DAY 1 – FEB 5TH | ARRIVAL IN NAGANO, TOGAKUSHI

We meet at 3:00 PM at Nagano Station this afternoon and drive 1 hour to Togakushi Shrine. We have some time to walk around Chusha Shrine and it’s beautiful natural setting. Dinner is in our accommodation.

● ​Hotel: Shukubo Gokui
● ​Facilities: Pilgrim’s Inn (Not en suite) 

● ​Meals Provided: Dinner

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DAY 2 – FEB 6TH | SNOWSHOEING IN TOGAKUSHI

Today we snowshoe in the beautiful forest around Togakushi Shrine and Joshinetsu national park. We begin the day by snowshoeing through the woods, before coming to an opening and a frozen lake. On clear days, the view of Mt. Togakushi in the background is stunning. We continue onto a cedar lined avenue with 400-year-old trees and a famous thatch gate. We snowshoe down to the shrine entrance, where are picked up and taken to a late lunch in Togakushi village. In the evening, we go out to a local hot spring and have dinner in the inn.

● ​Hotel: Shukubo Gokui
● ​Facilities: Pilgrim’s Inn (Not en suite) 

● ​Meals Provided: Breakfast, Dinner

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DAY 3 – FEB 7TH | TOGAKUSHI - NABEKURA KOGEN

Today we drive 1.5 hours from Togakushi to Kijimadaira Village to try our hand at traditional Washi paper making. After lunch at a farm to table restaurant, we drive to Nabekura Kogen and go for an afternoon walk in the surrounding countryside. On a clear day, the rolling farms provide a fantastic backdrop for photographs. In the evening, we go out for an onsen (hot spring) and dinner at a local country-style izakaya style restaurant with home cooked delicacies.

● ​Hotel: Nabekura Kogen Mori no Ie 

● ​Facilities: Cabins (en suite)
● ​Meals Provided: Breakfast, Dinner

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DAY 4 – FEB 8TH |SHIGA KOGEN AND SOBA MAKING

After making breakfast together, we drive 1.5 hours to Shiga Kogen where we take a series of chairlifts up the highest elevation ski resort in Japan. On clear days the views are spectacular with sights of both Mt. Fuji and the Sea of Japan. We stop to enjoy a coffee and crumpet at the crumpet cafe, before descending 3 hours to the bottom of Yokoteyama Ski Resort. From here we drive 30 minutes to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park to visit the world-famous attraction. For dinner, we try our hand at making our own soba noodles with a charismatic teacher before returning to the cabins.

● ​Hotel: Nabekura Kogen Mori no Ie
● ​Facilities: Cabins (en suite)
● ​Meals Provided: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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DAY 5 – FEB 9TH | NABEKURA KOGEN - OKUHIDA ONSEN

We make breakfast together again, before driving 3 hours through Matsumoto City to check out Matsumoto Castle. From there we drive 1 hour into the Northern Japanese Alps and take the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway to the middle station, where we begin our day’s snowshoeing. Today is a gently winding path through the forest, with occasional views of the surrounding peaks on a clear day. We return to the inn for dinner, where we enjoy a bath and dinner.

● ​Hotel: Ryokan in Okuhida Onsen
● ​Facilities: Japanese Style (en suite) 

● ​Meals Provided: Breakfast, Dinner

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DAY 6 – FEB 10TH | OKUHIDA ONSEN - TAKAYAMA

After breakfast, we return to the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway where we ascend to 2,000 meters to begin the day’s trek. If we are feeling energetic, we will complete a 3-hour round trip journey through a beautiful alpine forest and reach the mountain hut where climbers ascending Mt. Hotaka stay. We return to the car, where we drive the remaining 1 hour to Takayama City and check into our accommodation, a beautifully restored model home in the heart of Takayama’s old town. Dinner is in a local restaurant serving Hida Beef.

● ​Hotel: Renovated Japanese Style Home 

● ​Facilities: Shared Bathroom and Toilets 

● ​Meals Provided: Breakfast, Dinner

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DAY 7 – FEB 11TH | SHIRAKAWAGO

This morning we transfer from Takayama City to Shirakawago, a 1 hour journey. Shirakawago is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site, famous for its original A-Frame thatch roof buildings. After a soba noodle or Hida Beef lunch, we walk around the village and enter one of the residences where the Wada Family resided. There is a famous view from above the snow-covered village where we will stop by, before driving back to Takayama City. Dinner is in a local restaurant serving traditional Takayama fare.

● ​Hotel: Renovated Japanese Style Home 

● ​Facilities: Shared Bathroom and Toilets

● ​Meals Provided: Breakfast, Dinner

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DAY 8 – FEB 12TH | ONWARD TRANSFER

From Takayama, you transfer to your onward destination. Centralia International Airport in Nagoya is the closest airport from Takayama, although airports in Tokyo and Osaka are also easily accessible. Daniel will help you reserve your train to Nagoya Station, Kanazawa Station, or another onward destination.