Yamaboku - A summer cow farm, which turns into a snow resort in winter with ungroomed tree runs in the middle of the resort & privale backcountry cat runs available during the holidays & weekends. The perfect way to guarantee runs even on the busy days. This is Yamada Farm in summer.
Yamaboku has a very unique structure that defines where you can ski or snowboard. There are 3 different areas called stages and The TACOCHI course. 1st stage contains 16 courses with 3 chairlifts. A 70 % of the area is non-groomesd. Just explore and find your favourite tree courses! 2nd stage is a private non-groomd area that is limited only to 30 people who booked in advance. From the top of the #3 chairlift, you will be taken to the 2nd STAGE by CAT. It would be a perfect for backcountry biginners. 3rd stage is a CAT tour to ski/board Mt. Kasadake which is a 2,075 metre high mountain. The CAT tour bookings require a minimum of 5 people. The TACOCHI course is a 13 kilometre long off-piste course that is 800m higher & is accessed from the top of chairlift number #3. There is a guided tour or you can have a free run!
The best accommodation is Fukeikan, which is located in the Yamada Onsen village where you ski back in after finishing the TACOCHI course. Fukeikan is a beautiful and traditional Japanese ryokan, which has been run for over 240 years. It is located in the Yamada Onsen village. It is about 15 minutes by car to and from Yamaboku Wild Snow Park. The staff at Fukeikan run a free shuttle. All the rooms are Japanese style. The river side rooms have beautiful views of the Matsukawa valley. Koichiro who is the owner & manager speaks English and he will assit you during your stay.
Fukeikan has some great onsens. Especially the Sennin Roten Iwaburo outdoor Onsen is a "MUST". After one hundred & fifty steps down to the valley, you will see the breath-taking view of the ice fall right in front of you. Soak in the warm Onsen looking over the ice fall. (The outdoor onsen is subject to weather conditions)
Yamaboku is located in the Nagano region. From Tokyo, it is about 90 minutes to Nagano station by Shinkansen (bullet train) then change trains from Nagano to Obuse which takes 30 minutes. We can arrange free pick up & drop off for Obuse station. Obuse is a historic little town with lots of shops and restaurants..