The secret fields

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This was published 13 years ago

The secret fields

Some like it cold ... the "snow monsters" on the slopes.

Some like it cold ... the "snow monsters" on the slopes.

Craig Tansley finds the best snow of his life just north of Tokyo, at resorts where Westerners are scarce.

SHOULD you ever wish to feel self-consciously tall, uncouth and overbearing, pay a visit to Japan's Tohoku region. Tohoku may be just an hour or so by bullet train from the multicultural metropolis of Tokyo, and it may be Japan's No. 1 destination for first-class ski resorts (which should, by rights, drag Australian snowboarders in by the Qantas-load), but just about the only Westerners are those high-cheekboned, clear-skinned ones who stare down with their perfect blue eyes from Calvin Klein billboards.

I observe my friends more critically in Tohoku than I ever have before as they cough and splutter inside gondolas and on trains, hands nowhere near their mouths, while locals use masks at even the hint of a winter cold.

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It seems our group of four makes more noise than an entire region of Japanese people. And I wonder how many times we pick our ears, clear our throats, laugh out loud, cough and sneeze while they maintain a deathly, polite silence - even the MP3 players of their wild-haired teenagers are turned down so as to never emit outside noise.

Discovering a new ski region in Japan is like this: one part Marco Polo-like wonder as you gaze at a world so entirely different from your own (and with snow to die for) and one part immediate embarrassment at the huge differences between our culture and theirs.

This is, after all, a country where train conductors bow to you as they enter and leave your cabin (even on a suburban train). How can we possibly understand that?

Yet one thing's for certain: Australians are leading an invasion the likes of which has never been seen in Japan. In some ski regions - primarily Niseko and Hakuba - we have taken over.

In Tohoku, where practically every large village has its own ski resort with perfect waist-deep powder snow ridden by very few locals (the Japanese are skiing less and less these days, because of economic problems and the young are turning away from outdoor pursuits), it's bizarre to see so few Australian visitors but it's refreshing to see a region so steeped in traditional ways.

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In a market where visiting skiers now demand VB on tap and meat pies on their late-night stumbles home, Tohoku skiers and boarders have yet to make their mark.

In 1½ weeks during peak season, I don't see another Australian outside my own group.

I'm stumped as to why Tohoku has not been discovered en masse by Australians, for this is not a small region, nor is it remote. Tohoku covers about 35 per cent of the main Japanese island of Honshu and is actually easier to get to than Niseko and just as simple as Hakuba (jump aboard a bullet train from Tokyo, then take a short bus ride). Tohoku's ski resorts are archetypal dreamy destinations: steamy hot springs sprinkled throughout ancient villages with traditional ryokan inns and long, wide ski runs stacked deep with the driest powder snow in the world.

There seems to be a ski resort in Tohoku for every large township but then there are more than 500 resorts in a country less than half the size of NSW.

I start my journey at Tohoku's most northerly resort, Appi Kogen, a 2½-hour journey by bullet train from Tokyo, with a 45-minute bus ride to the slopes. Appi Kogen has 282 hectares of terrain with more than 45 kilometres of runs from which to choose (Appi Kogen has the longest average length of run of any ski resort in Japan, at more than two kilometres). However, the best aspect of Appi Kogen is its snow - the resort's location means the quality is as good as anything on the northern island of Hokkaido.

Due to its size, you'll never find a lift line at Appi Kogen, while there's plenty of off-piste pursuits for families - with everything from snowmobiling to traditional meals in snow houses. But don't come here expecting a hectic nightlife. The only places in Japan where you'll find a genuine apres-ski environment are those resorts favoured by Western visitors. It's the tradeoff you must make in every ski decision: go where other Australians go and have more options at night or favour uncrowded skiing in an authentic environment with few night options.

At Appi Kogen your nightly ritual should be to soak in an onsen. Doing so gives a rare insight into Japanese society; it's a ritual that goes far beyond cleaning or relaxation.

For a country obsessed with public silence, it's fascinating to listen to the animalistic noises in the hot springs. Japanese scrub themselves vigorously while seated on chairs, then lower themselves naked into near-boiling water, groaning and moaning like sea lions. It's a private moment in the lives of very private people - onsens in Niseko these days are full of only Australians; in Appi Kogen, you will be the only naked Westerner.

But I find it's Zao Onsen, one of Japan's largest single ski resorts, that wins me over.

An hour and a half south of Appi Kogen, Zao Onsen has an area of 305 hectares, with the longest run a leg-cramping 10 kilometres. The terrain at Zao Onsen is by far the most diverse I've found in Japan - in the course of a run I go from tight, steep black-diamond terrain to wide, open groomed trails with not another single skier in sight. There's everything here from an Austrian-style coffee house (complete with yodelling) to challenging terrain parks to family-friendly beginners' slopes.

But it's the "juhyo" that make Zao Onsen truly unique. You'll be lucky to see anything more fascinating than these famous "snow monsters" at any ski resort.

Huge pine trees are covered with ice and snow brought by seasonal winds. As the snow coat thickens, the trees grow into monsters. You can ride a gondola to the top of Zao Onsen at sunset for views all the way over Tohoku; as the lights come on, the snow monsters reveal themselves in a series of bizarre shapes.

In the southernmost district of Tohoku, Inawashiro, I find the deepest, driest snow on Earth. Home to six ski resorts and just an hour and 20 minutes from Tokyo by bullet train, Inawashiro proves itself the best place to be when the biggest snowstorm of the season hits Japan.

The country doesn't have the stunning beauty of Colorado. At times, it can appear lifeless and dreary, almost post-apocalyptic, like the landscape imagined in Cormac McCarthy's The Road. It's best viewed when it's hemmed in by falling snowflakes, when the trees look ghostly and an other-worldly magic is conjured.

At Inawashiro I find the best snow of my life at Nekoma Ski Resort but I could have chosen five more resorts within a half-hour radius. Even at noon I ride waist-deep untracked powder snow on groomed runs. In all, 70 centimetres of snow has fallen in eight hours yet there's no lift lines and not a Westerner to be seen all day.

Skiing in Japan is all about timing. Discover a new ski region and chances are it will be overrun by Australians within a season. It's just a question of time before Tohoku becomes the next hot spot but, meanwhile, it offers Westerners a rare chance to see inside an ancient world while enjoying the best untracked powder of their lives.

The writer travelled courtesy of the Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organisation and JNTO.

Five other things to do in Tohoku

1: VISIT one of Japan's three most scenic locations at Matsushima, which is just a short train ride from Tohoku's biggest city, Sendai. Take a boat cruise among the 260 pine-covered tiny islets in Matsushima's famous bay and stop to visit Zuiganji, a 1000-year-old Zen temple — Japan's most significant.

2: The Iwate Snow Festival, ideal for children and adults alike, is held on a farm outside the city of Morioka in February. Now in its 44th year, the festival's main attractions are the 10-metre snow statues built on-site and lit up at night in a sound and light competition. Each night there's a fireworks displays from 7.30pm. You can also sample every type of Japanese cuisine in outdoor stalls.

3: Visit 726-year-old Tsuruga Castle (pictured) — once the scene of fierce battles and mass suicides by sword-bearing warriors — in the city of Aizuwakamatsu. Climb to the top of the castle for views of the city and the surrounding moats and stone walls next door in Castle Park.

4: Take part in one of the more bizarre eating traditions on Earth. The city of Morioka has countless restaurants which cater to those who want to test themselves in a celebrated battle among patrons. Plates of cold and hot wanko-soba — a local noodle dish - are brought to the table, where patrons compete to see who can eat the most servings. The record is 550 bowls but anything over 40 is considered a fair effort.

5: Dubbed the City Of Trees, Sendai each December holds the Pageant Of Starlight in which thousands of lights are put on display in trees across the city. Sendai is one of Japan's greenest cities and its fashion shopping is rated among the best in the country, outside Tokyo. It is also famous for its Hira — hand-woven silk fabric — and its pottery and paper.

Trip notes

Getting there

Qantas flies daily to Tokyo from Sydney (qantas.com.au, 13 13 13). Take the JR Narita Express to Tokyo, then transfer to Tohoku by bullet train, jreast.co.jp/e/

To get to Appi Kogen, take the bullet train to Morioka station, then transfer by bus. To get to Zao Onsen take the bullet train to Sendai, then catch a bus to Zao Onsen. To get to Inawashiro take the bullet train to Koriyama, then a local train to Inawashiro.

Skiing there

Appi Kogen: Lift tickets cost ¥5200 ($65) a day but multi-day tickets are much cheaper. appi.co.jp

Zao Onsen: Three-day lift tickets cost ¥12,000. zao-spa.or.jp

Inawashiro: Lift tickets cost ¥4500 a day. g-jmt.com/inawashiro/eng

Staying there

Appi Kogen: Hotel Appi Grand is metres from the slopes; rooms from ¥16,200 a person a night. appi.co.jp.

Zao Onsen: Takamiya Rurikura Resort is metres from the ski runs; from ¥8250pp a night. zao.co.jp/rurikura/

Inawishiro: Hotel Listel has rooms from ¥9300pp a night. listel.co.jp

Ski tours

Deep Powder Tours takes the guesswork out of skiing Tohoku. It offers five-night packages to Appi Kogen, including accommodation, breakfast, dinner and four-day lift passes, from $1265 a person; five-night packages to Zao Onsen, including accommodation, breakfast and a four-day lift pass, from $1030 a person; and seven-night packages to Alts Bandai near Inawashiro, including breakfast and a six-day lift pass, from $1015. 1300 305 451 deeppowdertours.com

More information

tohokukanko.jp/english, jnto.org.au.

TOP TIPS

Make sure you understand which resorts disallow tree skiing. Some resorts will give you a warning if you ski through the trees; if you persist they'll take your ski pass. Other resorts are more relaxed. Ask first, as this changes season to season (although, as a general rule, tree skiing is now allowed in Japan).

Learn at least basic Japanese words and expressions, as there will be many places where no English is spoken.

Try an ox tongue restaurant in Tohoku, especially Sendai, where you'll find the best ones in Japan.

Never wear clothes into an onsen, it's a cultural taboo. You can use a modesty towel to cover up.

Take your shoes off before you enter business premises or some hotels — look around to see if others have done so and follow suit.

Bow when meeting someone. If they're older or command more respect, bow deeper and longer.

Never tip at a Japanese restaurant; it's considered an insult.

With the kids

TOHOKU doesn't offer the range of family attractions many Western ski resorts provide but there's still plenty to do. Appi Kogen is by far the best resort for families. It devotes more than 30 per cent of its mountain to beginners' slopes; has one of Japan's best ski and snowboard schools; has a Salomon Snowpark for advanced riders and total beginners; a SpongeBob Kids Park for children attempting skiing for the first time; a kindergarten; a snow play area with banana boating behind snowmobiles, snowmobiling and tobogganing; and even a zoo where kids can meet rabbits, goats and cows. There's also a range of Western-style restaurants.

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