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Nestled at the center of Hakuba Valley, Hakuba Village lies in a narrow basin stretching from north to south. It's bounded by the 2,900-m Ushirotateyama range to the west, and the Otari mountains rising to around 1,500m in the east. The village can be classified into a few districts that include the base areas of each ski resort. Here are some picks from each district, with their own unique characters.

Area in front of Hakuba Station

The area in front of Hakuba Station is the entrance to Hakuba. JR Hakuba Station is home to the Azusa Express shinkansen and the Oito Line, and a lot of people pass by in front of the station, especially around the bus and taxi stops. You'll also find souvenir stores, restaurants, cafes and restaurants, plus a collection of essential facilities for villagers including banks, supermarkets, a post office and the town hall.
Over the last few years, major stores like Patagonia, a flagship store of The North Face, and Kojitsu Sanso opened in this area. It's also become a good shopping area, with ski shop Yamatoya and snowboard store roundAbout also opening. roundAbout has a good selection of snowboards and stylish snow-wear, worth a peek.

Happo area

The Happo area, the symbolic ski resort of Hakuba sprawling at the foot of the Happo mountains, has a highway bus terminal and many restaurants and hotels. The area has been a popular onsen town from the early days, drawing water from the Hakuba Happo Onsen. There are onsen facilities across the road from the bus terminal, including Happo no Yu for one-time visitors, and the free foot bath Wa no Yu. The latter is open from 6am to 7pm, drawing tourists looking for a moment of relaxation. It is a great place to soothe your feet after indulging in snow sports or long highway bus ride.

Echo Land area

Echo Land, next to Happo, has one main street, along which you will find many restaurants, izakaya, bars, souvenir shops and survival game centers. It draws lots of people until late at night
Notably, cafes Sounds Like Café and Mocking Bird are popular with overseas visitors. Many people flock to Sounds Like Café at lunchtime looking for hearty burgers and sandwiches, and the fashionable interior and drinks at night at Mocking Bird. Also, don't miss Mocking Bird's fun events, held occasionally.
Echo Land also has a small natural food store "halo", selling safe foods, hand-made sweets and crafts. It's worth checking out if you're looking for a souvenir, because the shop also sells a range of local goods including Atopitta Water, a skincare product made by local company Orbs with Hakuba's fine water - among the best in the country. The owner speaks English, too.

Wadano area

You'll find the Wadano area between the International and Sakka ski pistes on the north side of Happo One Ski Resort. There are the Tokyu Hotel and La Neige Higashikan, both high-end resort hotels in Hakuba, and a state-owned resort hotel Hakuba Mominoki Hotel, oozing a chic presence in the quiet forest. Many hotels are also operated by overseas owners. Most overseas families also stay in the Wadano area.
If you're chasing some night life in Wadano, go to the English-style pub The Pub Hakuba (open in winter only) on the Mominoki Hotel premises. The pub hosts frequent DJ parties. The New Year countdown is a huge event, and makes an ideal venue for everyone to celebrate the New Year with guests from around the world in a great party atmosphere.

Mizuho area

The Mizuho area, near Happo, is home to many popular buckwheat noodle (soba) restaurants along Olympic Street, including Riki, Zen, and Nagomitei. Riki serves a famous smooth soba noodle with a pleasantly firm texture, made with 100%-Hakuba buckwheat flour.
Made with the buckwheat flour, the soba noodles carry a distinct flavor from milling local buckwheat fruit with a stone mill. The finely chopped soba also boasts an enjoyable smoothness. From Riki you can also catch a magnificent view of the Northern Alps, as there are few buildings nearby.
text : Kensuke Itahara

【Additional Information】In 2019-20 season; The VIP-lounge Debuts at Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field!

Since 2019-20 season, the service called ""HAKUBA S Class 〜VIP lounge & Priority pass〜"" has appeared at Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field. This service offers customers warming up to refresh at the VIP lounges, which are settled at the summit, middle and base of the mountain, and they can go skiing again.

More, the service offers the following:
Picking customers up and drop them off between the hotel and the resort
Accessing special parking spaces for customers
Leaving bulky ski or snowboard equipment at the resort
Returning to the hotel and going to the slopes empty-handed
and more special privileges.

This service would be such a premium one that no service's ever existed like this before, even though customers have wanted it, and resorts in Hakuba have lacked it so far.
★ Introducing a few contents ★
Riding a gondola without getting in a line
The lounge offers free drinks and meals

【Drinks】
Beer, red and white wine, cocktail, sake and so on.

【Meals】
Soup or Japanese curry that let your body and mind warm
Grilled foods by chefs in front of you
Japanese stew ""oden"", Japanese pickles and soba-noodles made from local ingredients
A pile of snacks and sweets on tables, which all children smile at
*Service would be subject to change.

Starting on 21th December 2019 at Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field!

The service offers Saturday 21th December 2019 - Sunday 29th March 2020.
*the period would be subject to change depending on weather and accumulation of snow.

Application and inquiry: "HAKUBA S Class 〜VIP lounge & Priority pass〜"

Facility Information

Patagonia Hakuba / Outlet
Address
6389-1 Hokujo, Hakuba-mura, Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano 399-9301

THE NORTH FACE GRAVITY HAKUBA
Address
5930−1 Hokujo, Hakuba-mura, Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano 399-9301

Kojitsu Sanso Hakuba Store
Address
5960 Hokujo, Hakuba-mura, Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano 399-9301

Hakuba Yamatoya
Address
6350 Hokujo, Hakuba-mura, Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano 399-9301

roundAbout Hakuba
Address
6369-5 Hokujo, Hakuba-mura, Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano 399-9301

Wa no Yu
Address
5696-1 Hokujo, Hakuba-mura, Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano 399-9301

Sounds Like Café
Address
3020-504 Hokujo, Hakuba-mura, Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano 399-9301

Mocking Bird
Address
3020-868 Hokujo, Hakuba-mura, Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano 399-9301

The Pub Hakuba
Address
4683-2 Hokujo, Hakuba-mura, Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano 399-9301

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