Tanigawa, the lowest mountain on the main island of Japan to be covered in snow all year round. Of course at this time of year everything here is snow covered, with the cold Siberian air blowing south and hitting the Japanese Alps, this area has some of the best and most consistent powder in Japan. From mid December to mid March the area has regular dumps but is relatively unknown outside Japan and less visited than the neighbouring resorts of Yuzawa and Niigata.

Is It For Me?

The Mint crew have specifically designed this weeklong tour to both enjoy the amazing snow and learn more about Japan….

Highlights

  • Explore Tokyo's many neighbourhoods
  • Skiing Minakami's powder slopes
  • Snow shoeing through winter wonderland forests
  • Change for some winter kayaking or snow mobile riding
  • Natural hot spring onsens
  • Delicious Japanese meals washed down with warm local sake
  • Dinner in Kill Bill restaurant

The Itinerary

Day 1 – on arrival in Tokyo make your way to our conveniently located hotel using the detailed instructions in our notes (which you will get after booking). Explore some of the many fascinating neighbourhoods of the capital before joining the rest of the group for a welcome meeting and included dinner at an izakaya, a japanese style pub where the focus is on the drinks and the food is a tasty and filling afterthought. If your jetlag isn't to bad (or maybe if it's so bad you're nocturnal) join us on a night exploration of one of Tokyo's infamous entertainment areas before heading to the 45th floor of the Tokyo government offices for a view over Tokyo's sea of lights. Optional activity: party all night!

Day 2 – start the day at Tsukiji fish market's outer market where hundreds of shops sell everything from fresh fish to sake sets to gum boots. Surrounding the market is a huge selection of restaurants selling the freshest sushi and sashimi you are ever likely to get (and plenty of non fish items if your stomach can't cope with that in the morning). Join the market workers for an after work drink (at 8am) or stick to green tea.

Options for the morning include zazen meditation, ikebana, tea ceremony, karate/aikido martial arts, city bike ride, sumo stable visit, Akihabara otaku visit and kabuki theatre performance before we head to the centre of youth culture for the afternoon. Harajuku has become world famous for the crazy costumes worn there and we hang out and people watch as the youth primp and preen on the bridge leading to Tokyo's most important Shinto shrine.

In the evening we take a bullet train to Minakami, our base for the next few days. Popular for its onsens since the 16th century (there are over 100 in the area!) is has recently become popular for a range of outdoor activities including, in the winter, some of the best and most easily accessible slopes in Japan. Only 70 minutes by bullet train and we're above the snowline, settling in to our traditional Japanese ryokan and setting up our futons on the tatami mat floors. Hop straight into the onsen if you're after a soak or try some of the local sake before our delicious traditional style dinner.

Day 3 – we spend our first morning on the snow, making the most of the great runs which offer something for skiers and boarders of all levels – from total beginners to seriously advanced. Every day we will offer an optional non skiing/boarding alpine activity for those who want to experience the many and varied adventure activities that Minakami has to offer and today's is a backcountry tour.

If you want to get off the main slopes and carve up some fresh powder head off on one of the optional backcountry tours which take you to little visited parts of the mountains and away from the popular runs. Learn the basics of backcountry safety and equipment use from the professional guides as you learn the ins and outs of a snow pit test for snow stability before taking the road less travelled back down the mountain.

Day 4 – Another day on the slopes with an optional morning of snow shoeing where we get to have our breakfast out in the beauty of our surrounding forest. It's a great way to get out into winter wonderland that surrounds us so strap on your snow shoes and set off through snow covered beech forests, walk past frozen waterfalls and take in incredible panoramas of the surrounding mountain range.

Evenings are spent at our comfortable ryokan where a soak in the onsen and some warm sake are a perfect way to end our days on the mountain.

Day 5 – more time on the slopes or if you want to give your legs a break head out on a snow mobile to see the stunning scenery. There's also the option of doing some kayaking on flat sections of the Tonegawa River or on the remote mountain lakes nearby. With the snowcapped mountain range reflected in the surface of the lake there really is no better place to be.

Day 6 – our final day on the slopes and the option for the day is ice biking, a simple sport which is actually quite different to summer cycling. Learn how to brake and turn safely in winter conditions as well as aspects of bike maintenance and safety as we explore the back country roads on our modified bikes.

Day 7 – heading back to Tokyo by bullet train we have a free afternoon to do some of the many activities on offer, buy some last minute souvenirs or indulge in a shiatsu massage to ease muscles sore from our time on the slopes. Our final night dinner is spent at the restaurant that inspired Tarantino's set design for the House of Blue Leaves scene in Kill Bill. With so many bars to choose from it would be a shame to head home so early we can pub crawl or karaoke our way to last train (or first train depending on how the night goes). There is also the option to spend your last night in Japan in a capsule hotel or love hotel for a slightly different sleeping experience.

Day 8 – make your way to the airport or spend some more time exploring Tokyo on your own. Mint Tours says goodbye to everyone and looking forward to another mission somewhere!

What's Included?

  • 7 breakfasts and 7 dinners
  • 2 nights small family run local inn ryokan, 5 nights lodge style luxury moutain ryokan
  • 4 days ski lift passes at nearby Minakami Resorts
  • 1 day snow shoeing
  • Tokyo day tour, including Tsukiji outer market
  • Tokyo city transport to and from accommodation, and all activities

Optional Activities

  • Snow shoe tour - half day (AU $80) and full day (AU $120)
  • Snow mobile tour (AU $100 full day)
  • Winter kayaking tour - half day (AU $70) and full day (AU $120)
  • Ice Biking (AU $50 half day)
  • Tokyo Kabuki performance (AU $12)
  • Tokyo Bike Hire (AU $15 Half day)
  • Tokyo National Museum (AU $12)

Optional 9 Nights/10 days package
Extra two nights in Minakami with 2 days extra on the snow. Includes 2 extra breakfasts, 2 extra dinners and 2 extra days ski lift passes. Prices upon request.