Winter's Rolling In
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Sweden (SEK) | EN
Winter's Rolling In
Winter's Rolling In
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This is our first #Travelstories, featuring a secret powder trip to Japan hosted in February 2024 where we traveled to Japan with a fantastic group of people, marking the launch of our new travel concept, co-hosted with Alpingaraget and Lumiversumi. This ski adventure took us to northern Honshū, road-tripping around the Iwate and Akita regions.
We arrived in Tokyo early in the morning, some of us more jet-lagged than others. Before boarding the Shinkansen to Morioka—a 4-hour, 544-kilometer journey—we had a few hours to spare. What better way to shake off the jet lag than by exploring the vibrant capital of Japan?
With our ski bags and duffels, we jumped on the subway, unintentionally disrupting the flow by walking on the wrong side, burdened with gear and brimming with excitement.
After finding a luggage storage, we took a taxi to the iconic Shibuya Crossing. We spent hours wandering, taking in more impressions than ever, trying the frashly made Japanese udon noodles, and exploring shops stocked with unexpected items and crazy interiors.
Exhausted but exhilarated, we eventually boarded the Shinkansen to Morioka, leaving behind the busy city for the quiet, snowy mountains.
We boarded the Tohoku Shinkansen in Tokyo and stepped off 544 kilometers and three hours later in Morioka. Jimmy Odén and Gakoyo picked us up in two mini-vans—our rockets to shuttle us between secret powder spots.
Our first encounter with the legendary powder snow was near Lake Tazawako. We drove through the Japanese countryside, winding our way up towards the mountains. In this area, many houses are old and abandoned, adding a melancholic charm to the landscape. The winding road eventually brought us to a parking lot outside a mountain onsen, a place many locals came to visit frequently.
Our first ski tour began at Ganiba Onsen, taking us up the magical mountains of Tazawako. Experiencing Japanese powder for the first time is unforgettable. The snow was light and puffy, covering everything except for the creeks and rivers that was still open and warm from the hot volcanic water running in the area.
Driving around the Akita and Iwate Prefektur we chased the best conditions for the day. We spent our days on the mountain, mostly ski touring to get to the untouched snow and nature, but occasionally taking the ski lifts in the resorts. The snow quality in Akita is hard to describe. Coming from Åre, Sweden and being used to ice packed slopes it is a dream to ski in Japan. The snow was light and fluffy, treating us like gods on the mountain. The ”State of Elevenate” was not hard to find in the untouched snow, skiing between the big and beautiful trees in the sparse forest.
The nights we spent in different hotels, most of them visited by a majority of Japanese tourists there for the Onsen experiences. The third night we spent on the countryside in Akita, a Japanese hut outside of the city Sumiyoshicho. We drove to Sumiyoshicho for dinner, visiting the restaurant of a chef who got tired of Tokyo and moved away yo this small city to start his own restaurant, not much to see from the outside - But the food. Let me tell you, it was an experience.
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