We had a stop-over in Nagano for a little recuperation before hitting the powder again. We’d previously been doing a lot of exploring of the ski resorts near Nagano but had been using Shibu Onsen and Yudanaka (towns in Nagano) as base camps.

It was nice to hang out in a city for a little while and feel a bit of Japanese urban buzz without being overwhelmed with a ridiculous amount of neon lights.

Nagano offers some nice activities besides the skiing and snowboarding, and it was great to explore some of the nearby historic towns. Even though we were doing some touristy activities, it still felt like we were exploring the “real Japan”. It was a refreshing change that at the restaurants and izakayas we visited, there were no English menus and no spoken English.

Accommodation was reasonably inexpensive (relative to at the ski resorts) and public transport around the region was cheap and easy (especially if you get a little help from the tourist information centre at the Nagano train station).

If you have a chance, stay in Nagano for a couple of days, or at the very least, visit Nagano during the day to take a break from the slopes.
See our video here