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When asked to think of "snow country," what kind of image comes to mind?

Many people would picture the beautiful scenery of a village in the high mountains where a carpet of snow covers all the houses and fields, whereas other people might have an impression of being lonely from the word that evokes an image of a life surrounded by cold snow. If you want to know what the "snow country" is really like, why don't you join a day tour in which you can actually visit the snow country, experience how local residents of the area live, appreciate artwork that allows you to understand another beauty of snow, and enjoy fireworks that brighten up the winter night sky.

Yukimi Gozen, a special lunch filled with the wisdom to live in the snow country!

The tour begins at the gateway for the snow country, Echigo-Yuzawa Station, which literary great Yasunari Kawabata loved. You will board a chartered bus at 10:40 a.m. from the Snow Country Tourism Information Center located in front of the west exit of the station. Your first destination is Echigo-Tsumari, which includes Tokamachi and Tsunan, Niigata Prefecture, and is known as one of Japan's heaviest snowfall areas. Echigo-Tsumari is covered with very deep snow and said to be most beautiful in the winter. After enjoying watching the view go by from the bus window, you will arrive in Echigo-Tsumari at around noon. You will then go to a private house in a village in the region to enjoy a special lunch called Yukimi Gozen.
People living in the deep snow have cultivated the wisdom and culture to survive and live in harmony with massive snowfalls. The food in the Yukimi Gozen lunch is made to be not only nutritious but also tasty and filling so people in the region can survive the harsh winter. All the ingredients used in the food, such as the rice, vegetables and mountain herbs, are locally produced. The contents of the lunch may vary slightly depending on the village, but you will surely have fun enjoying the food as well as the warm hospitality of the local residents.

Have fun seeing and experiencing SNOWART!

After enjoying a hearty meal with the tasty Yukimi Gozen lunch that warms both your body and heart, your next destination is the event site of Echigo-Tsumari Art Field 2019 Winter, where artwork based on the theme of snow and winter life is exhibited. This year will be the sixth time for the event to be held. Displaying artwork designed to harmonize abundant local nature, culture, and modern art, this event always draws worldwide attention. At Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art, KINARE, which is the center of such art activities, much artwork including snow-themed objects d'art are displayed. Enjoy various types of artwork that maximize the beauty of white snow. Moreover, the courtyard of KINARE will host Snowy Play Expo where Kotatsu Car Circuit, which looks like a combination of bicycles and kotatsu (heated low tables in Japan), can be enjoyed by visitors of all ages.

At the finale of the tour, enjoy snow fireworks that decorate the clear night sky in the winter!

Your final destination is Atema Kogen Resort Belnatio, which is the site of Echigo-Tsumari Snow Fireworks 2019 based on the theme of snow and light. There, you can experience a mystical time and view fantastic snowy scenery, which can be enjoyed only in the winter. Gift for Frozen Village, presented by artist Kyota Takahashi, will change the usually monochrome snowscape into a beautiful scene, which looks as if countless flowerbeds appear on snow, thanks to colorful LED lights buried in the snow. In addition, colorful fireworks will be set off to light up the night sky.
The beautiful fireworks in the night sky, including the largest sanshakudama (a firework ball measuring three feet across), will close the tour. During a bus ride back to Echigo-Yuzawa Station from the fireworks site, you will indulge in wonderful memories and the afterglow of the tour.

[Tour Information]

Depart on March 2: Echigo-Tsumari Winter 2019 Day Tour
SNOWART, Echigo-Tsumari snow fireworks, and Yukimi Gozen tour

-Schedule/March 2, 2019 [Sat]
-Price/ [Adult] ¥13,800 [Child] ¥11,000
*Tour price includes: transportation (by bus), Yukimi Gozen lunch, entrance fees, insurance. You'll be accompanied by a local guide.
-Meeting and Ending Location/Snow Country Tourism Information Center, west exit, Echigo-Yuzawa Station
-Transportation/Bus
-Number of Participants/45 maximum (15 minimum)

[Bookings/enquiries]

Snow Country Tourism Zone Information Center
TEL：025-785-5353
Business hours 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (Open every day)

http://www.yuzawaonsen.jp/
yoyaku@yuzawaonsen.gr.jp

【Notes】
Booking and application of this tour is until February 26. Time and journey may change due to road conditions etc. If it is difficult to implement the itinerary for reasons we can not manage such as natural disasters, the itinerary may be changed or canceled.

text : Tomohiro Watanabe

Facility Information

Snow Country Tourism Information Center
Address
2431-1 Yuzawa, Yuzawa-machi, Minamiuonuma-gun, Niigata 949-6101
URL
https://www.snow-country-tourism.jp/
Notes
Access: At the west exit, Echigo Yuzawa station, Joetsu Shinkansen

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