The new rice is coming in and the mushrooms are coming out. Right now is an amazing time for enjoying food before the winter snows arrive. So we thought it would be nice to remind everyone of the gastronomy tours in the region. One of our favourites involves foraging for mushrooms in the local forests, checking out a traditional shop that has been making pickles the same way for a hundred years (and really feels like stepping back in time), and then turning all the ingredient

We’ve spent the last couple of days on the fascinating Snow Country Culture Workshop Autumn Edition, during which time we have learned how to use rice straw to make various rope and storage, harvested daikon radishes, and made mochi in a traditional autumn festival. The tour started in Yukiguni Ryokan in Tsunan. Tsunan sits on the 37 degree parallel north latitude, which is the same as Athens, Sicily, and San Francisco. You don’t associate those places with the 3+ meters of s

Using the surrounding mountains and forests as a source of food has been a tradition in Snow Country for as long as humans have been here. It is still an integral part of life in the region, and the beautiful fall colors that are around at the moment also signal that there will be an abundance of mushrooms below those leaves. As part of the Snow Country Gastronomy Tourism initiative we went out on a mushroom hunting tour in Sakae Village. Our group met at the lovely Shinano-s

The artist Tsuyoshi Hayatsu was born in Muikamachi in 1938. For the past 40 years he has been painting traditional houses in Snow Country, and across the whole of Japan. These traditional buildings, often with thatched roofs have been disappearing from the countryside but still live on thanks to the hundreds of canvases Mr. Hayatsu has painted. Since 1987 he has been displaying his works in the Hayatsu Gallery in Koide. The main room has a series of rotating images selected b

Snow Country is full of great places to see the beautiful colors of a Japanese fall. If you have transport and you are up for a lovely drive, the Uonuma Sky Line is a fantastic choice. If you are going from the Minami Uonuma valley to the Tokamachi side of the hill you have to head up and over the mountains. When you get up to the pass there is a road that runs along the ridge and gives you some amazing views of the tree-covered mountain slopes and the valley far below. It is

Food is one of the main things that visitors look forward to when they come to Japan. Each area of Japan has a rich food culture, and local produce of which they are very proud. Snow Country is no exception. Most people think of rice and sake when it comes to food and drink in this region but there is much more to experience than that. The food culture here goes back a long time and was born of necessity. The harsh winter conditions meant that everything was blanketed in mete

August has ended and as we move into September it feels like summer is drawing to a close. People’s thoughts turn to the approaching winter, but before the deep snow comes we have fall, which is one of the best times to be in Snow Country. The rice is turning yellow in the fields in the bottom of the valley and it is almost time for harvesting. There will be festivals all over the region once the harvest is finished to give thanks for the new rice. The valley turning from dee

One of the best things about Japan is the marked difference between each season. That difference means that the scenery is constantly changing and every few months you are treated to a new look to the same view. Winter has the beauty of the snow covered mountains, spring sees green gradually make a reappearance, and summer is verdant and lush. Many people choose fall/autumn as their favorite though as the changing of the colors is sensational in this region. It is a great tim